Maintaining An Adequate Supply Of Open Space And Sports And Recreational Facilities

10. Existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land should not be built on unless an assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space or the buildings and land to be surplus to requirements. For open space, 'surplus to requirements' should include consideration of all the functions that open space can perform. Not all open space, sport and recreational land and buildings are of equal merit and some may be available for alternative uses. In the absence of a robust and up-to-date assessment by a local authority, an applicant for planning permission may seek to demonstrate through an independent assessment that the land or buildings are surplus to requirements. Developers will need to consult the local community and demonstrate that their proposals are widely supported by them.

 We now have nearly 2000 signatures of people who do not want this development.

 

Site is now up for sale.  We will not give up the fight.  We have information to save this site at planning. 

 

11th August 09 Badgers have been sited at Longridge Wood.

Marsh Orchids are growing in abundance

 

 

Felling licence application 022/89/08-09 Site 44, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough

 

On 17^th June 2009, the North East England Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) considered the above felling licence application with a view to advising the Forestry Commission whether a felling licence should be granted for felling of 1.2ha of woodland on site 44 with replanting on an alternative site at Newham Grange Leisure Farm.

 

The RAC considered a background paper and recommendation from the Forestry Commission and received presentations from teams representing the applicant, Middlesbrough Borough Council (the Council), represented by Mr Kevin Parkes, Acting Director of Regeneration, and from the objectors, led by Councillor Chris Hobson. The RAC also carried out site visits of both the application site and the proposed replanting site.

 

In considering the application, the RAC was bound by the Forestry Act 1967, which provides that a felling licence may only be refused where granting the licence would not be:

 

·         in the interests of good forestry or agriculture; or

·         in the interests of the amenities of the district; or

·         in the interests of maintaining an adequate reserve of growing trees.

 

In discussion of the application, the RAC considered the following issues:

 

·         the development position of the site

·         the loss of amenity for residents

·         the proposed alternative provision

·         local mitigation measures

·         the timing of site clearance

·         the handling of the application

 

The RAC accepted that the site, on which farming had ceased in 1995, had been allocated for housing in the Coulby Newham masterplan of 1976 and in local planning designations thereafter. Its development had been hindered by electricity pylons, which were eventually removed in 2005; meanwhile, some tree planting was carried out and the Committee saw naturally regenerating trees, shrub and scrub within the plantations and in the recently cleared areas. The site has been used as open space by local residents since farming ceased. The local community attempted in 2007 to have the site designated as a village green, but their application was rejected, after appeal, in 2008.

 

From the site visit it appeared to the Committee that a substantial proportion of the trees on site 44 had probably originally been planted and also fenced for protection – possibly with a view to establishing woodland in the medium term until the site could be prepared for development. The Council’s representatives were not able to confirm when the trees were planted or how the original planting was funded. There was no formal maintenance regime for the site, although it was evident that the grass paths were cut.

 

The RAC noted the conclusion of the Inspector’s report on the examination into the Middlesbrough Local Development Framework Regeneration Development Plan Document, dated 10^th February 2009, in which the Inspector concluded (para. 4.15) “the landscape and ecological merits of this site are of insufficient quality to override the need for a high quality site such as this”. 

 

The RAC accepted that clearance of the site would undoubtedly result in loss of an amenity which is valued by local residents. While the replacement planting would satisfy statutory requirements, its location and distance from site 44 suggests that it would not provide the same ease of access to open space currently enjoyed by local residents. It would not, in the view of the RAC, compensate local residents for the loss of amenity in relation to site 44.

 

The RAC understands that the development brief for the site was prepared some time ago and would need to be recast. The Committee believes that, in the event that a felling licence is granted, this would provide an opportunity to consider the potential for mitigating the loss of local amenity at site 44, possibly by keeping the mown paths and hedgerow and providing adequate and safe links to other amenity areas close by. The RAC hopes that, when the development brief is prepared, local residents will be given an opportunity to explore with the Council whether some elements of the open space that they value could be retained.

