Council rejects village green proposal

Locals say the patch of land on Collingwood Road in Horsham has been used for years by the community

A Sussex council has rejected calls to protect a plot of land as a village green.

In an application to West Sussex County Council (WSCC), residents said the patch of land in Collingwood Road, Horsham, had been used by the community for years.

The site has previously hosted events including Clap for Carers, VE Day parties, and gatherings for the Queen's Jubilee, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

However, an earlier report to the council recommended the application be refused.

The land, in a residential estate, was put up for sale in 2022.

The new owner, who bought it in May 2023, had intended to develop the site but offered local residents first refusal if they wished to buy it from her.

A previous application to erect fencing to stop public access to the land was refused by WSCC on the grounds that it was highway land, the LDRS said.

However, in a report to the committee, WSCC director of law and assurance Tony Kershaw said the land failed legal tests to be classed as a highway and that its use "as of right" had "not been proven".

The council said: "The legal tests for the registration of land as a town or village green require that the application must show on the balance of probabilities that all the elements have been met.

"Having evaluated all the evidence submitted it is apparent that the application fails on account of the land being highway and use of the land ‘as of right’ for lawful sports and pastimes has not been proven."

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