ON Wednesday, October 11 I attended the meeting of Trafford Council where future plans for Stretford and the UA92 university development were discussed at length. Despite the widespread concerns of local residents there was almost nobody in the public gallery as the public were unaware. Clearly, like many of the proposals, there was no real attempt to involve local people.

There is a 10 week public consultation period which has already started and I would encourage everyone to find out what's happening and join in. What effect this will have is debatable as planning permission is expected in January. The development is too large for the area concerned and all the decisions are being rushed to accommodate the developers.

Stretford councillor Dolores O'Sullivan spoke well to express her concern that despite all her work for the future development of Stretford, even she had only a few hours notice before the sudden UA92 announcement.

There is inadequate concern for the wellbeing of local people. Instead they are faced with the loss of open spaces, increased pollution and nuisance. Stretford Leisure Centre will be closed once the University Sports Centre is built and there is a proposal to close Stretford Library.

With 6,500 university students and staff together with a large hotel, 150 apartments and a sports centre on one site, there will need to be vast amounts of parking to avoid chaos. The new sports centre needs to be much larger but the site will be over-developed from a planning point of view.

The main advantage that Gary Neville and his footballing colleagues bring to the development is their sporting prowess. They seek to attract many keen sportsmen and sportswomen. Clearly these athletes will need to access the sports facilities many hours a day if they are to achieve their potential, leaving less access for local residents and schools.

The council seems to have neglected this fact and weakly suggests that locals should be grateful for the new facilities to be run by Trafford Leisure. This will not do - life expectancy can be up to 16 years shorter in the inner city areas of the borough - we need more and better access to sports facilities.

When Stretford Leisure Centre is closed by the council, the UA92 Sports Centre will be inadequate for the health needs of local people.

I was born in Stretford and raised a family there, so it is close to my heart. I now live near Davyhulme where the library has been closed and the Conservative council are determined to close the George H Carnall Leisure Centre.

This closure is to take place despite a large public campaign and 5,000 signatures to save it. Please search for George H Carnall Petition online and tell your local councillors how you feel.

The closure of George Carnall will place even more strain on Stretford Leisure Centre which we also believe is too good to lose. We believe that the council should invest in George Carnall and in Stretford Leisure as previously promised and that this investment will make strong cash returns but more importantly improve the lives of local people.

Keep the Leisure Centres open and if we can use some of the UA92 facilities, then that is a welcome benefit for local people. The new university should not be an excuse to reduce the leisure facilities for Stretford, Old Trafford and Gorse Hill.

We wish good health for all the people around the Stretford area - residents and students alike.

Keith Evans, Campaign to Save George H Carnall.