Object

Representation ID: 11887

Received: 10/10/2021

Respondent: Mr Richard Fry

[Three Fields - LGS]

Site: ID 10511, The Three Fields, Norton, DY8 3LS (site ID number as it appears in the Site Assessment Report, section A-6: Sites Assessed for Local Green Space, from p. 534).

I object to this site not being designated as a Local Green Space (LGS). This is a comment on an unallocated site, which was assessed for a Local Green Space Designation in the Site Assessment Report as referenced above, and was found to meet the criteria for this designation on the grounds of its recreational value and its beauty.

I welcome the fact that this site has not been allocated in the Draft Local Plan, and that it will continue to be protected as ‘green belt’. However, at a time when local authorities are being pressured into allocating sites within the green belt for development, being ‘green belt’ is in itself no guarantee of the future protection of a site. And it is true to say that “green belts do not recognise... the community value of land” (Neighbourhood Planning, 2019, para.134)

In this current draft Local Plan, green belt sites have been assessed against various criteria to determine whether the release of one site or another would cause ‘greater harm’. So it follows that where potential harm can be demonstrated, this should be recognised in the Local Plan.

This site does not currently have other designations, such as a SLINC, to demonstrate its value. A LGS designation would indicate clearly that harm would be caused to the local community through the loss of this site. It would be a considerable loss to local residents if they could no longer access these fields for recreation, and to appreciate their beauty and tranquillity.

Government guidance says that a LGS designation would “help to identify areas that are of particular importance to the local community” (“Open space, sports and recreation facilities, public rights of way and local green space”, HMG 2014, Para: 010). I believe that this site should be designated as a LGS so that it will be less likely to be allocated for development in future years.