Protesters have camped out for seven months in the latest twist in a 25-year battle to save a Manchester beauty spot.
Ryebank Fields in Chorlton has been the centre of a gruelling fight to stop a new development for a quarter of a century.
Campaigners have now built a camp with a tower, eco-house and a kitchen which has been manned round-the-clock since April 24.
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Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) has owned the green space since the 1970s after it was gifted by the city council to be used as a sports field.
The university has had plans to sell the land off for housing since 1996 and put it up for sale last year, despite an investigation uncovering dangerous materials.
Eco-protesters are calling for university bosses to keep the area as a green space.
Paul Harnett, of the Friends of Ryebank Fields campaign group, told the MEN: “I personally camped out here in the winter and it’s not funny.
“In fact I think it was the coldest I have ever been in my life."
Paul, who is also running in the Chorlton by-election as an Independent candidate, said the camp was set up in April after demonstrators set up a "symbolic ring of protection".
Some 500 ‘ramblers’ trekked from Hayfield to Kinder Scout in the Peak District to demonstrate how walkers in England and Wales were being denied access to areas of open country.
Paul added: “We started off with tents but are aware that tents are easily evicted, so about five months ago we built this tower.
"It’s a permanent structure and somebody has slept in here every single night - many times by MMU students.”
The tower stands at the Longford Road entrance to Ryebank Fields and is more than 6ft tall.
Paul said: “The reason it’s high is because if an eviction was to happen, if you’re over 6ft foot from the ground, the police would need specialised teams to evict you.
“It’s all legal. There’s a legal notice on the tower, there’s also a legal notice on the house.”
Despite this, the camp has stood on Ryebank Fields for about seven months.
Scores of Chorlton residents have also joined the fight to save the beauty spot.
Tara Parry said: “We support the tower and protect it.
"The university were given this land for free, for sports purposes.
"We put in a statement of intent of what we’d like to do with the fields, if we could own them.
"Their complaint was that there was no monetary value, we didn't talk about buying the fields.
"They got them for free, so we basically said we'll pay you double what you paid for it."
Campaigners are keen to turn it into a community space with eco pathways, workshops and a forest school.
The Friends of Ryebank Fields claim the land is unsuitable for development after an investigation found dangerous materials.
But MMU said the 'majority of asbestos' was unearthed due to grim weather and the continued use of the site by the public.
Tara said: "What if it is dug up and transported down our streets, you know with the three primary schools in proximity.
“What are they going to do? Dig a hole in another field and put it somewhere else?"
Chorlton local Siobhan Casey described the field as a "lifeline" for her family during lockdown.
She told the MEN: "We walked around there two, three times a day.
"It was a saviour, being able to just walk into that area and just watch the birds.
“I think it should be left in the care of the community, should be left the way it is.
“It’s one of the green lungs of the city."
MMU response
A MMU spokesperson urged the campaigners to stay away from the site.
A spokesperson for the university said: "We are conscious of the presence of tents and other structures on the site.
"We have repeatedly advised members of the public not to enter the site because of the potential health and safety risks.
"Ryebank Fields is private land and any unauthorised access constitutes an act of trespass.
"Ryebank Fields is an integral part of Manchester City Council’s housing plans for the Chorlton area.
"The development framework was consulted on and adopted for the site in July 2019.
"Following its adoption, bids for the site needed to be for the land purposes set out in the development framework.
"At no point before or during the consultation on the development framework did the Friends of Ryebank Fields group put in a bid to buy the land from us.
"They have asked to be given the land for free which we cannot accept given our charitable status and requirement to achieve best value in the disposal of any asset we own.
"In addition, they have not provided any plan, or shown they have the funding available, to manage the site long term.
"This is important given the presence of asbestos on Ryebank Fields.
"Our reports show asbestos is being brought to the surface due to soil erosion caused by weather and the continued use of the site by the public.
"That is why we have asked the public to stay off the site.
"As this will be a continual problem unless the site is remediated, anyone wishing to buy the site would need to either put forward plans to remediate the site or have the funds to actively manage its risks long term.
