A DISAPPOINTED village will see two new houses built on its treasured village green after an application to officially register the land was rejected.
The green in Diggle, a small plot opposite Diggle Chippy on Huddersfield Road, has been a used for community events and as a recreational space by residents since the 1920s.
But Oldham Council Commons Registration Committee turned down an application by Diggle Community Association to give the land, which is owned by First Choice Homes Oldham, official Village Green status.
The application failed to meet the ‘as of right’ criteria needed as the committee determined the space was used ‘by right’ with the effective permission of original owners Saddleworth Urban District Council and its successors.
The DCA said it is ‘bitterly disappointing to see the application rejected on an interpretation of a fine point of case law’.
DCA chairman Stuart Coleman added: “I’m dismayed that the process took precedent over common sense.
“Residents, community associations and councillors across Saddleworth are all objecting to the loss of open space yet building developments continue at a relentless pace.
“If we don’t draw a line soon, Oldham Council’s ‘jewel in the crown’ – Saddleworth -will be lost.
“The DCA would like to thank Dr Nick Cox for his work on the application which, supported by other members of the committee and Robert McCracken OQ, began in January.”
Planning approval was granted earlier in the year by Oldham Council for (FCHO) to build two houses on the site despite a campaign and petition against the project by the DCA.
FCHO put its plans on hold pending the decision of the village green application but will now go ahead with the scheme.
Rob Smith, Assets and Development Manager for FCHO, said: “Oldham Council Commons Registration Committee rejected the Diggle Community Association’s application to change FCHO land to Village Green status.
“This now means our plans to build two new affordable family homes can go ahead. Our plan is to start works on site early in the New Year.
“These two homes are part of FCHO’S commitment to building 48 new homes across the borough, including 27 in Sholver, 11 in Werneth, four in Royton and four in Chadderton.”
Dr Cox, who made the application to save the village green, said the rejection along with a spate of recent planning decisions will threaten the green heritage of the community.
In September, outline planning approval was passed for 12 houses on a green field area on Ward Lane while plans to move Saddleworth School to the village are still being debated.
Dr Cox commented: “Recent planning decisions and proposals for development inDiggle reveal how rapidly the character and identity of a village can be threatened by the urge to exploit land which has for centuries been taken for granted as part of the green heritage of the community.
“With development seeming to encroach on Diggle from all sides, it is not surprising that anger within the community is growing about the extent to which its views and interests are acknowledged or respected.
“Local residents fear the open spaces they have long cherished are increasingly vulnerable as opportunistic developers and a remote and unresponsive local authority conspire to degrade the landscape.
“OMBC’s planners and lawyers have really done all they can to enable the development of a small piece of land which was a real focal point for the community.”
Diggle will hold their last ever Christingle Service on Sunday, December 8 at 4pm on the green – the Christmas tree has been earmarked for felling when development starts.
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