Agenda item

The committee is asked to consider whether or not to register the land the subject of this application as a Village Green.

Officers:

Catherine Valiant, Countryside Access Officer Commons

Officer Introduction:

The Countryside Access Officer Commons introduced the report and provided a summary of the details and background information outlined in the published report. It was noted that the committee were asked to consider whether or not to register the land as a Village Green. Members noted that the officers recommendation was that the application is rejected on the grounds that the application should not be registered as a town or village green under s15 of the Commons Act 2006 for reasons of statutory incompatibility in accordance with the judgment of the Supreme Court.

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    Members expressed their gratitude to the Countryside Access Officer for her clear and concise explanation of the background to the application.

2.    A Member expressed support for the officer's recommendation but raised concerns about the public resources expended to reach the conclusion.

3.    Members noted that the original inspector’s report following the inquiry recommended rejecting the application on the grounds that the neighbourhood was not cohesive enough. This recommendation was then considered by the committee, which, using local knowledge, reached a different conclusion and accepted the application.

4.    The Chairman moved the recommendation which received unanimous support.

Actions / Further information to be provided:

None.

Resolved:

The Planning and Regulatory Committee agreed that the application is rejected on the grounds that the application should not be registered as a town or village

green under s15 of the Commons Act 2006 for reasons of statutory incompatibility in

accordance with the judgment of the Supreme Court.