Village green campaigners lose battle

BATTLING residents have lost a fight to save a Warrington greenfield site from the developer.
Residents of Stockton Heath have failed in a bid to protect Cartwright’s Field, off Chester Road, by having it designated as a village green.
An independent barrister, who held an inquiry into the residents’ bid in April has ruled that they have failed to establish the field had been in continuous use by the public for 20 years.
Phil McConnell, who led the residents’ campaign, said: “We are disappointed because we believe there was a large tranche of evidence that was not considered by the inspector.
“He said we had not shown that the field was in substantial use by the public between 1989 and 1993.”
The battle for Cartwright’s Field began when Warrington Borough Council granted Warrington Housing Association planning consent for 40 affordable homes on the site several years ago.
Mr McConnell’s group put in a bid to have the field designated as a village green and the planning application was suspended, pending the outcome of their bid. Since then, the original planning consent has run out.
Mr McConnell said the housing association would now re-apply for planning permission and their application would be heard by the borough council’s traffic committee on July 19.
This was because the planning committee – which had granted the original consent – could not now be considered to be impartial.
But if the traffic committee gave the go-ahead, detailed proposals would then be put to the planning committee.
The residents group will again object, but Mr McConnell said they would now be trying to encourage the housing association to put forward more sympathetic proposals.
“We want them to be more sympathetic to the environment and the people who will eventually live in the houses.
“There should be more green space left, so the residents’ children will have somewhere to play.”
Stockton Heath Parish Council originally supported the residents in their campaign.