From Good Law Project
The Supreme Court will decide tomorrow (Wednesday 1 March) whether planning permission should have been granted for a piece of sold off park land, after locals argued that they have a right to continue using the space for recreation.
The decision could have far reaching repercussions for the sale of green spaces in the future.
A section of Greenfields Recreation Ground was sold to a housing developer in 2017 and earmarked for 15 homes.
Local residents, who have been campaigning for six years to reclaim the site, say the local authority should have consulted with them before the sale was made.
The Greenfields land was first bought by the local authority in 1926 for £1,000 and held in trust for community use.
Shrewsbury Town Council was criticised in a judicial review in 2019 for failing to identify the status of the land before selling it. The local authority has already apologised for its "failures".
Good Law Project has been supporting and helping to fund the legal action and believes the case will set a precedent for councils to consult with residents before they sell off land that has public value.
Campaigns Manager for Good Law Project, Hannah Greer, said:
Recreational spaces are so important for our quality of life, and that was especially highlighted during the pandemic.
It’s simply not right for these spaces to be taken away by a local authority without consulting those who use it. We hope the Supreme Court will agree with us and help stop this happening again.
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