LIB Dem leader Norman Own claims a Salford business park is being sold off by the council.

He says the council came under fire in 2007, when they borrowed £6m to buy the Salford Innovation Park, in the belief it would help put Salford ‘firmly on the regional, national, and international stage’.

But Cllr Owen says at no point did council leader John Merry tell the full council that the purchase would be made with the intention to sell it off within a year.

He said: "We need to know why we have got to this stage.

"When it was purchased, we questioned the liability at the time - it was during the recess period and Cllr Merry said it would be a wise investment

"All the units are let out for different purposes and there's been a dip in the take up - but we were assured by Cllr Merry that it would bear fruit."

The business park which was developed near the Frederick Road campus of the University of Salford, is made up of three sites - the Salford Innovation Forum, Technology House owned by Salford University, and the Business Park made up of individually-let business units.

The council claimed that investing in the site would be a boost for jobs in the city and would complement MediaCity:UK, set for completion in 2012.

Leader of Salford City Council, Councillor John Merry said: "We have recently gone out to the market on the site in collaboration with the university, to tender for a joint venture partner to help secure the best possible future for Salford and this process is still ongoing.

"Whilst we have invited companies to bid for the site no decision has been taken for the council to dispose of it."