MP and Birkby residents act over bid to overturn Clayton Fields Village Green status

Feb 12 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

BIRKBY residents fear their popular village green will be built on.

People living around Clayton Fields say they are concerned the owners will build on the land if they overturn its Village Green status.

The case is expected to be heard before the High Court on February 20.

But residents have vowed to fight the application.

The Examiner has been inundated with letters from concerned residents.

MP Barry Sheerman is backing them, describing the developers as “greedy”, and he said the fields are part of the heartbeat of Huddersfield.

Clayton Fields were registered as a village green in 1997 after a successful campaign by local residents to preserve residents right to use it in the future.

But in 2005 the land was sold to a company called Paddico.

Paddico will this week go before the High Court to ask for the Village Green status to be overturned.

Mr Sheerman said: “We need to stop these greedy developers who want to build on every bit of green space.

“Those fields are the heart of our town – they are urban spaces that everybody should have.

“It’s important for people and wildlife and if we in Huddersfield are serious about maintaining our green spaces we need to stop this.”

Residents say thousands of people have enjoyed using the area for decades.