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Site may be hiding treasure
Archaeologists have made an eleventh-hour bid to halt plans for a Wigan Boys' Club.
The Wigan Archaeological (Discovery) Group (WAG) believes a treasure trove of ancient artefacts may lie on the site of the proposed club on the Mesnes Playing field.
And it fears that if the project is given the go-ahead it will scupper any future chance of finding any historic objects.
Today it launched a bid to persuade the Metro to relocate the ambitious scheme away from the historic site in the centre of Wigan.
Latics boss David Whelan and his pals Bill and Martin Ainscough want to open the venture in the centre of town, and are putting up millions of pounds of their own money to fund the scheme.
The controversial site, off Parson's Walk, is already the focus of a forthcoming legal battle after protesters lodged an appeal to have it registered as a formal 'Village Green' which would prevent any development whatsoever taking place.
WAG has told council chief executive Joyce Redfearn that the group has long been working on a programme to use the fields for "long term archaeological survey work" potentially involving hundreds of school children in the research.
The group warns it is "still spitting blood" over the council's "Grand Arcade fiasco" and the row over the in-situ remains of a 1900 year old Roman Bath House "sacrificed" for a multi-storey car park.
Spokesman Brian Parr said they were asking the council to "curtail the foolishness" over the proposed Mesnes Field development.
He claimed: "The Council's legal department is in the process of clarifying access to the land. It is clear the people of Wigan have an 'as of right' to use the land without prejudice for recreational and other pursuits and this has been fully operating for the past 60 years.
"We plan to use the field long-term for archaeological survey work with the participation of the community and we know we have a legal right to do so, irrespective of any development.
"In other words, the land may be owned by Wigan MBC, or some other third party, but it does not have the 'rights of use' of the land, since this belongs to the people, with the council functional in a maintenance context.
"Are the council going to allow bulldozers to run over school children in their survey activities when they have a legal right to use the Mesnes Field on a 'Technical Trespassing' basis?
"This is an extraordinary folly that Wigan MBC is wandering into. It may be a four star council but it still has a lot to learn and not listening well enough."
Council Borough Solicitor Kevin Lawson said the Metro is considering stipulating an archaeological survey of the site as a requirement of any eventual planning condition prior to any development taking place.
He added: "The Council is aware of the concerns expressed about a development which could effect the Mesnes Playing Field. A planning application has been submitted by the charitable body leading the development proposal and the suitability of the site will be judged by the Planning Committee.
"An application has also been submitted to seek to register the playing field as a village green and whether the statutory tests for such an application will be assessed when that application is determined.
"Even if a village green application were to be successful it would be doubtful that there would be a right for the public to carry out on-going archaeological survey work as suggested."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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