AN attempt by villagers to stop seafront housing has been held up as an example of how people can use village green applications to thwart development.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils around the country, has highlighted the row over housing at Beadnell to demonstrate how “vexatious” village green applications are being used to the expense of the public.
The LGA was responding to a Government consultation on village greens and accused people of costing taxpayers millions of pounds, preventing new affordable housing and stopping job creation.
At present, campaigners can argue any piece of land is village green if they claim that it has been used for sport or recreation for more than 20 years.
They then approach planning authorities with their claims, and these can be made on pieces of land which already have planning permission.
The LGA says that a high proportion of the applications are “simply used as delaying tactics to prevent new affordable housing or much-needed regeneration.”
Although many claims are later refused, the association claims the process costs councils large sums in legal fees while also stopping regeneration in areas which badly need it.
Coun David Parsons, chairman of the LGA environment and housing board, said: “Councils are keen to protect genuine village greens and community land in their neighbourhoods. The right balance needs to be reached between looking after genuine village greens and the provision of affordable housing, services and jobs which local areas badly need.
“Councils are reliable and can be trusted to perform this function effectively.
“Unfortunately, millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money are currently being spent by councils processing village green applications whose primary aim is to prevent development.”
The LGA has highlighted the case at Beadnell as an example of such an application. Residents there who have been opposing plans for the building of homes on land beside its harbour applied to have the sites – owned by those behind the proposed development – designated as village greens.
The landowners argue the locations have been used by fishermen since the 19th Century and that they have not been used by the public for recreation.
A public inquiry to determine the applications was recently held in the village over six days.
Both sides enlisted legal experts, fees for which the association says “will have to be paid for at the expense of local taxpayers”.
Last night Jim Norris, one of those involved in the village green applications, disputed the LGA’s description of their bids as vexatious.
He insisted the bids had been made out of genuine belief that the sites are village greens, not simply a tool to stop the housing development.
He said: “We want to use the land as we traditionally have done. We want to protect the coastline and village green is the way to do it.”
Last week people in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, opposed to the development of new facilities at the town’s football field, successfully argued that the area was a village green.
