Death knell for bowling green
FAIL’
freehold for the land be sold, thus providing the authority with a capital receipt.
He added that the club has gone bankrupt and that it was unlikely to return to a level that would sustain it in the future.
The destruction of the green led to widespread criticism of Mr Smith at the time.
Among those calling for the covenant to be retained was Clr Andrew Cooper (Green, Newsome), who said it was “straightforwardly wrong” for the covenant to be removed for private gain.
“There’s a saying: for the many, not the few.
“Many people have used this bowling green over a hundred years, or what was a bowling green, and they have been turfed off it and the turf has been removed.
“And the few are going to benefit from this. One individual, sitting in here. That’s wrong.
“I don’t believe that it is by any means right that we should be facing the situation where somebody destroys something which has been of benefit to the community and makes a stack of money on it.”
Speaking after the meeting Clr Karen Allison (Green, Newsome) said: “I am absolutely gutted that this has been overturned.
“This sends out a very negative message. It opens the floodgates for those that want to come along and give it a go and potentially sets a very dangerous precedent. Other areas need to be on their guard.”
Speaking after the decision Mr Smith said: “I am so pleased that we have managed to make some progress.
“It’s finally come to a head after three-and-a-half years and it’s a very positive thing.
“But it’s cost quite a lot of money. We could have had housing on that site by now but we didn’t want to take the risk with the covenant being in situ.
“The council have been very positive in the quest to get houses built on that land. The Green Party have done the exact opposite.
“I have done everything through the law. I have done nothing wrong.”