Village unites to save Bayston Hill's 'precious' Glebelands from development

Campaigners fighting to register the Glebelands in Bayston Hill as a village green have updated dozens of residents ahead of a three-day inquiry.

The hearing will take place at Shropshire Council's Guildhall headquarters from December 1 to 3, with an independent barrister considering evidence and arguments from both sides.

Villager Mark Underwood submitted the village green application for the land, which has been used and enjoyed by generations since 1949.

Football matches have been played there and the site also hosted an event marking the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The Lichfield Diocese, which owns the Glebelands, wants to build homes on the site. A planning application submitted in 2023 attracted 200 objections from residents before it was withdrawn.

Shropshire Council’s northern planning committee decided an independent barrister should be appointed to consider the village green case.

For the application to succeed, villagers must show that “a significant number of people from a locality, or a neighbourhood within a locality, took part as of right in lawful sports and pastimes on the land for at least 20 years”. They must also demonstrate that this use continued when the application was made.

The dispute centres on the legal meaning of “as of right”.

Metal fences were erected two years ago, preventing people from accessing the land. At the time, the diocese said it understood the upset caused but that the fencing was needed “to protect its interests”.

Dozens attended a Friends of The Glebe meeting at Bayston Hill Memorial Hill on Friday (November 6) to hear about the latest developments.

Mr Underwood said a ‘statement of common ground’ had been agreed by the parties, focusing the inquiry on whether residents historically used the land “as of right” or “by right”.

Friends of The Glebe says generations used the land openly and without force, secrecy or permission, believing they were free to enjoy it as part of village life.

The diocese argues that the land was instead used “by right”, meaning access was permitted rather than exercised as an independent right. That distinction will be at the centre of the inquiry.

One resident said: “The Glebelands are worth fighting for, they’ve been available to generations and are the only green space in the centre of the village. I can no longer walk to Parrs Wood, so the Glebelands are the only green space I can access.”

Another resident added: “I never had to seek permission to go onto the Glebelands. I went out of the house, down the footpath with a football and the children. It never occurred to me that I would ever have needed permission. If I’d thought I had, who would I have asked?”

Teri Trickett, secretary of Friends of The Glebe, said: “My husband grew up in Bayston Hill and his family have lived here for over 65 years.

“He remembers playing on the Glebelands with friends and enjoying community events there. To lose this precious green space would be heart-breaking for the whole village.”