Great news! The Downs on track to become a Village Green

Following a long public inquiry that finished earlier this year, the Inspector appointed by Kent County Council has recommended that most of the Downs should officially be registered as a village green.

It's been a long haul - we submitted the application to register the Downs as a village green on 1st September 2009.

We've spent hundreds of pounds and thousands of hours (literally!) publicising the application, writing to the press, building support, collecting questionnaires and witness statements, answering Canterbury City Council's objections, researching the historical and legal background of the Downs, gathering witnesses for the Inquiry, producing 474 pages of closely argued documentation to support our case, and working through the 8 days of the Public Inquiry itself.

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The "never apologise, never explain" approach to democracy

Here's a councillor who thinks he was elected to speak his mind. What do you think - did you vote for representation, or a brain dump?

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Battling Bay councillor Peter Vickery-Jones and campaigner Phil Rose have clashed over a campaign to get the Downs registered as a village green. At a recent council meeting, Mr Vickery-Jones blasted Mr Rose as "pious and lamentable".

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Crass criticism from stunning councillor

Yes, dear reader, I was there and this actually happened - Cllr Vickery-Jones scored a few notable firsts. He is the only person to have called the village green application "crass", and he is the only person to have called me "pious".

He also suggested that as a "newcomer" I didn't have the right to clutter things up with my pesky village green application. He seemed to have forgotten that the application is supported by 1,180 other people, some of whom were using the Downs on a regular basis long before he ever saw the light of day in his native Derbyshire.

He also demonstrated an astonishing lack of understanding in his belief that a village green could in any way only ever benefit a single person.

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Inquiry on village green stops!

The first three days of the Inquiry steadily improved as we found our feet and got better at highlighting the key points in the evidence of each of our witnesses. However, it all came juddering to a halt on Day Four.

We arrived at 9.50am on Thursday to find that Mr Ground was in the loo at the back of the Christchurch North Room. He had fallen prey to some kind of bug (norovirus from an oyster, perhaps?) and was forced to miss work for the first time in 16 years.

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Inquiry on village green starts

An official inquiry into the 'grass roots' fight to make the Herne Bay Downs a protected Village Green started with allegations of council waste and bullying. Canterbury City Council were accused of adding massive legal costs of hiring a barrister to cross examine locals, to the £30,000 they have already spent in legal fees.

Campaigners Ros McIntyre and Phil Rose, who want to keep the green by the prom a much-loved area for dog walkers and blackberry pickers, sat opposite the massed ranks of the council as the inquiry started on Monday. With their initially hesitant questions they bravely stood up to the suited and booted professionals who are being paid by CCC up to £500 a day to take them on. [Correction: it's £850 a day.]

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Council fights bid to turn Downs into Village Green

Canterbury council bosses were this week racking up a huge legal bill battling to keep control of picturesque land in Herne Bay. A five-day public inquiry to stop the Downs being granted Village Green status opened on Monday 28th November, with top London barrister Richard Ground fighting the city council’s corner against local campaigner Phil Rose.

Mr Rose wants the mile-long stretch between the Kings Hall and Bishopstone Glen to be made a Village Green – taking its control out of council hands and protecting it from development. He made the application in September 2009 after plans surfaced to build beach huts on the eastern side of the site.

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Village Green: how you can help

Two years ago, I applied to Kent County Council to register the Downs as a Village Green. In November this year, Kent County Council will be holding a public inquiry to decide whether to register the Downs as a Village Green.

If we’re successful, Canterbury City Council will have to continue maintain the Downs, but they won’t be able to sell the land, build on it, or use some of it for car parking as was suggested for the King’s Hall end.

Village Green status will protect the Downs as an open space for Herne Bay people to use for freely and free of charge forever… just as we use it today.

To succeed in persuading Kent Council to register the Downs as a Village Green, we need people like you to come along to the public inquiry to tell the independent inspector about the use you make of the Downs.

Can you help us?

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Village Green: the final furlong

Two years ago, I applied to register the Downs as a Village Green. In November this year, Kent County Council will be holding a public inquiry to decide whether to register the Downs as a Village Green.

If we’re successful, Canterbury City Council will have to continue maintain the Downs, but they won’t be able to sell the land, build on it, or use some of it for car parking as was suggested for the King’s Hall end. Village Green status will protect the Downs as an open space for Herne Bay people to use for freely and free of charge forever… just as we use it today.

To succeed in persuading Kent Council to register the Downs as a Village Green, we need people like you to come along to the public inquiry to tell the independent inspector about the use you make of the Downs.

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Village Green at Westbrook

Congratulations to WASPS (Westbrook Against Selling Promenade Site) for getting the Westbrook Promenade at Westgate-on-Sea registered as a village green, thus preventing Thanet District Council from "disposing" of this locally valued asset for development.

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