Setback for community bid to buy reservoir site

A campaign group have raised almost £100,000 through donations to buy the site

Campaigners trying to buy a former reservoir have had their initial offer rejected.

Owner Keyland proposed an auction of Severus Hill, near Holgate in York, after deciding they had no use for the four-acre site last year.

Campaign group, Friends of Severus Hill, have since raised almost £100,000 to purchase the site, believed to be the location where the Roman emperor Septimius Severus was cremated in 211 AD.

The group's bid, which was below the asking price, was turned down, and the owner has said any sale has been paused to enable Yorkshire Water to conduct a "feasibility study" into the land.

Keyland is the property trading arm of Kelda Group, which also owns Yorkshire Water.

Severus Hill, just outside the city walls, has been subject to a number of blocked housing development plancein the last decade before Keyland decided to sell the site in October.

The Friends of Severus Hill was then formed with a mission to raise funds to acquire the site to protect its environmental and historical significance for future generations.

They argued community ownership would help protect the wildlife and biodiversity of the hill.

Thousands of people have got behind the campaign to buy the site for the community

Keyland had set a price of £168,000 for the site and gave the campaign group an exclusive agreement to purchase it which expired in July.

"We put in a bid for the land that was below asking price but that was above the market value we'd been independently advised on," said Jo Patton, director of the Friends of Severus Hill.

"That was rejected based on costs and it was at that point that we were told the sale of the land has been paused because Yorkshire Water are keen to do a feasibility study," he added.

'Natural haven'

Yorkshire Water confirmed in a statement it was undertaking a study to "see if this land can offer any resilience to the wider community and the supply of water to York as a whole."

This feasibility study is expected to take three to six months after which Keyland will assess options for the future of the land, which may include the option for the community group to bid again.

The firm added: "There are currently no plans for developing housing on Severus Hill."

Keyland Developments have also been approached for comment.

Mr Patton said the decision would not deter them and said they wanted to find a solution "that works for everyone".

If the community does successfully acquire the site, they intend to keep Severus Hill wild, with limited access for the public.

"It's like a natural cathedral on the site and we don't want to mess with that too much so people will be invited in on an individual and group basis so it can remain a natural haven," said Mr Patton.

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