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We welcome the government’s refusal to deregister part of Adwalton Common at Drighlington, five miles south-west of Leeds.
An application was made to the Planning Inspectorate in April 2024 to remove 178 square metres of land from the register of common land. This is adjacent to West Street. The application was made with the apparent purpose of releasing the land for development.
Adwalton Common, threatened with deregistration, in 2009 and 2024, showing how the council has neglected its statutory duties and allowed the vegetation to grow. Photos: © Google Street View
The society objected to the application: it said that the land was subject to a public right of access for ‘air and exercise’, and under the management and regulation of Leeds City Council. But it observed that the council appeared to have neglected its duties in relation to the application land, and played into the applicants’ hands.
In a decision letter[1], inspector G D Jones.concluded that the application flew in the face of government guidance to preserve common land, and that: ‘the application does not serve any compelling wider public interests which would collectively mitigate the loss of common land.’
Says one of our case officers, Hugh Craddock: ‘This part of the common is one of several odd pockets which are adjacent to historic encroachments, and which are part of the character of the common. There are similar small pockets elsewhere which, if this application had been granted, might equally be seen as up for grabs.’
Hugh continues: ‘The applicants, having acquired a piece of the common—presumably at a knock-down price precisely because it is common land under the control of a local authority—wanted it released from registration so that they could realise its full developmental value.’
Hugh added: ‘It is regrettable that Leeds City Council did not even object to the application, notwithstanding that it is legally responsible for the land. It has allowed a line of scrub and trees to grow up between West Street and the land, thus fostering the impression that the common is private. The council now should fulfil its statutory duty to open up access to the land.’
[1] The decision letter is dated 13 March 2025 under reference COM/3343054, and can be downloaded (in Word form) from gov.uk here.