Wednesday, September 7, 2011

SAVE OUR GREEN SPACES

Bridgwater Forward welcomes and supports residents living around the Brewery Field, who have taken action to save their local green space from being sold off by Sedgemoor District Council to Tesco Stores Ltd, as part of a potential development deal.
Residents have provided detailed evidence to Somerset County Council that the Brewery Field has been used continuously for a minimum of 20 years as a public space. This is to support their application to Somerset County Council to register the Brewery Field as a Town Green. If the application is successful, this will help to protect the site as a green open space for all time.

Sedgemoor District Council’s decision to sell an open space in the town centre flies in the face of its own policy to preserve green spaces and has shocked local people. They have claimed that they will have a “robust” agreement with Tesco to maintain public access to part of the open space, but Bridgwater Forward believes there is no agreement which would be watertight if Tesco decided to challenge it in the future.

The SCC registration authority will now look at the evidence and decide through a legal process, if it satisfies five well-defined criteria.

Said Bridgwater Forward Chair Dave Chapple: " We support the residents of Northgate and the Docks in their efforts to preserve one of the town's important open spaces.  We urge the County Council to grant this application for Town Green status".

BRIDGWATER FORWARD
Tel 01278 450562
Is Sedgemoor's 'Open Spaces' policy heading in the right direction???