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We are delighted that local people have succeeded in registering land at Talybont, Ceredigion, as a village green. The land, known as Patchyn Plant, is on the east side of the Maes-y-deri housing estate.
The application for green status was made to Ceredigion Council by Ms Sue Jones-Hughes in November 2011 on the ground that the land had been used by local people for lawful sports and pastimes for 20 years, without being stopped or asking permission. She considered that it therefore qualified as a green. Once registered as a green, the land is protected from development.
The landowner, housing association Tai Ceredigion Cyf, which has planning permission for four dwellings there, objected to the application.
Patchyn Plant—saved
The council held a public inquiry, and appointed barrister Emyr Gweirydd Jones as the inspector. The inquiry was held over two days in October 2013. In January the inspector recommended to the council that most of the application land qualified as a green and should be registered. On 24 April the council resolved to register it.
This means that the land cannot be developed and will continue to be enjoyed by local people for informal recreation.
Says Sue Jones-Hughes: ‘I am over the moon that we have won and the land is safe. We used the Open Spaces Society’s book Getting Greens Registered and it was invaluable to us. The inquiry was quite nerve-wracking but all the hard work has paid off. It was all very worthwhile.
‘We’ve got nothing against social-housing development, but there is no other space on Maes-y-Deri for children to play, so we were desperate to establish our rights to enjoy the land for informal recreation.’
Adds Nicola Hodgson, our case officer: ‘We congratulate Sue and the people of Talybont on their success. However, others in future may not be so lucky. The Welsh government is proposing, in its draft Planning Bill, to change the law so that land cannot be registered as a green once it is threatened by development.
‘We are campaigning to persuade the Welsh government to abandon these plans which will strike a blow at local communities who want to secure their rights to enjoy much-loved green space.’