Angry Whitley residents reject city council's peace plan

[dutchman]

Angry Whitley residents last night vowed to fight a council plan to hand over Charterhouse Fields to neighbouring Blue Coat School.



The treasured green space off London Road has been the subject of a bitter row and around 150 people packed in to Charterhouse Club to discuss a new lease proposal aimed at guaranteeing public access.

Coventry City Council this week published a draft 125-year lease for 60 per cent of the school to be handed over to the Terry Road school as part of its bid for academy status.

The revised plan made a number of concessions over public access but Charterhouse Residents Association rejected it, vowing to fight for full village green status.

Applause greeted resident Mary Medd, 53, St George’s Road, when she said: "I don’t think this lease is worth the paper it’s written on.

"For 40 years we have shown respect for what the school does on the fields. I think we should settle for nothing less than what we have at the moment - free access to the fields."

Councillor Dave Nellist (St Michael’s, Socialist) had submitted an application for village green status which would prevent building work, encroachment and access restrictions being on the fields.

The new lease enshrines public rights of access along footpaths surrounding the fields.

But for the fields themselves it adds: "access may be restricted during times when the land is being used by the tenant."

It comes after Save Our Fields campaigners forced a U-turn on the council’s initial decision to hand over the land.
Councillor Lynette Kelly, portfolio holder for education, has insisted the land must be given to the school in accordance with recent government legislation on academies.

The lease will go before Coun Kelly for approval at a meeting on June 29.

[PoundShopPeter]

Whitley??? Good old Cov Telegraph , it's (lower) Stoke residents that are leading this campaign.