GO TO HOMEPAGE
 
SWINTON OPEN SPACE
GO TO THE OSSS WEBSITE _ THEN CLICK ON VILLAGE GREENS
SEE MORE PHOTOS
REGISTRATION AS A VILLAGE GREEN
An alternative to obtaining recreation status for this land would be to register the areas outside the curtilage of the former Swinton Sewage Works as a Village Green. Clearly this would not be possible for the land owned by United Utilities.
To achieve this status SOS would be required to show that the land had been used by the public for a period in excess of 20 years*. Preliminary research indicates that this would be easily achieved. One great advantage of such registration is it's permanency, once granted it could never be revoked. Such status prohibits the passage of motorised vehicles over this land, and, of course, any development. Without access to this land, or the ability to include it in calculations towards the provision of green space to enhance the development viability of United Utilities land, then it is believed that the true curtilage of the Former Swinton Sewage Works becomes economically sterile. It would not be in United Utilities commercial interests to consider any future development of their land.
To see more about registering land as a Village Green please click on the logo above
IF YOU HAVE TOLD US THAT YOU HAVE USED THIS LAND FOR OVER 20 YEARS
PLEASE BE PATIENT - WE WILL CONTACT YOU IF WE DECIDE TO PROCEED WITH REGISTRATION.
Several people have asked me 'How many people must have used this land for 20 year in order to registar it as a Village Green.'  The following is about a high court ruling in February 2001 re: Ladydale Meadow in Staffordshire:
In the High Court Mr Justice Sullivan rejected the argument by the claimant that ‘significant number’ in the context of section 22 (1) of the Commons Registration Act 1965 as amended by the CROW Act means ‘a considerable or a substantial number’. He said that the number of people using the land has to be sufficient to indicate that it is in general used by the local community for informal recreation. Oral evidence was given by 16 witnesses at the inquiry about their own use of the land over the 20-year period and what they saw others doing. This was corroborated by numerous written statements.