WURA members may not be aware that there has been a Commons Land Application made on the land around the Betts Mead recreation area, bordering Hayes Lane at the top of Welcomes Road and also at the back along Old Lodge Lane (ref 19/05499/CLA, viewable on the Croydon Planning Register)
KENDRA have put together the information below and we encourage anyone who has used the land for dog walking and recreation to submit a response, especially those who have used the land for 20 years or more. Critical to the response is the fact that the wider land has been used, not just the paths for direct access through it. This includes access directly off the road when jumping out of the way of passing vehicles on Hayes Lane!
What does this Notice mean?
Local residents have used, unhindered, the blue, pink and green land to stroll, walk dogs, throw snowballs and other miscellaneous pastimes for many years. This Notice would, in essence, bring to an end the period of ‘use by right’ of this land by local residents. The Notice effectively ‘stops the clock’ on residents reaching the ’20-year use rule’ which enables communities to register such land as a Village or Town Green and/or establish new official footpaths. The Notice does not prevent future Rights being established by way of the ‘20-year use rule’ – but it ‘resets the clock’, and the ability to accrue time restarts from 2020 and accrues until such time as a further Notice/Deposit is made. If land has already been subject to ‘use by right’ for over 20 years before the date of the Notice then residents have the opportunity to make representations to the Council to that affect and may, if successful, retain the option to make an application to have footpaths officially recorded and/or land registered as a Town or Village Green.
What action can individuals take?
If you are concerned about this issue and the potential loss of paths/amenity, then please comment on the Notice to Croydon Council (Deadline 17th Feb).
Options are:
1) Preferred by KENDRA – Write your comments in an email or letter attached to an email. Ensure that you clearly refer to application 19/05499/CLA. Email to development.management@croydon.gov.uk
2) Write a letter (again clearly refer to Ref 19/05499/CLA) and post it to Development Management, Place Department, 6th Floor, Bernard Weatherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon CR0 1EA.
3) Go online to publicaccess3.croydon.gov.uk. Enter 19/05499/CLA into the search box and press enter Select the “Comments” tab and make your comments
You should explain how you have used the land and for what period of time – possible uses could be hiking, dog walking, den building, sledging, snowballing, collecting timber, maintaining fallen trees/paths, blackberrying, litter picking, enjoying/photographing wildlife, walking to School/station/buses, BMXing, mountain biking etc.
You do not have to have personally used the land for 20 years, it is the chain of community use that is important, but if you have used it for more than 20 years or you grew up in Kenley and played there as a child in the 70’s/80’s/90’s please make that clear. As a community we undoubtedly know more about the historic use of this land than the current owners and this is our opportunity to make our enjoyment of this land known to the Local Authority.
For full information please read the full Information Note produced by KENDRA.
