Bristol Post

Town green status Picnic spot saved from home plan

- Alex SEABROOK Local democracy reporter alex.seabrook@reachplc.com

APOPULAR picnic spot in a cul-de-sac in north Bristol has been saved from a controvers­ial plan to build a house there.

The local community in Ridgehill in Henleaze successful­ly applied to register the spot as a town or village green, protecting it from any future developmen­t. The small site sits at the end of a cul-de-sac and is used by neighbours for get-togethers and barbecues. But the land is privately owned, and the landowner wants to use it to build a house in which he can retire, putting an end to the community’s ability to gather there.

Bristol City Council has now agreed to register the land as a village green, despite objections from the landowner and a few local residents.

The applicatio­n was first made in 2022, by people living nearby. Writing to the council, they set out the reasons for protecting the site, including how volunteers have helped with its upkeep.

The applicants said: “Since 1988, the local community has held annual summer picnic barbecues. Local people have volunteere­d to cut grass and generally maintain the land. Chippings have been laid to improve the surface of the informal path crossing the site and linking to the network of public rights of way across Golden Hill. Throughout all this time, access to the land and adjacent public footpaths has not been interrupte­d or prevented by the landowner. For over 30 years, Ridgehill Green has been in regular community use for picnic barbecues, recreation­al gardening, ad hoc passing-by on recreation­al walks, or just a place to stop and chat.”

Several neighbours also wrote in to support the green, and objected to a recent planning applicatio­n for a house there. The planning applicatio­n received many letters in objection, and some in support.

One neighbour said: “The plot has always been well maintained by local volunteers. The grass is cut regularly, flower tubs have been purchased and are looked after and fallen leaves cleared. Paths of chippings have been laid to avoid the mud which would otherwise accumulate.”

But others supported the planning applicatio­n, and said the landowner, Mushtaq Ahmed of Stapleton Road, should be allowed to build a house on land that he owns. Mr Ahmed objected to the village green plan, saying his planning applicatio­n by law means it must be refused.

However, council officers said that as he applied for planning permission in 2023 – after the residents applied to register the land as a village green in 2022 – that was not a valid reason for refusal.

One neighbour also objected to the village green applicatio­n, saying the small piece of land was seldom used for anything other than a shortcut by people walking to the nearest Tesco.

They said: “This is a minority group, and if you weren’t a member of the neighbourh­ood watch, I doubt you would know what the plans were for this space. There is, to my knowledge, only one annual event that takes place in this space, for a couple of hours.”

It is understood there are over 100 members of the local neighbourh­ood watch group, who were all informed of the applicatio­n. The council initially put up public notices in the wrong place, but then later put up notices at the picnic spot, informing local residents of the applicatio­n.

The public rights of way and greens committee voted unanimousl­y to register the site as a village green. However, the landowner could still legally challenge the decision in the courts, as is happening with a more high-profile applicatio­n, for Stoke Lodge playing fields in Stoke Bishop.

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