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We have written to county and district councillors, and town and parish councils throughout Gloucestershire promoting the voluntary registration of open spaces as town and village greens (TVG) to benefit the public.
Photograph of public open space at Coopers Edge, Brockworth near Gloucester, due to be transferred to Tewkesbury Borough Council from the developers, and with the potential for voluntary registration as a village green. Photo: Open Spaces Society
In his letter Chas Townley, the society’s local correspondent for Gloucestershire, says that ‘registration of open space as TVG means that it is protected in perpetuity as an open space able to be used freely by people living in the locality.’
Voluntary registration under section 15(8) of the Commons Act 2006 is available to any owner of land and can be used by public authorities, commercial developers, and charities to dedicate land for public use for recreation and sport without charge.
This process can also be deployed in new developments, regardless of whether open space is to be managed by local authorities or estate management companies. Government guidance highlights the benefits of registration as TVG of open space secured through section 106 agreements, to ensure that the space is protected for ever.
Says Chas: ‘Registration as a TVG has advantages over the use of Local Green Space (LGS) designation through local or neighbourhood plans, as TVG registration can be applied for at any time, whereas adding new LGS is limited by the delays in the local plan adoption process. TVG registration also enables local authorities and interested residents to protect the green spaces which local communities love.’
Adds Kate Ashbrook, the society’s general secretary: ‘We commend the voluntary registration of TVGs throughout England and Wales. It is a simple process with no cost. We are pressing for legislation which will require developers to register open spaces in new developments as TVG to ensure both that those spaces are available for local people to enjoy by right, and that they won’t subsequently be built on.
‘Our Gloucestershire exercise is a pilot, and we intend to write to other councils in England and Wales to promote this idea.’