Rubbish left by ‘peace camp’ in Hough End fields cleaned up by council after protests
- Peace camp pitched up in Hough End playing fields for several months
- Camp left rubbish when they left, leaving residents furious
- Council has recently had the rubbish cleaned
The council had to be called in for a clean-up operation after rubbish was left by people at a so-called ‘peace camp’.
Peple staying at the camp in Hough End p;layging fields in Whalley Range left a mound of rubbish behind when they left.
The peace camp, called Soul Camp, was not affiliated with the area and stayed there for several moths over the summer before being evicted at the end of September.
Soul Camp used the area for yoga and socialising and also dug a large hole in the ground to use as a latrine.
Save Hough End Fields (SHEF), a campaign group formed by residents, were in contact with members of the camp to provide advice while they stayed on the land.
But according to SHEF, the camp didn’t always comply with staying in the area in a way that would preserve the environment.
A SHEF representative said: “We tried to help them, they didn’t listen to our advice. They cut down trees and burnt them.”
The camp claimed that they were sustainable but “didn’t seem to know what they were doing.”
SHEF said the camp was not occupied by the homeless and that some of the campers would go home to do washing or go to work.
Residents suspects that Soul Camp was evicted from the area due to complaints made by people who were passing through the area, specifically about the latrine.
The campers left waste such as wood and an old sofa behind., along with piles of other rubbish.
SHEF said this made it grass harder to cut because the rubbish had to be picked up first.
“They didn’t practice leave no trace campaign given that they’re living a sustainable life, there’s a massive problem with littering on the fields anyway,” said a spokeswoman.
The rubbish was cleaned within a week of the camp’s eviction.
“The group was a rising up of local residents in objection of the plans for the area and the lack of consultation from the council.”
In April, Manchester city council submitted plans for Hough End fields for 5G sports pitches which were ultimately dropped following backlash from residents,
The SHEF spokeswoman said: “They only informed 55 people in April.”
SHEF was conceived to raise awareness for the community due to the lack of cohesive plan from the council to let residents know about the plans for the area.