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We are delighted to announce the recent registration of three new town/village greens following successful campaigns by members of the society:
Colston’s Field, Frome Valley, Bristol
After a two-year battle by Chris Faulkner-Gibson, on behalf of Colston Estate Community Association (CECA), to save land at Colston’s Field, Frome Valley, Bristol, it was registered as a town/village green in July 2017. In somewhat unusual circumstances following a pre-inquiry meeting in 2016, discussions were held with the landowner who, after lengthy negotiations, agreed to submit an application to register the land voluntarily. Although the area registered is smaller than that included in CECA’s original application, the association has met all its objectives and the whole field has been saved from development. Access, previously enjoyed by the local community, has been restored.
Chris Faulkner-Gibson commented: “I’m delighted to be able to report that our 2-year battle to save our field has been successful, and the registration process is now complete. Without the help and support of you all at OSS we would not have come to understand the law or process sufficiently and would not have been able to press our case so effectively. Our very grateful thanks and appreciation are particularly due to your case officer, Nicola Hodgson.”
An application was made by our members Teresa Moore, Clive Fletcher and Sarah Chidwick, on behalf of the Claverham Village Green Group, to register land known as The Field & The Copse, Claverham, North Somerset as a town/village green. An inquiry was held in November 2016 when one of the objections was whether transfer of the land from agricultural use to designation as a cultural/community facility amounted to a trigger event which would have prohibited the application. The inspector rejected the objections concluding that the applicants had satisfied all the criteria and that there was no trigger event. The land was registered in July 2017.
Reporting news of the successful registration, Teresa Moore said: “Yesterday at the North Somerset Council committee meeting, registration was approved. We have done it! Your help has been invaluable and is much appreciated.”
A four-year campaign by Friends of Herston Field, Swanage, Dorset has resulted in the registration of the land as a town/village green. The application was made in 2013 and an inquiry held in 2016. The inspector recommended that the land should be registered and, after some delay by Dorset County Council, the new green was finally registered in July 2017.
We congratulate our members on their successful campaigns to register these new greens thereby protecting them for use by local communities.