Warwickshire Green Spaces Auctioned Off, Residents Express Shock

Folks in Wellesbourne are worried right now. Small, shared green areas went up for sale. They were marketed as land for houses or other uses. One play area near Frost Road sold fast. It was listed for £8,000 before an auction could happen. A private buyer snatched it up quickly.

Another green space on Daniell Road also got listed. They suggested things like a small home or garden. They even mentioned forest schools. Rubislaw sent letters to nearby folks. The letters offered them a chance to buy the land. They mentioned expanding gardens or adding parking.

Suzy Wood got a letter from Rubislaw. She lives on Daniell Road with her two kids. The green space is for walking dogs, she said. People feared developers might buy the land. They worried about new buildings going up. Some thought building was impossible there.

Suzy worries about four houses replacing the playground. She also fears large flats behind her home. She needs to know they cannot do this. She worried people might fence off purchased land. They might not want to mow it. It was reassuring to learn about planning rules.

William Howard also lives on Daniell Road, you see. He got a letter from Rubislaw. They offered him land for £7,000. His wife, Margaret, was very alarmed by it. The letter talked about building or extending the garden. They said the land was useless to them.

William thinks they should get paid to take it. The company should be mowing the land. They do not plan to buy it. Lynda Scrivens said the council tried buying the land. The council has been at it since 2001, actually. She had emails from Greenbelt agents.

Ann Prior said the situation is frustrating. She chairs the parish council. The council set aside money to buy these green spaces. They agreed on a price but it got sold. They only heard after residents got letters. These letters offered the land for sale next door.

Residents learned building needs permission. They cannot fence it without permission either. The land has rules attached to the title. Ann Prior told residents to be really careful. The council gave the best advice it could provide. Open spaces can be sold but stay open, so beware.

George Cowcher thinks people are getting misled. The land is public open space, he said. It cannot be built on at all, ever in the wildest plans. He said the council cannot control land ownership. Stratford now avoids working with management firms. They are just a nightmare company to endure.

The council wants the parish council to hold the land. This would be happening for the community members. They also hope to end these problems altogether. Greenbelt Group said they got involved in 2003. They came via the developer Laing Homes on the site.

Ownership changed in 2010 to GEL. Greenbelt said GEL is now Growing Estates Ltd. Greenbelt claims they are separate entirely. The local council passed on buying the land. Residents never paid for maintenance over twenty years. Growing Estates maintained land without community costs.

Growing Estates then sold land to Rubislaw. Greenbelt cannot comment on the land sale details. The land sale must follow use rules existing. The local news even contacted Rubislaw for comment by phone.