Village green offers last hope for open land

A LONG-running battle over the future of open land at Culcheth, Warrington now depends on the outcome of a bid by local residents to obtain village green status for the site.
Government-appointed planning inspector Peter Asquith, who heard a public inquiry into a proposed housing development earlier this year, has ruled in favour of developers Redrow Homes Ltd.
But he made it clear that the residents’ application for village green status for the land, off Doeford Close, is nothing to do with him.
He said: “At the inquiry it was stated that an application had been made by residents to register the site as a town or village green.
“The (Warrington Borough) Council suggests that there is clear evidence of public use and enjoyment of the site and that this may have given rise to a right for the public to use the site which will be protected if village green status is conferred.
“However, this assessment is a matter for a different forum. I must view the present proposal on the basis of the evidence before me.”
Redrow want to build 26 houses on the site – formerly part of the old Newchurch Hospital – which was left unused when the rest of the area was developed in the 1990s because of the proximity of the Orica explosives depot.
However, changes at Orica mean the site is no longer required as an exclusion zone.
Mr Asquith says records of the planning history of re-development of the hospital site was incomplete, in part because of the failure by the borough council to retain planning files predating 1996.
But it was clear no obligation was placed on the landowner – Redrow – to make the land available as public open space.
The planning consent granted to Redrow did not require public open space on the appeal site.
The inspector adds: “Whatever the reason for this, whether the council concluded that the land was not required for this function or there was some degree of incompetency on its part at that period in not securing the land as public open space, must be open to some speculation in the absence of a full detailed history.”
Mr Asquith concludes the site has no significant landscape or nature conservation value and that the proposal would not lead to an unacceptable loss of open space.
Warrington’s development management committee originally refused planning consent for housing by seven votes to two despite officers recommending the scheme be approved.