Turnpike Field and Fields in Trust -- the facts.

Turnpike Field and Fields in Trust — the facts.

There has been a number of questions/comments recently about Turnpike Field and the intention to enter into a partnership with the Fields in Trust charity, so it seemed appropriate to summarise the reality of what this actually means, and hopefully dispel any inaccurate opinions being circulated.

Why was Turnpike purchased?

Firstly, lets re-state some of the key facts regarding the decision to purchase the field back in August 2018. There are many new residents who were not here at the time, so it might help provide them (and hopefully remind a few others) with the background. The facts are taken from Audlem Parish Council (APC) meeting minutes and other APC reports made during the purchase.

At the APC meeting on 9th April 2018, the potential sale of the 11.5 acre field was brought to their attention. APC quickly held public meetings and a survey to get the village's opinion about the possible purchase. The public meetings were attended by 136 people and also a presentation was made to members of ADCA where the responses were very much in favour of purchase.

By May 14th 2018, of the 422 survey responses all but 12 supported the purchase. They also made suggestions about possible future uses of the field. Many residents voiced concern that the land may be built on.

The paragraphs below from the report by the then Chair, confirm that the prime purpose was to keep the field as green space in perpetuity:-

In her words:-

• The public meetings and the Community Survey held in April 2018 confirmed that there was strong community support for the Parish Council's proposal to submit a bid for the field at the top of Green Lane. Residents were very keen to keep this as an area of community open space in perpetuity and interested in the possibility (subject to planning permission) of extra car park provision to relieve parking pressure in the village
• Although the prime aim expressed by residents was that the Parish Council acquire the field purely to keep it as community green space, the possibility of this providing a location for additional car parking was attractive.

So, utilising a low-interest loan from the Public Works Loans Board and following an informal tender process, APC's successful bid forTurnpike Field was £225,000. Whilst this was at a premium versus the cost of grazing land, (but significantly less than its value for development) the bid was in order to ensure that the field couldn't be purchased for development..

Turnpike Field — an asset??

Suggestions have been made that some or all of Turnpike could be sold to overcome the recent financial issues experienced by APC. In reality, the only way that this would allow for the loan to be paid off and provide some funds for APC is if part of the field was sold for development. This of course would be totally at odds with the primary reason for its acquisition and hence has never been considered.

Turnpike Field and Trust .

From the very beginning of its ownership, the question of protecting the field in perpetuity was raised and investigated to ensure that Audlem's desire to preserve it would not able to be easily changed.

All of the following comments have been taken from publicly available Turnpike Field Working Group (TFWG) and APC meeting minutes:-

• March 2019 — TFWG recommended that APC should consider a Charitable Trust
• April 2019 — Councillors discussed this at the APC meeting and agreed it was important for this to happen so the field can be protected in perpetuity
• July 2019 — TFWG agreed to draft a constitution for a CommunityTrust
• March 2020 — Solicitors advised APC that it is not worth forming a charity because a charity cannot claim back VAT for any works and also a Community Trust must have a source of income.

For the next 2 years, as a result of Covid as well as many changes to APC, no further action was taken as regards any form of Trust.

• September 2022 — Following investigations by a member of TFWG, it was agreed that the FiT organisation be contacted
• October 2022 — It was agreed to collate the APC documentation for submission to FiT
• November 2022 — APC Councillors RESOLVED unanimously to approve the submission of title deeds and other information to ensure fields can't be developed
• January 2023 — TFWG reported that all relevant documentation and information had been submitted to FiT and that we await to hear from them.

What is Fields in Trust (FiT)?

FIT is an independent charity with over 90 years experience protecting parks and green spaces. Lots of information is available on their website: https://www.fieldsintrust.org https://www.fieldsintrust.org/

In summary:-

• FIT champions and supports parks and green spaces by protecting them for people to enjoy in perpetuity
• It does this by working in partnership with landowners to protect land through a Deed of Dedication, a binding legal commitment with the landowner which secures spaces in perpetuity for current and future generations to enjoy
• This Deed sets out what the landowner can and can't do without needing to consult with FIT. What the landowner can do is pretty far reaching. One topic requiring some special consideration is to ensure that the Green Carpark can still be developed in the future. A large community survey conducted in April 2019 clearly showed that such a development to help reduce the significant issue of parking was very popular
• Whilst this is a partnership, the ownership (Title) remains with the APC. The Deed is registered with Land Registry. This means that any check made on the land will highlight the protection that is on it and prevent disposal
• Included in the Deed will be a clause "there shall be no part disposal of the land for development without public consultation and approval of at least fifty percent of the residents on the electoral roll"
• FIT has 2891 UK spaces legally protected.