Support us from £3/month
We deal with almost 1000 cases a year assisting communities, groups and individuals in protecting their local spaces and paths in all parts of England and Wales. Can you help us by joining as a member?
Canterbury City Council has dedicated three acres of Kingsmead Field in Kent as a village green. Kent County Council approved the registration last month.
Now that the land is registered it is protected from development and local people have rights of recreation here. Canterbury City Council agreed to dedicate the land in return for a small area of the field being developed for housing.
This is a fine example to other communities. The society is urging landowners to dedicate sites as village greens for the enjoyment of local people. This can be offered in return for development, as at Kingsmead, and gives the community a real and lasting benefit.’
Says Sue Langdown of the Friends of Kingsmead Field: ‘We are delighted that after a long campaign lasting several years, Canterbury City Council has agreed voluntarily to designate 80 per cent of Kingsmead Field as a village or town green. Its application was approved by Kent County Council Regulation Committee Member Panel on 3 December 2019. This helps to guarantee the long-term protection of an important area of public open space which was previously threatened with development.
‘This change of heart reflects hard work and commitment on the part of local campaigners and the council to work together to seek a compromise, whereby the majority of the field could be saved and enhanced while enabling a small residential development on the remaining land.’
Find out more about village greens here.