Turnpike Field – some background

Heather Jones was Chair of Audlem Parish Council when the proposal for the village to purchase the field was first suggested. We (AudlemOnline) are very happy to publish this background article that she has sent in to us.

Please also note that the Turnpike Field website, which can be accessed here , contains details of the meetings, discussions and results of votes (whether online or at public meetings).

Heather Jones

The proposal for the purchase of Turnpike Field.
I have followed the Chatbox posts about Green Lane/Turnpike field with interest. As Chair of the Parish Council when the proposal to purchase the field was first mooted I feel it is incumbent on me to put the record straight.

At the time the field was put on sale (2018) Audlem was the target of many speculative developers. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase this wedge of greenfield leading into the heart of the village and put it within community ownership. Fortunately it appeared that developers were put off by the 'overage' clause in the sale which meant they would have to give a proportion(30%) of any profit to the landowner. Time was very short but public consultations and questionnaires took place (with outline costings) as a matter of urgency. One of the many benefits outlined was the potential for reducing the pressure on parking in the village in line with the Neighbourhood Plan. The public consultations clearly stated that any parking was subject to planning permission and (to avoid any doubt) the Parish Council approached Cheshire East Council (CEC)to get an indication of whether access and the possibility of using part of the site for parking was acceptable. CEC confirmed that the access was potentially in line with their requirements. As a result, with the very important agreement of the community, a bid was put in and the community was delighted when this was agreed by the landowner. Despite the potential cost of the purchase this was seen as a significant and positive thing for Audlem and its residents. One of the proposals put forward was that the field be linked to Fields in Trust which would give ongoing charitable protection to the green space, potentially provide access to grant funding and, crucially, prevent any development ever taking place.

It was disturbing to read today's Chatbox to find a suggestion to sell off part of the field for housing. This proposal was firmly rejected by the community in 2018 and is totally out of line with the Audlem Neighbourhood Plan. Turnpike Field is outside the village envelope (as incorporated in the Audlem Neighbourhood Plan and the CEC Local Plan). If the Parish Council took this step and acted against its own ANP it would potentially open the door for yet another feeding frenzy by developers and would trigger the 'overage' clause. The overwhelming view of residents was that the field should remain green space in perpetuity.

I cannot comment about what may or may not have happened since 2018. It is clear that costs have gone up significantly but Audlem is a village of many talents and has a tradition of getting things done through combined community effort. Some suggestions of potential funding or practical support were received which (as there is nobody on the Council from that time) current Councillors may not be aware of. Generous donations were also given by members of the community which could perhaps be used towards the cost of the car park.

Geoff Seddon

Purchase of Turnpike Field 2018 (Article published in October 2021)
There have recently been some ChatBox entries in connection with the reason for the purchase of Turnpike Field. I can provide some relevant information which should make clear the reason that Audlem Parish Council submitted a (successful) bid for Turnpike Field.

I was Vice-Chair of the Parish Council at the time of purchase. Heather Jones, the then Chair, and I made presentations to residents in April 2018 to seek their views about submitting a bid for the field in order to preserve the green space in the centre of the village.

We also put forward suggestions as to how the green space could be put to community use. One of these, subject to planning permission, was to create a 'green' car park in order to help alleviate the problem of parking in the village centre. This was very strongly supported. Accordingly, when the bid was successful, this became a Parish Council policy.

Various other suggestions were put forward, including the installation of picnic benches and creating a nature conservation and wildlife area. However, many people supported just leaving it as an area of community green space.

In September 2018, we made a further presentation explaining why the Parish Council had purchased the field, the benefits and downsides, the cost and the next steps. During the presentation this statement was made on one of the slides:

"The feedback from the two meetings in April was to ensure that the Parish Council put in a successful bid in order to ensure that the field was not bought by a developer and this important green space was lost forever."

Hopefully, this will clarify the primary reason for the purchase of Turnpike Field by Audlem Parish Council.