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Council leaders say that proposed new legal protection for green spaces will stop them being developed under a future ‘super council’. Newcastle Borough Council is applying to have dozens of sites registered with Fields in Trust, a national charity which works with landowners to protect parks and green spaces.
Under the scheme, the council and charity would sign a deed of dedication for each site, ensuring they are retained for public use ‘in perpetuity’.
The council is aiming to complete the process of registering up to 88 sites with Fields in Trust before local government reorganisation, which could potentially result in a new North Staffordshire unitary authority replacing the borough council.
Council leader Simon Tagg believes that the legal protection of Fields in Trust will ensure the new unitary will not be able to build on the sites.
He said: “We’ve talked about a lot of these sites over the last 20 years. Some of them have been in asset disposal plans, some of them even had planning applications under previous administrations. I’m pleased that we’re now putting those problems and threats to bed on all of these sites.
“I think we might have put Fields in Trust under pressure by putting so many applications in. But when we decided to go down the Fields in Trust route earlier this summer, we knew that we were up against a time limit ourselves. We want to protect these green spaces before the government get their way and merge this council out of existence. I don’t think a council based in Stoke will take those green spaces to their hearts here, and will see them just as green spaces to be built on, to bring in income and meet their larger housing targets.”
In order to be included as a Field in Trust, a site has to meet various criteria, such as being at least 0.2 hectares in size and having permanent public access.
17 of the sites the council has applied for:
- Arnold Grove Bradwell
- Chesterton Park
- Newchapel Recreation Ground
- Sandy Lane
- Bathpool Park
- Birchenwood Countryside Park
- Guernsey Drive Westlands
- Leys Drive/Whitmore Road
- Lyme Valley Park Clayton
- Lyme Valley Park Town
- Waterhays Open Space
- Wye Road Car Park
- Wye Road/Bunny Hill
- Bateswood
- Clough Hall Park
- Harriet Higgins/Poolfields LNR
- The Butts
In addition to the Fields in Trust applications, the council has also made eight village green applications. Those for Clayton Road, Clayton; Repton Drive and Rossall Avenue in Westlands; Mitchell Wood Green/Shrewsbury Drive in Chesterton; and Winchester Drive in Westlands have been approved.
The village green application for Newchapel Road has been rejected, and so a Fields in Trust application is being made for the site. Three other applications are pending, with an inquiry set to take place for Sandy Lane in January.
Councillor David Hutchison, portfolio holder for sustainable environment, said: “Fields in Trust status gives these sites permanent protection as green spaces, and thus secures the long-term aspiration for these sites. It’s really exciting news that these spaces can be protected in perpetuity.
“The village green applications and Fields in Trust will protect our green spaces so that they can never be built upon. Our residents love to see green spaces, and I think it’s fantastic that our team is doing such a great deal of work to make sure these spaces are protected.”
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