Council agrees to buy back site wrongly sold for housing
A town council has agreed to buy back part of a community recreation area it wrongly sold for housing.
Shrewsbury Town Council sold part of Greenfields Recreation Ground to CSE Developments for £550,000 in 2017.
Planning permission was granted for homes on the site but a residents' campaign eventually led to that consent being quashed by the supreme court.
An independent inquiry found that the land, which was designated for community use, was wrongfully sold by the council.
The town council apologised “unreservedly” after the findings of the inquiry, led by Michael Redfern KC, at a packed meeting at Theatre Severn in June 2022, and vowed to help return the land to the people of the town.
Now the authority has confirmed it took the decision to buy back the land at an extraordinary meeting last night.
The decision was taken in a closed session of the council.
Following the meeting, Councillor Alan Mosley, leader of the town council, said the agreement to buy back the land had been "reached on a costs only basis".
The council had previously set aside £614,000 to buy back the land.
The council leader added that they would look to re-open it as public land as soon as it is safe to do so.
He said: "Shrewsbury Town Council and CSE Developments (Shropshire) Limited have agreed terms of settlement to secure the transfer of ownership of the parcel of land at Greenfields Recreation Ground back to the Town Council.
“The agreement has been reached on a costs only basis taking into account the best interests of the residents of Shrewsbury while taking note of legal judgements in the Courts and the views of those living local to the area.
"Indeed, we have fulfilled promises made and we now look forward to being able to reopen the land as public space as soon as conveyancing is complete and it is safe to do so."
