“Save Sellors’ Playing Field”

A group of Ruddington residents is calling on Rushcliffe Borough Councillors to reject plans to build 180 houses on an area of our village Green Belt (RUD1) because it includes a covenanted recreation ground which is also registered as an Asset of Community Value.

RUD1 to the west of Wilford Road, which contains the community space, is one of the sites being recommended in RBC’s latest “Local Plan Part 2: Preferred Housing Sites” document. (Please click >>HERE<< for the background). As reported on RUDDINGTON.info last week, a cabinet meeting at Rushcliffe Arena TONIGHT will provisionally decide which of fourteen earmarked sites in Ruddington will be removed from our Green Belt – in order to accommodate a suggested FOUR HUNDRED new homes.

Just over two years’ ago a village campaign group calling itself Protect Ruddington came together in response to an initial threat of housing in the same area – including on Sellors’ Recreation Ground . They successfully located Roger Sellors, the grandson of Frederick William Sellors (who originally gifted the land to our village) who then wrote to current guardians Ruddington Parish Council (RPC) to ask them to respect the covenant.

The Ruddington Community Association (RCA) was formed at around the same time and members successfully registered Sellors’ Playing Field as an Asset of Community Value with Rushcliffe Borough Council in November 2015. This would mean any decision by Ruddington Parish Council to sell it would give RCA time to bid for the asset by triggering a moratorium for six months – allowing them a chance to raise the money to purchase it back on behalf of village residents.

Now Ruddington’s Rushcliffe Borough Councillors Martin Buckle, Jean Greenwood and John Lungley have revealed that they will have no say at tonight’s RBC meeting about rescinding our Green Belt. They are unable to speak or vote because all decisions will be made only by the five members of the Cabinet.

Councillor Buckle told us: “We understand the concerns which have been raised regarding the covenanted land at Sellors’ Field, defending the greenbelt, preserving the character of the village, traffic implications and the pressure on local services. The meeting being held on 12 September is the Cabinet, at which none of us has a vote. The Council has been challenged to deliver more than 13,000 new homes by 2028. Some other wards – for example Edwalton (Sharp Hill) and East Leake, have already seen the planning and construction of many out of this quota. Your councillors in Ruddington have already been successful in helping to challenge several large scale planning applications. We will continue to work with our councillor colleagues at RBC to find the most appropriate solution for Ruddington.”

Councillor Greenwood suggests villagers with concerns about tonight should ASAP instead directly contact any of the five members of the RBC Cabinet who’ll be making the key decisions.

RCA has now sent a letter directly to these councillors, who are:-

Simon Robinson – Leader

Debbie Mason – Deputy Leader

Roger Upton

Gordon Moore

Andy Edyvean

It reads:-

“I have been asked to write to you on behalf of the Ruddington Community Association regarding the meeting, this Tuesday, on the future of the Green Belt in Rushcliffe.

There are a number of views around the future growth of housing on the Green Belt. The majority of our members are very concerned at building on any of the Green Belt which we believe is a significant step forward in diluting the village status of Ruddington. We do not believe that building in Ruddington is necessary for Rushcliffe to meet the targets set by Government. The decision to allow additional building on our local greenbelt is solely a decision of the Council. We have inherited this protected space and should consider the legacy we leave in making any decision.

Where members of Ruddington Community Association are unanimous is that the legacy of Sellors’ Playing Field should be respected, protected and cherished. This was a gift to the people of Ruddington through a covenant, not just for one generation but many. We believe it would be wrong for one generation to sell out this gift, at an entry point to the village, for future generations. We have gone so far as registering Sellors’ Playing Field as an asset of community value. A registration accepted by the Council and we are on the Council’s list of community assets.

Proposal for RUD1 does clearly include Sellors’ Playing Field in the withdrawal of Green Belt status and we would ask that this be amended.

Our strong preference is that RUD1 is rejected; if this is not the case we would ask that RUD1 is amended to exclude Sellors’ Playing Field and keep this in the protected Green Belt.
We would ask you as one of our local councillors to speak out against taking away part of our Green Belt and undermining our village identity.

We would hope your legacy as a councillor is to be seen to stand up for our village and not to have supported the dilution of our village identity and the undermining of a village asset.

Kind regards,

Ruddington Community Association”

Sellors’ Recreation Ground is currently included in the RUD1 Green Belt area

Members of the public can also attend tonight’s RBC Cabinet meeting – Tuesday the 12th of September, starting at 7.00 pm in the Council Chamber at Rushcliffe Arena – although it is not thought they, nor any other councillors, will be permitted to speak.

We will post the decisions of the meeting with regard to Ruddington’s Green Belt on RUDDINGTON.info as soon as they are known. So please watch this space!