 

The RAC accepts that proposals such as this are likely to be unwelcome to local residents but that the Council has a duty to weigh this against its other policy priorities. Nevertheless, the RAC feels bound to observe that the Council’s approach to this application process – and in particular its approach to the partial clearance carried out in December 2008 falls some way short of good community consultation. The RAC was pleased to note that the Council’s representatives acknowledged this during the presentations. Engaging the community in the preparation of the development brief might go some way to repairing some of the damage that appears to have been done to community relations over this application. 

 

The RAC recognizes the importance that the Council attaches to being able to offer a cleared site to developers but hopes that, in the event that a felling licence is granted, the Council will not feel the need for further clearance to be carried out until a revised development brief has been prepared and development is becoming a realistic option.

 

Recommendation

The Regional Advisory Committee concludes that, while the felling which is the subject of this application would lead to a loss of amenity for local residents, this is not sufficient to justify refusal of the felling licence. In reaching this conclusion, the Committee is mindful of the long-standing designation of this site for housing and the conclusions of the Inspector’s report on the examination into the Middlesbrough Local Development Framework Regeneration Development Plan Document. The Regional Advisory Committee therefore recommends that the felling licence be granted.

Longridge Woods

Please sign our e-petition on the following link.

   http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/LongridgeWood/
 

Middlesbrough Council have now decided to re-market Longridge Wood as the price offered by Yuills the preferred developer has dropped.  Lets hope no one is interested now after all the publicity we have had.   If you are a developer looking at this site we will not give up the fight.  We have lots more we can do.

Things have certainly taken off since Middlesbrough Council told us they were listening to the people.  The media have totally got involved and we have had publications in the gazette and northern echo.  We have managed to get publicity on BBC and we are on the Politics Show on Sunday 15th March 2009.  We are also doing a petition where we hope to get hundreds of names if you would like to sign or even like to take a petition to get names please get in touch.

The council turned up early on Monday morning and proceeded to rip up half of the woodland  in an act of 'wanton destruction'.                                                     

At least 30 personel were involved at what cost who knows.

How will this effect Middlesbrough as a whole?   If you demolish 600 plus trees this must have an effect on flooding. 

The Development Planning Document is due for scrutiny by and independent planning officer on Tuesday and Wednesday 25th & 26th Nov.08.  This is in connection with all the forms that we sent in to the council earlier in the year.  Let's hope he can see it from our point of view.

We are thrilled that Marton West Ward won a silver in the Northumbria in Blook competition.  The judges wrote into their report that they hope that Longridge Wood can be kept as a conservation area.

Marton West has been entered into the Northumbria In Bloom competition.  We walked Longridge Wood with the judges on 15th July to show Marton West has a natural green space which is a great habitat for wild life. The judges were most impressed with the site and told us it was an asset not only to our area but to Middlesbrough as a whole.  As we walked through the site today one of the judges saw a deer in the trees.  We are so lucky to have this on our door step. 

Please help keep this beautiful woodland. 

THE APPLICATION TO REGISTER THIS LAND AS A VILLAGE GREEN HAS BEEN REJECTED.  HOWEVER WE WILL NOT GIVE UP.  WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR 3 YEARS NOW AND WE INTEND TO KEEP FIGHTING.

Public Enquiry 3rd 4th 5th and 6th December, The Mandella Room, Town Hall, Middlesbrough. 

We would like to make this site into a Country Park.  We could include Newham Grange Leisure Farm, Fairy Dell, and Longridge Woods and have a fantastic Country Park in Middlesbrough.  Middlesbrough Council also own two fields adjoining this site and they could eventually be included in the project.

Longridge Woods, in Middlesbrough are 7.2 hectares of natural woodland where deer graze each morning. A wide variety of animals have been seen including foxes and this summer it was covered in butterflies and moths.

People walk in the woods everyday and it is a natural children's play area.

However, it is now scheduled for the development of 70 to 80 houses.

5 local community councils oppose the plan, we have a petition of over 500 names and have invited local councillors to view the site.

Articles about this have been printed in the Evening Gazette, Herald & Post, Stockton & Darlington Times and Northern Echo, and we were headline news on ITV.