Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has proposed a shake-up of the town and village green (TVG) registration regime to weed out proposals designed to block development.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the reforms would see town and village green applications excluded for land which has planning permission (or a publicised planning application) or is identified for potential development in a local or neighbourhood plan (including draft plans).
‘There are already well over 4,000 existing TVGs and they will retain full protection,’ Defra said. ‘TVGs can continue to be registered where no development is either proposed or the subject of ongoing community consultation.’
The new arrangements are the subject of consultation and the plans are incorporated in the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, just published.
The proposed legislation would also see the introduction of landowner statements and enhanced fees for applications to amend registers under Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006.
The minister said: ‘Town and village greens are cherished community spaces, and it’s absolutely right they continue to have the strongest protection.
‘Yet the system can be abused to stop developments like affordable housing from being built. We’re stamping down on the abuse of this law that can effectively shut local communities out of deciding what development is right for them.’
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