Welcome to the Keep
Croxley ‘Green’ website!
We
now have a map of the New Village Green –click here
The KCGG was formed by a group of concerned residents.
Its aims and objectives are:
o
To act against inappropriate development of
Green Belt land in and around Croxley Green.
o
To lobby local councillors and local
organisations in pursuit of the above.
o
To protect any land used as an amenity by our
community.
o
To protect and encourage local wildlife.
o
To raise funding in support of the above
activities
On this page:
Updates
Latest newsletter
Milestones
Background information
Updates:
Sponsor a Bird
Box Scheme – this scheme has proved to be very popular. To-date we have erected 25 bird boxes,
4 bat boxes and 3 owl boxes. We
are thrilled to report that most of our bird boxes were successfully nested in
this year! If you
would like to sponsor a bird, bat or owl box, please email us at keepcroxleygreen@gmail.com. Sponsorship starts at £5.00 for a bird
box. Anyone sponsoring a box will
receive details of their box number and position on the village green. If you spot a box being used, please
email us so that we can update our records.
Keep Croxley ‘Green’ Group Newsletter June 2010
Clear ups on every third Sunday
There is a hard core of local residents who
are fully committed to maintaining pathways and clearing rubbish etc. However, we will never be short of jobs
to do, so we are always grateful to anyone who can spare a little time to help
us. It is fantastic to see new faces and everyone seems to have fun. Regular clearances now take place on
the 3rd Sunday of the month and are advertised in My Croxley News as
well as in notices in and around the Village Green. In April, Three Rivers District Council provided a skip and
rubbish bags to assist us in a large scale clear up of rubbish from the Village
Green, towpath and surrounding woodland area and on a sun drenched morning 40 or
so volunteers quickly filled the skip to overflowing. This exercise transformed
a half mile stretch of Village Green and has made it easier for us to collect
the odd bits of refuse we see from time to time.
Meet on the open grassy area any time between 10am
– 12pm. If possible, please bring
gloves and tools. All ages and abilities welcome! Just half an hour would really help!
We’ve noticed
significant change in the site over the last 18 months. We’ve seen some big old
trees come down as a consequence of bizarre weather conditions but also more
trees have invaded the buddleia walk area as, in some places the buddleia
subsides. A couple of benches have “sprung up” and provide an opportunity to
stop and take in the views and wildlife. We’ve put up 2 more owl boxes in the
woods and we’ll be putting up more bird boxes soon.
Funding obtained from the Council
The KCGG has obtained funding from TRDC in
the form of Local Area Forum
grants. This funding is mainly used to purchase necessary equipment for the
clear ups. For example, protective
gloves, litter pickers/bags, shears.
We also purchase and/or build bird, bat and owl boxes, amongst other
items, to encourage wildlife.
IMC site, end of Harvey Road
The site has begun to be developed and
within the next couple of years we expect it will become an attractive new area
of housing nestled within a woodland environment. We are in contact with the
developers and the Planning Department at TRDC and we anticipate being in a
position to liase with both to ensure that the integrity of the woodland area
is maintained and, indeed, enhanced by the application of funding that has been
set aside for this purpose.
Lavrock Lane and All Saints Lane
The
Executive committee of Three Rivers District Council has recently voted to
install 2 lockable gates on Lavrock Lane. Residents of Lavrock Lane and Lot
Mead will have key access, as will the Council and London Underground. This
step should end the era of rat running to avoid traffic congestion on the
Watford Road. It should make recreational use of the woods and Lanes far safer
and hopefully, deter the fly tippers.
We’d really like to hear from you!
Without the great support we received from
the community, our beautiful woods would now have a Rail Track Replacement
Depot in the middle of it! So, we
want to hear from you! Have you any
good ideas for our Green? Alternatively, have you seen any unusual or rare
wildlife there that you think we should know about? Or, do you have any
interesting photos taken on our Green that you would like us to put on the KCGG
website? If so, our contact
details are:
By email: keepcroxleygreen@gmail.com. (NB If
you would like to receive future Newsletters or reminders of clear up days by
email, please contact us with your details)We can also be contacted by
Telephone on 01923 778660
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Milestones
14th
December 2007
Herts.
County Council formally register application site as a new Village Green
2nd
October 2007
The Development Control Committee
of Herts. County Council voted unanimously to register the site as a Town or
Village Green.
