Birmingham village green plans approved
Plans to ‘protect’ a playing field in Birmingham by creating a neighbourhood village green have been approved – despite objections by a city council department which wanted to sell it off.
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The proposals, put forward by Oscott councillor Barbara Dring, sought permission to have the land at Glenmead Road, Perry Barr, registered as a village green.
The landowner, Birmingham City Council’s (BCC) education department, objected to the plans ahead of the meeting, saying it would be its preference to “dispose of the site” to support the authority’s financial recovery plan.
But those on the licensing and public protection committee were in favour, with Councillor Saddak Miah (Garretts Green), saying: “This should stay as a community asset and be used by the local communities.”
Councillor Adam Higgs (Highters Heath) added: “I’m happy to support this application, I know it’s a very-well used green space.”
“In my own patch I’ve got a village green,” Councillor Julien Pritchard (Druids Heath & Monyhull) said. “I know how important it is to have one.”
Following the decision to unanimously approve the plans, Councillor Dring thanked others for their support and added it had taken her “five years”.
A council report, published before the meeting, noted that her application had satisfied a statutory test’s criteria for a village green.
“The consequence of registering the site as a town/village green is that once land is registered as a village green, it can only be used for that purpose,” it added.
The council’s education department had submitted an objection in response to the plans, with the report saying it had no identified use for the site.
But it continued that the department still incurred costs associated with it, such as minimal maintenance.
“It would be education’s preference to dispose of the site to gain capital receipt to support the council’s financial recovery plan,” the report stated.
It said the council’s education department had not produced any information or evidence “to assert the application fails to meet any of the criteria” within the statutory test.
“Therefore, the objection is considered to have little or no weight,” it said.
“There is no requirement for the application to be referred to another forum such as a public inquiry for determination.”
The committee unanimously approved the application to the registration of a town/village green at the fieldy.
