Campaigners exploiting planning rules by claiming beach huts and car parks are ‘village greens’ to halt developments are costing taxpayers millions of pounds, council leaders have warned, as councils claimed that vexatious claims were preventing new affordable housing and stopping job creation.
At present, campaigners can argue any piece of land is the ‘village green’ if it has been used for sport or recreation for more than 20 years.
The Local Government Association, responding to the Government’s review of the existing village and town green regime, said a high proportion of applications for village or town green status were delaying tactics to frustrate development.
The Local Government Association is calling on the Government to give councils more powers to tackle ‘malicious, vexatious and incomplete proposals at an early stage in the process’. This would mean allowing councils to quickly identify frivolous claims, with the ability to claim back costs from these applications.
The LGA would also like an end to the situation where a village green application can delay developments which have planning permission and where building work had begun. The Government has proposed closing this loophole, which has the support of the LGA.
Councillor David Parsons, chairman of the LGA’s Environment and Housing Board, said: ‘Councils are keen to protect genuine village greens and community land in their neighbourhoods.
‘The right balance needs to be reached between looking after genuine village greens and the provision of affordable housing, services and jobs which local areas badly need. Councils are reliable and can be trusted to perform this function effectively.’
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