Residents get strip classified as a village green to stop developers

The grass is always greener! Residents succeed in bid to get narrow strip of grass opposite their houses classified as a village green to stop developers building on it

• Locals in Ashford, Kent, have fought back after a developer bought nearby land 

Residents have successfully applied for a narrow strip of grass opposite their houses to be granted village green status in a bid to stop developers building on it.

The green space went up for auction in June last year, where it was advertised as three separate plots expected to fetch £5,000 each.

Around 120 people attended a meeting at the site to oppose its sale – including three local councillors.

But the land, which borders a dual carriageway in Ashford, Kent, exceeded its guide price – with developers purchasing it for £23,000.

Defiant neighbours at the Quantock Drive estate applied to Kent County Council (KCC) to have the area designated as an official village green shortly after the sale.

The strip of land, shaded in red here, has now been designated as a village green to protect it from development

Local residents Yvonne Dickson (left),  Adrian Wells (centre) and Clare Tee (right) stand next to their newly designated village green

The community campaign was lead by Councillor Paul Bartlett, who represents the area on both Ashford Borough Council and KCC and was keen for the space to remain as a local amenity.

And over a year later on Wednesday, September 20, homeowners found out their application had been successful.

Cllr Bartlett said he was ‘delighted’ with the result and described the victory as ‘timely’, as it coincided with Ashford Borough Council starting a review of its Local Plan, which involves seeking suitable sites in the borough for housing development.

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He is now urging other residents concerned about developers building on land near their properties to use the village green legislation to ‘protect’ open spaces.

The 57-year-old said: ‘I am delighted that the Council supported my application. It now protects the area from future development.

‘We recognise that more homes are needed in the area but we have 44 hectares of ‘brown field’ sites in Ashford which we can only not develop because of legacy EU rules on ‘nutrient neutrality’.

‘I was disappointed how Sir Keir’s Labour Peers blocked the government’s proposal to lift this legacy rule in the House of Lords last week, so we have an ongoing block on brown field development in Ashford.

‘It was timely therefore that we won this additional protection for this green space in Ashford.

‘I urge residents to look to use the village green legislation to achieve protection at a time when Ashford has started its ‘call for sites’ for its next Local Plan.

‘There’s lots of pressure for counties like Kent to develop more housing but people are waking up to the legislation that where there is a village green no development can happen on the land.’

Residents applied for the 24 metre strip of land to become protected after the land was put up for auction

According to Cllr Bartlett, who has lived in Ashford for 47 years, the site – which is approximately 20 metres wide and 190 metres long – is vital to the mental health of locals.

He said: ‘Since the estate was built in the 1970s, the grass strip has been used as amenity land for the likes of walking dogs, informal gatherings, and kids playing football.

‘It has always been treated as a normal village green and we never had any worries about it being bought by developers.

‘If the residents had lost this land it would’ve had a significant impact on their quality of life.

‘In the lockdown we recognised the importance of open spaces – people realised the benefit of walking for their mental health.

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‘But the nearest park to Quantock Drive is about half a mile away, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is quite a convoluted journey to get there.

‘You have to cross a busy road and go through a housing estate. It’s not an easy place to find.’

The villagers decided the easiest way to protect the land was to register it as a village green, which prohibits it from being built on by developers.

In order to be eligible for village green status, the land has to have been used by a significant number of inhabitants for ‘lawful sports and pastimes’ for at least 20 years.

According to the Open Spaces Society, there are currently around 3,650 registered greens in England and 220 in Wales – covering more than 10,000 acres of land.

Cllr Bartlett, who refers to the strip of land as a ‘pocket park’, said the space was already being used for both community events and informal gatherings – adding weight to their application.

He said: ‘The space is used for both formal and casual events – including the likes of picnics and social gatherings, but also as a place for people to meet when something important is happening locally.’

He had previously asked the local authority to put a Tree Preservation Order in place, which it agreed to.

A spokesperson for Kent County Council said: ‘The role of Kent County Council is to determine applications to register village greens on the basis of the legislation, regulations and case law.

‘In this case it was determined that a village green should be registered.’

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