RESIDENTS fighting against plans to build new car parking areas in Heaton Park demanded a special meeting of Prestwich Area Board to discuss their concerns.

Householders on St Margaret's Road and Sheepfoot Lane, Prestwich, have objected to parking proposals by Manchester City Council, owners of the park. Residents claim that they will result in an unacceptable level of cars.

Speaking at this week's area board meeting, one resident said: "If we can have a special meeting about Tesco why can we not have one about the Heaton Park problem?"

But chairman Coun Paul Nesbit said that the dispute was already being discussed by both local authorities and MP Ivan Lewis had also taken up the case.

He added that the next step was to wait for news of another meeting after concerns were raised about Manchester's predictions about the increase of traffic.

Present at the area board was Bury's borough engineer, Mr Mike Cannon, who assured residents that a traffic impact study would be carried out by the applicants. He added: "It is up to Manchester to do the study as it has to be paid for. But if they don't do one, we will."