'Save lakes as a town green . . .'

From the archive, first published Wednesday 25th Oct 2006.

A CAMPAIGNER against an old gravel pit at Radley being filled with ash from Didcot power station has come up with a new plan - to turn it into a town green.

Jo Cartmell, from Peachcroft, Abingdon, is seeking to register Thrupp and Bullfield lakes as a town green area - just days after the Government refused to hold a public inquiry.

Mrs Cartmell believes if land has been used as of right for lawful sports and pastimes by the inhabitants of an area for a period of at least 20 years, it can be registered as a town or village green.

She said: "This protects it from future development. We believe that the Thrupp and Bullfield lakes and their surrounding area meet these criteria and we have applied to Oxfordshire County Council to register this land.

"There is abundant evidence of the free use of the area for informal recreation by the people of Abingdon over the past 40 years. I would like anyone who has moved away from the lakes but used or walked around the lakes over the past 40 years as of right to get in touch with me.

"We have to make a stand. I and my family have used this area for more than 20 years.

"I am passionate about this issue. It does not matter where in the world it is, but open spaces like this need protection. We have lost too many green areas in Abingdon over the years."

If the area is registered, the landowners - RWE npower and Curtis Sand and Gravel - would be contacted and asked for their views. If they objected, a public inquiry could follow.

Mrs Cartmell said two Oxfordshire cases - Sunningwell Glebe and the Trap Grounds in Oxford - ended up in the House of Lords and in both cases the campaigners won.

Although a supporter of the Save Radley Lakes group, Mrs Cartmell is acting as an individual.

She said: "If this application is successful, it should prevent the destruction of the Thrupp Lake. I expect, though, it could well be opposed by landowners."

RWE npower has received planning permission to use Thrupp Lake to dump fuel ash over the next nine years until the Didcot coal-fired power station closes. The company said it would restore the lake for wildlife.

Campaigners were pinning their hopes on a public inquiry, but the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Ruth Kelly, announced that she would not be ordering a review.

The application for town green status has to be verified by the county solicitor. A county council spokesman said an application had been received and would be considered.