Church to contest residents' town green application for diocese-owned land

A CHURCH has said it will oppose an application by residents to register diocese-owned land in Harrow as a town green.
Kingsfield Estate Residents Action Group wants Harrow Council to give the designation to St George's Field in Pinner View, Harrow, which St George's Church Parochial Church Council has earmarked to turn into residential development.
Last week the action group Marion Garner-Patel told the Observer: "This field was once well used by tennis and cricket clubs and Guides, Brownies and Scouts and local children kicking a ball about.
"The neighbourhood wants its field back in use as before and as the PCC in 1923 intended."
In response, Reverend Stephen Keeble, vicar of St George's, said: "The land is, and always has been, private land. There is not, and never has been, a right of public access.
"The land was bought by the church council in 1922 for church use and is held for this purpose on the church council's behalf by the Diocese of London.
"The starting point for the current planning application is the planning inspector's report of last October.
"The inspector made no criticism of the scale or character of the proposed development but wanted more detail provided on how the retain private open space would be used more intensively.
"The revised applications meets this point with an undertaking to make the space available to local residents when not otherwise in use by the church, Scouts or other groups by arrangements."
In its application to be determined by the council, the action group will have to show:
n the land is mainly used by local residents rather than visitors
n it is used for legal activities such as sports and pastimes
n it has been used for at least 20 years
n people have not forced their way onto the land or used it in secrecy
n it has been used without the permission of the landowner
Meanwhile, the PCC has lodged a planning application to the council to redevelop St George's Field and create 15 flats and 12 houses, an extended access road, garages, a new car park and retention of 0.8 hectares of open space.
This follows the failure of the PCC's original scheme that was blocked by Harrow Council, a decision later upheld on appeal in October 2008.