Monday 16 October 2017

Souldrop Village Green - Update


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.