Village green campaigners cannot appeal ruling

Bristol resident Helen Powell is among those pushing to share the land

Campaigners fighting for the right to use a school's games field as a village green have been refused the right to appeal against a High Court decision.

In June, a judge ruled Bristol's Cotham School did not have to share the 23 acres of land it leases at Stoke Lodge.

The decision resulted in the revocation of the land's "town green" status, awarded in June 2023 by Bristol City Council, which leases the field to the school.

The We Love Stoke Lodge campaign group said the land had "always been and should remain accessible to all who want to enjoy it".

The Court of Appeal, in its decision on the group's application, said an "appeal against the judge's substantive decision does not have real prospects of success".

We Love Stoke Lodge campaigner Helen Powell said: "That is the end of the road for that application... there is nowhere to go.

"On that application, we have been beaten by the system."

She said the conclusion of the matter, which stretches back years, was "a bitter pill for the community to swallow".

However, the group said it would "continue to protect this precious open space, its trees and its wildlife, by all means available".

'Safeguarding requirement'

Cotham School said the Court of Appeal's decision was "great news".

The Redland school leases the land at Stoke Lodge due to lack of space at its site three miles away.

The spokesman said that the fencing installed around the land was "a fundamental safeguarding requirement that enables the school to use the land safely and responsibly".

However, there is an outstanding decision to be made by Bristol City Council in late October on whether to enforce public rights of way obstructed by the fencing.

It is possible that this decision could take many more months due to the dispute.