Protecting our history and heritage

Crompton Liberal Democrat Councillor Louie Hamblett has recently written a letter to Oldham Council’s Executive Director Place and Economic Growth Ms Emma Barton. In it he has asked if the planned development of the civic precinct includes the demolition and removal of the bunker/s. This action would result in another loss, historically and educationally, for the people of Oldham.

He mentions that Stockport have kept their Air Raid Shelters which are used as both educational day trips for schoolchildren and as a living museum for visitors to learn and gain insight into peoples’ lives during wartime Britain.

Cllr Hamblett said

“We have a unique opportunity here to create something similar, to use peoples’ living knowledge of the 1960/70s Cold War past, amidst the backdrop of current threats of nuclear annihilation. It would be beneficial to people to know how buildings such as the Civic were built with threats from behind the Iron Curtain always in mind.”

He finished by saying “ I hope that we don’t lose yet another piece of our important history and we can keep hold of this to for all to learn from and experience what life was like for those who lived and are in some ways living it.