Case study: Protecting cultural and community facilities through planning policies
This case study is aimed at voluntary and community sector organisations.
Summary
Environmental charity Fourth Reserve Foundation looks after, and campaigns to preserve, sites along the green railway corridor between Honor Oak Park and Brockley stations. It wishes to bring Gorne Wood into public open-space use. Gorne Wood has been owned by a housing developer for 20 years.
Fourth Reserve Foundation engaged with the planning process to achieve its long-term goal of acquiring the site for public access. The organisation successfully applied for the site to be designated as an ancient woodland by Natural England; and as an asset of community value, a Locally Important Geological Site, and a Metropolitan Site of Importance for Nature Conservation by Lewisham Council.
The designation as Metropolitan Open Land is included in Lewisham’s draft Local Plan. The planning designations mean that residential development on the Gorne Wood site is not permitted. The organisation is working with Lewisham Council to acquire the land through compulsory purchase for wildlife protection & woodland conservation.
Challenge
Many parts of London lack open space and nature conservation areas. Open space and access to nature are important for physical and mental health and wellbeing. The housing shortage in London can put remaining areas of undeveloped land at risk, especially if these areas are not formally recognised as open space or important nature conservation sites.
The Fourth Reserve Foundation is a charity that seeks to establish an additional nature reserve along the Honor Oak Park to Brockley railway line. In the 1980s, Lewisham Council secured leases from British Rail to establish three nature reserves along this railway corridor. This excluded an area called the Buckthorne Cutting, most of which British Rail sold for housing development. Some of the cutting has since been developed with other land remaining as woodland.
The owner has been unwilling to sell despite the planning designations and refusal of their planning application. The option currently available to acquire the land is via Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).
The CPO process is rarely used by councils for green space protection. It is a lengthy and costly process, and councils can be reluctant to use these powers even where the community cover purchase costs. The lack of alternative options and the CPO barriers are major challenges.
Aim
Fourth Reserve wanted to turn the remaining undeveloped parts of the Buckthorne Cutting into a fourth nature reserve, to protect the green corridor along the railway line for future generations.
Action
They worked closely with Lewisham Council and secured formal planning and assets designations of the undeveloped land to protect it from development. In addition to this, the foundation also took on management of part of the undeveloped land, owned by Network Rail. The steps Fourth Reserve took were:
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securing asset of community value status for the part of the undeveloped land owned by a property developer
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gaining a licence to manage the undeveloped land owned by Network Rail as a nature reserve
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gaining designation of the Buckthorne Cutting as a Locally Important Geological Site
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securing confirmation from Natural England that the undeveloped land (Gorne Wood) owned by the property developer is ancient woodland
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securing the inclusion of the undeveloped land as Metropolitan Open Land in the draft Local Plan in 2024
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raising £125k in 12 months via community fundraising to cover site acquisition costs, building community support and valuable partnerships through the fundraising effort
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creating a business plan that reflects community aspirations, aims, governance and costs
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entering into a negotiation, alongside Lewisham Council, with the landowner to obtain a lease of the Gorne Wood land, so it can be managed as a nature reserve; this led to the council committing to use its compulsory purchase power if agreement cannot be reached.
Impact
Fourth Reserve Foundation protected the land from development through influencing draft planning policy designation (Metropolitan Open Land), making future residential development extremely unlikely. This laid the foundations for purchase of the land by Fourth Reserve Foundation in partnership with Lewisham Council.
The campaigning activity also raised the profile of the project, and Fourth Reserve now helps similar groups across the country embark on campaigns to protect green spaces.
Next steps for you
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Review your local authority’s planning policy documents (called a Local Plan) to understand what protections exist for your specific type of cultural or community infrastructure.
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Speak to your local authority planning advice service to understand how you can influence local planning policy to protect your space.
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Be aware that planning processes can take many years, and your local authority will engage communities at several points – so build this into your work to protect your space.
If you would like to find out more, please email [email protected].
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