New petition urges for sale of ‘decaying’ Chorlton landmark

• ‘We need to look to the future’ says Chorlton councillor Mandie Shilton Godwin
• Local petition gains 500 signatures in just 5 days
• An appeal for the building to be sold or ‘put to good use’

A petition was started last week calling on a derelict building in Chorlton to finally be repurposed or sold.

Mauldeth House in Chorlton has been branded an ‘eye-sore’ and is a magnet for antisocial behaviour.

Since it’s set up, the petition on Change.org has amassed 500 signatures and counting. Followed by the support of the Chorlton Park councillors who have visited the site over the weekend and showed their demand for the building to be repurposed.

Councillor for Chorlton Park, Cllr Mandie Shilton Godwin has said, “We’ve been concerned about Mauldeth House for a while. It’s lain empty and unused for a number of years now. Its an enormous, pretty ugly building and dominates the landscape.”

Following their visit, the councillors alongside local Labour MP Jeff Smith have written to Metropolitan Property Ltd. demanding for some action to finally be taken on the forgotten building.

A magnet for anti-social behaviour

Laying empty for many years, the building on Nell Lane has not only been exposed to deterioration but also vandalism which has grown in the recent years.

Councillor Mandie Shilton Godwin added: “Last year it was occupied by squatters for months. They were evicted but a couple of weeks ago there was a real spate of incidents where young people were climbing the walls to enter, police had to be called, the kids were running up the building, through to the roof and chucking stuff down onto passerby and passing cars.

“We need to look to the future – we can’t just leave it like that.”

Councillor Mandie Shilton Godwin

“We want to see it either repurposed or redeveloped, the site put to positive use. We need decent homes here and we need services. As things stand the building is just a danger, and eyesore, and we need a resolution so we are working with the council, our MP Jeff Smith, and local people to bring that about.”