Village green bids to get easier?

GAINING official status as a village green could become a less longwinded process if new proposals get the nod from town hall chiefs.

Rochdale council bosses say the current system – which can involve delegating decisions to other authorities – is ‘lengthy and not always cost effective.’

Just six weeks ago, Norden residents celebrated Heritage Green gaining official village green recognition after a gruelling three-and-a-half year ordeal.

But if councillors give new proposals the green light, future applications will be dealt with through the planning system, which decides on bids for new homes and other developments.

Residents can register land as a village green if they can prove it has been used by local people for lawful sports and pastimes ‘as of right’ for at least 20 years.

And under the new proposals ‘noncontentious’ applications will be determined by a top council officer and the chair of the planning and licensing committee.

More controversial submissions, and those which attract objections, will be debated and voted on by members of the planning committee.

Coun Liam O’Rourke, the authority’s resources chief, believes the move will benefit all concerned.

He said: “I hope it will help residents get a decision quicker, rather than the Norden application which seemed to be a laborious process – that suits nobody, neither residents or councillors.

“I think it’s far better for it to go in front of a cross-party committee, like planning, rather than going between the township committee, cabinet and full council.

“That seemed to waste people’s time and was laborious all round. I would like to think it will be an improved system.”

And Coun O’Rourke hopes that simplifying the process will give residents more of a say over how land is used in their own communities.

“It’s an open and transparent way of doing things, which I think is to be welcomed – not that the previous system wasn’t transparent, it just wasn’t very ‘followable’ for want of a better phrase,” he said.

Coun O’Rourke expects the proposal to meet with unanimous approval at Wednesday’s full council meeting.

But Mark Hope, who was instrumental in Friends of Heritage Green’s battle –which saw the application farmed out to Cheshire east council at one point – said: “The devil will be in the detail. There is a very legalistic approach and you can’t get around that, but I think the stance the council takes is very adversarial.”

The campaigner believes residents wishing to register land as a village green will still face ‘a huge task.’ But he said ending ‘arbitrary deadlines’ and introducing ‘equitable timescales’ for residents and the council would be a ‘huge step forward.’

He said: “I would give it a very cautious welcome, I’m not getting a warm feeling about it - the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. My experiences with both councils were not good. The reality is the chance of success is down to the luck of the draw – whether you have someone with relevant experience and the determination to keep going.”