Land at the centre of planning row in south Manchester shut while investigation work into potential asbestos contamination carried out

'We have acted at the earliest opportunity to put protection measures in place and conduct a detailed inspection'

Land at the centre of a planning row in south Manchester has been shut while investigation work into potential asbestos contamination is conducted.

Residents say they discovered 'suspicious' material on Ryebank Fields in Chorlton in December. Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) owns the land.

Tests by a third party were carried out on the material, the results of which 'suggested' it was asbestos, the university said.

The land has been at the centre of a planning row for years, with residents battling moves to sell it off for housing.

An MMU spokesman said the area has been closed off while an investigation is carried out.

“We have decided to close off land we own at Ryebank Fields in Chorlton on health and safety grounds as we investigate a report that asbestos has been found there,” he added in a statement.

“A member of the public reported that they found a suspicious material on the land and that the results of tests they had carried out suggested it was asbestos.

“We have acted at the earliest opportunity to put protection measures in place and conduct a detailed inspection.

“Recent detailed surveys of the land conducted on behalf of the university in advance of the planned development of the site did not locate any asbestos at surface level, but did find asbestos at a depth of several metres which did not pose an immediate risk to the public.

“A specialist consultant has been on site to safely remove samples for testing and any hazardous materials will be removed soon.”

The Friends of Ryebank Fields (FoRF) is leading the campaign for the land to be left as is.

A ‘bitter dispute’ between residents and MMU rumbles on.

The university was gifted the land in the 1970s by the council to use as sports fields. It has become prone to flooding and is overgrown.

In 1996, MMU developed plans to build homes on the land. Those proposals were rejected.

A bid by the campaign group to grant the area 'village green status' was rejected in 2010.

A masterplan for the site, published last year, said the site could take up to 120 homes. In March, the university's board of governors to proceed with plans to sell the site.

MMU said it was 'committed to working with all interested parties and ensuring they are involved in the development of the proposals'.

MMU’s board of governors agreed earlier this year to proceed with plans to sell the site.

A planning application has not yet been submitted to the council, but the university said there would be an 'extensive consultation with the local community leading to the submission of a planning application'.