Knotting and Souldrop Parish Council developed part
of Souldrop Village Green (VG42) as a car park – unlawfully, it seemed to me. And
as a simple matter, rather than a legal one, I thought it was wrong that a
council should spoil the very thing it had been given to protect.
I wrote about it HERE
Bedford Borough Council’s Planning Committee
considered the issue at its meeting on 21st August 2017, and decided to defer their decision until after a site visit had taken place. At their following meeting on 25th September 2017, the Planning Committee resolved that the parish
council’s retrospective planning application to develop the village green should
be refused.
Well done that committee.
Bedford Borough Council has now issued an
enforcement notice requiring that the village green be restored. You can see
the notice HERE.
Well done Bedford Borough Council.
There’s a way to go yet; the parish council (who
can appeal) is required to:
- Cease the use of the village green for parking of motorised vehicles.
- Remove the hard standing (loose shingle).
- Reinstate the land by laying top soil, then laying turf or sowing grass seed.
- Remove the resultant waste or debris.
Thanks to a brave Souldrop gentleman who was prepared
to stand up for his (and others’) rights, there’s a better chance of Souldrop
Village Green surviving in whole for the enjoyment of future
generations.
