I think it is a wonderful idea to form a "Friends of Marple Rec", it is just a shame that it was not done years ago. That way the group could have done something about getting better drainage and keeping the playground and the goalpost, instead of people just complaining about it. You should also know that one member of MESS, supported by the group, worked very hard to get the Rec registered as an asset of community value, again something that could have been done by a "friends of" but was not. All of the issues mentioned above as well as reinstating the toilets were already on the agenda of Friends of Marple Orchard.
I think it is sad that only when another group like MESS Incredible Edible Marple proposes to do something positive to improve the Rec you raise objections.
I would like to respond to a number of your objections.
1. You are concerned about the number of violations of the Rec by drunks and vehicles. I would have expected that there would be fewer problems because cars would be stopped by the trees, and I cannot see how the presence of trees will will make this any worse. How would it be an invitation?
2. You state the "orchard will obstruct the view to incoming traffic from Oldknow Road." This is just not true. The trees will be planted over 50 feet (15m) from both Oldknow and Arkwright Roads at the corner, behind the line of the existing trees, which is clearly obvious from the map you received. If there is any obstruction it will be from these existing trees, not from the orchard.
3. You also say the "Covenant states that the ground is for recreational use not for planting." Again this is not correct. The covenant says it must be used "solely as a public park or recreation ground" (page 1 line 6). There is no mention of preventing planting, and clearly for it to be a park things must be planted there.
4. You say "Is it better for our children to play sports and have a place to socialise"? and I say yes it is much better and this is exactly what the orchard is designed to encourage. We cannot go back 100 years, we need to go forward and create parks and recreation areas that the current generation will use. You also say "it will come in conflict with football ground" but again this not the case. If you look at the map, you will see that the trees will be over 30 feet (10m) from the end of the pitch which was marked out for under 16 football.
5. You clearly think there are too many trees, but they will only occupy 4.5% of the area of the Rec and the trees will be spaced based on guidance from the Royal Horticultural Society, the grower supplying them, and the the council tree expert. They will also be small trees, low enough for the apples to be picked without using ladders and with space between to allow sunlight to get to the fruit. They will be much smaller that the existing trees, and further away from the road. Finally, they will not encroach on any playing areas, sight lines or possible archaeological sites but instead be on a currently unused, featureless area of the Rec.
If you look on the council website about community orchards
https://www.stockport.gov.uk/community-orchards you will see how an orchard can enhance the community and bring greater use of the green space the orchard is part of. I have also attached the latest version of the map with distances marked on it to help you understand the exact layout.
[attachment deleted by admin]
