Nailsea Town Council to fight land grab

Nailsea Town Council is making a stand over a proposed change in the status of land at 2 Station Road.

This is an enlarged grass verge on the junction of Trendlewood Way and Station Road which was fenced off last year when it was bought by  the owners of a nearby property.

Nailsea Town Council new chairman Rod Lees said: “The town council sees this as a vital test case in protecting valuable public space from being lost.”’

The property owners request for the open space to be designated as ‘residential curtilage’ was refused by North Somerset Council amid fears they wanted to build on the land.

In a statement issued by the town council it said: “We believe the open space at the front of the property was always intended to be kept free of development.

“Although the formalities of transferring the land from the original developer to the district council never took place the land has been maintained by North Somerset Council and used by residents for many years. “

The town council wants local people to write to the planning Inspector supporting the refusal.

Residents who can vouch for the land being used as open space for 20 or more are encouraged to complete the relevant form and submit it to the Inspector, said town clerk Ian Morrell.

The forms and contact details can be obtained from the town council office at Church House, Silver Street or by calling 01275 855277. 

The deadline for submitting objections is Tuesday, June 1.

Mr Lees added: “The Parish Plan consultation conducted in 2008 highlighted the high value that residents place on the open green spaces in Nailsea.

“The town has many such spaces which if a precedent was set could become vulnerable to inappropriate development.”

At a site meeting early this year more than 30 residents turned up to discuss a retrospective planning application for a change of use of the land which is about 53 metres long and between five and 11 metres wide.

It is the largest number of residents to gather at a site meeting in the town, which highlighted the strength of feeling on the issue, and many felt if it had been held after general work hours, more people would have attended.

The strip of grassland has been an open space since the 1970s, when the west side of Nailsea was developed by Tularose, and is one of many dotted around the town.

This particular land should have been adopted by Avon County Council as the then Highways Authority, but it never was and was left in the developer's ownership until last year, when it was bought by the owners of neighbouring 2 Station Road.

The owners, Mr and Mrs Whittaker, then fenced off the land and have now appealed against the refused of North Somerset Council for a change of use from open space to residential use.