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Green Town Application Granted


Never to the dark side

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Just found this on the councils planning website on the worlds biggest town green (not sure if its already been posted so apologies if it has)

Statement by Councillor Simon Cook

Councillor Simon Cook, Deputy Leader of the Council, and Executive Member for Culture, Sport and Capital Projects, has said:

"I am shocked and disappointed at the independent inspector's conclusion. Although I respect the fact that she has found that there is a case for awarding a village green, designating the whole 42 acres in question seems utterly unreasonable. The new stadium, a possible arena, redevelopment of Ashton Gate and Bristol's World Cup Host City status are at serious risk. This amounts to around £150m worth of investment, promising at least 1,000 extra full and part-time jobs and thousands of construction jobs. It also means we risk losing the economic impact of hosting the World Cup amounting to possibly £150m. It would be devastating to the regeneration of south Bristol and highly damaging to the image of the city."

"I pay tribute to the club for their tenacity and determination - despite some differences, we have a shared vision for a stadium on this site. We are determined to chart a positive way forward so that the interests of some local people in continuing to have an open space on which to walk their dog are balanced with the wider economic benefits. The law behind this application is a complete nonsense, but I am utterly determined to find a way through it."

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Ive had the same reply just.......

Mark

Thank you for your message - I am expecting to get many on this issue in the coming weeks!

I am a member of the Public Rights of Way and Greens Committee that will be taking the decision on the Town Green application for the Ashton Vale site. As such, I am legally bound to enter the meeting with an open mind and I will therefore not be taking a position or making any public statements about the merits of the application in advance of the meeting.

I am sorry to send you a completely non-committal reply, but I trust that you will understand the need to play this entirely by the book considering the highly emotive nature of the topic.

Neil...

--------

Neil Harrison

Lib Dem Councillor for Cotham Ward

& Assistant Exec Member for Sustainability Neil.Harrison@bristol.gov.uk

(0117) 353 3375 (24hr ansaphone)

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This link is for a different council but summarises the key criteria for vilage green status succinctly. I thought the same as you but actually the criteria is WITHOUT the landowner's permission. The main defra section on village greens is here.

My conclusion is that if someone can successfully claim to have walked their dog on the patch of land without the permission of the landlord it's a village green. I'm sure it's more complex than that but that's the nub. If it's a village green then it's game over until a law is changed to stop it being a village green. It's a law that cannot currently weigh up the greater good of dog walkers having to walk an extra 200 yards with their dogs against the loss of a £250M redevelopment in South Bristol at the time of the darkest post-war economic period with its long term ramifications for leisure (sport and music) and commerce (World Cup, possible Premier League football exposure etc) in Bristol for decades to come. It seems not much has changed 170 years after Dickens said that the law's an ass.

Seems the law is an ass. I am purely guessing but this 'without the owners permission' would only apply to odd scraps of land that don't seem to belong to anyone, where it's just easier in these cases to say 'without permission' than to try to trace the owner. THIS piece of land has a definate owner and again surely it's trespass if people enter without his permission? Also the land was purchased by SteveL, who sold it to him, was it theirs to sell, surely not if it was a village Green in all but name?

I haven't read everything, but is it now down to the Council to make a decision on what they are advised by the inspectors, well they didn't take advice of their own officers before so who's to say which way it will go. Colin S says these things never go smoothly, but it seems that everything that could go wrong so far has done so.

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He's got a template Arn!!!

This from Jenny Smith late last night...

Thank you for your e-mail. The Committee is a Quaisie Judicial one which restricts what I can say. But have just started a major file to collect all the comments that I know will come in. I promise to consider each one of them.

>>> <arnied@btinternet.com> 16/09/2010 20:02 >>>

Evening Jenny.

I simply do not know where to start. I really cannot believe that the Ashton Vale site has been branded "Village Green" land. I and thousands of others are in a state of shock that after all the efforts to get this new stadium up and running, giving BRISTOL something the whole City could be proud of, it gets knocked back by this!

As councillors said on local TV tonight, this magnificent City of ours could become a laughing stock if this decision is not overturned. And as a Bristolian,and a very proud Bristolian at that, i and many others are hurting that that could become the case.

Imagine England being gifted the WORLD CUP and Bristol not in a position to be part of it?

I know it is difficult for you guys, but surely common sense will prevail and you can overturn or not agree it?

Heres in hope,

Mark/Arn

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This whole stadium farce from the Sainsbury's application being turned down to this really is absolutely pathetic. Do the people in charge of making decisions for the people of Bristol want us to live in the dark ages or do they want us to have a decent Stadium that is on a par or at least close to other major City's or not? Seriously how can a 'village green' proposal even be considered as an alternative to a multi million pound venture that will create jobs, put Bristol on the map for major events (not to mention the WC bid), and all the other many many positives of having a top stadium. Its just a no brainer....surely?

World class stadium or some grass with a swing or two to get broken by vandals and become a place for drug addicts to hang out? Seriously.

If the other proposal was for something in the same league as a stadium that we DON'T have elsewhere in Bristol, say a NASA Space Station or an elephant farm then I could see the point, but a 'village green'......a 'village green' ? its madness, and maybe it is showing the 'village' mentality that our Council has if they take any notice of this inspectors report.

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