August
2007 – Village
Green Application recommended for Registration
We
received the long awaited report of the Public Inquiry Inspector on 7th
August. The Public Inquiry was held in respect of an application by local
residents to register land in and around Long Valley Wood and the Buddleia Walk
as a Town or Village Green.
The
Inspector was appointed by Herts. County Council (as registration authority) to
hold a non-statutory public inquiry into the application and to report to the
Council with a recommendation whether the Council should accede to or reject
the application.
The
Public Inquiry was held at Durrants House, Croxley Green in the week commencing
Monday 12th March 2007. The applicants were Barry and Mandy Grant
and the objectors (land owners) were 1. Transport for London/London
Underground; 2. Lincat PLC (IMC site) & 3. Mr. & Mrs. Weston.
The
conclusion and recommendation of the Inspector was that the application
succeeded in part, and that the Registration Authority (Herts. County Council)
should accept the application in part and should register the application land
as outlined in the application map, other than the IMC land, as a town or
village green.
There
will be a County Council Development Control Committee meeting on 11th
September where the application will be on the agenda as a matter to be decided
by the Committee. If the application in part is accepted - ownership stays the
same but there will be overriding rights for the land to be utilized for lawful
pursuits and pastimes as they have continued to do so for a min. 20 year
period.
The
application covers 30 acres (mostly woodland, the Buddleia Walk and a large
grassy open area) of Green belt land in the area of Long Valley Wood, South
Croxley. The application was made on behalf of local residents who have used
the land for pastimes/sports with a belief they were doing so as of a right;
that they were never challenged on using the land; that there were no signs
forbidding its use and no other obstructions. This belief and freedom of access
was in existence for at least 20 years (since mid 1984). This does not
mean that every individual using it must have done so for 20 years, simply
that, collectively, such access with the same conditions and belief existed
over that period. The IMC portion of the site which has not been recommended
for registration covers 2 acres.
March
2007 – Tree Preservation Order
We were
heartened to receive notice from Three Rivers District Council on the Saturday
preceding the Inquiry that Tree Preservation Orders had been issued over all
trees in the entirety of Long Valley Wood in the ownership of both London
Underground and IMC/Lincat plc.
July 2007
IMC - Outline Planning Application for 41 Houses & 85
bed Care Home - Appeal
withdrawn.
Subsequent
outline application approved for 41 Houses only.
24th May 2006 – VICTORY IN HOUSE OF LORDS FOR
TRAP GROUNDS, OXFORD Fantastic news for
Village Green applicants as the Law Lords reversed a damaging court of appeal
decision which had required evidence of lawful sports and pastimes to continue
right up until actual registration of land as a village green.
It is
now only necessary to provide evidence of 20 years’ use to the date of
application.
Applications
can be amended by the Registration Authority
A
different area can be registered than that originally planned for (i.e map
amendements are acceptable)
Registration
gives legal rights to use the land for lawful sports and pastimes
Registered
greens are protected from encroachment and development under section 12 of the
Inclosure Act 1857 and section 29 of the Commons Act 1876.
It must
be noted that it was a group of local residents who took the case all the way
to the House of Lords.
July
2004
Local
residents submit Village Green application to Herts. County Council
July 2004 - Right of Way/Bridle Path
Residents have applied for a public right of way to be
considered through the Buddleias and Long Valley Wood in the South of
Croxley. There is no doubt that
this route has been walked regularly for decades. We are confident that this route will be included in the
definitive map.
Local horse riders have also recently applied for a bridle
path to be considered through
Background Information
Why form a pressure group? In March 2004, London Underground Ltd
applied to build a track replacement depot in the middle of Long Valley Wood, between the
In April 2005 we received a letter from the Planning Inspectorate
stating that LUL had withdrawn their appeal. LUL stated two reasons for
withdrawing; the late date that
had been set for the Inquiry and the residents’ applications for Village Green
Status and Public Right of Way.
LUL were advised that it could take one to two years for these
applications to be processed. LUL
therefore felt they would not be able to fulfil their obligations with respect
to track replacement within required timescales and would have to make
alternative arrangements.
As a result of a Public Enquiry in respect of the application to
register a Village Green it was the conclusion and recommendation of the
Inspector that the application succeeded in part, and that the Registration
Authority (Herts. County Council) should accept the application in part and
should register the application land as outlined in the application map, other
than the IMC land, as a town or village green (in part – referred to the
majority (95% of the entire application site).
It is possible to prevent inappropriate development.
Co-ordinated
and well supported opposition is essential.
With the
support of the local community we can continue campaigning to protect our
environment and quality of life.
End