Fighting for the village green

By Edmund Tobin

VOICING SUPPORT: Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing addresses the rally

A BUCKHURST Hill residents' group fighting for village green status for land bought by developers is being threatened by legal action unless it withdraws its application.

The Roding Valley Residents' Committee was formed after a piece of land at the corner of Hornbeam Road was sold by the Charles S French Charitable Trust to developer Stephen McLaren who then cut down nearly all the trees in preparation for building.

The committee lodged an application with Essex County Council for village green status for the land, but that has now been challenged by Mr McLaren.

A recent rally on the land saw a petition with more than 1,500 names presented to Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing, who is supporting the residents' cause.

Mrs Laing said: "I'm appaled at what has happened here. This little green was like an oasis in the middle of this large housing estate. It was well looked after and cherished by local people. "

She added: "The legal position is unclear but if planning laws allow a developer to go in without warning and cut down ancient trees then those laws are wrong and must be changed.

If, on the other hand, the law has been breached, I will do all I can to help local people get their Village Green back.

"Green areas are precious here in Epping Forest and we all have to do everything we can to protect them."

Through his lawyers Mr McLaren claims the land was never widely used by residents, that Roding Valley does not officially qualify as a neighbourhood, and that fencing he had put up on the land has meant people cannot have been using it recently.

He also threatens further legal action if the residents do not withdraw their application.

But the committee has declared itself unworried by the legal challenge, and is confident its application will succeed.

Chairman Laurence Kubiak said: "I can't see any grounds on which it will fail. People have been using it as a village green since the 1930s."

1:52pm Sunday 29th October 2006

Taken from the Epping Forest Guardian.

The webmaster thanks the Epping Forest Guardian for their kind permission to publish this report.

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