Horsham residents' fight to protect green outside their homes

They want land by their homes in Collingwood Road to be classified as a ‘village green.’

They first raised concerns last year when they discovered by chance that the land – used by generations of children as a play area – was up for sale.

And they were alarmed to discover that proposals had been put forward to build three houses on the green.

They started fundraising to buy the land themselves to stop it being built on but it was sold by auction for £35,000 having had a starting guide price of £5,000.

Since then it has been sold again.

Now residents have submitted an application to West Sussex County Council to have the land, known as Collingwood Green, to be granted village green status.

They say it qualifies for such status – which would protect it from development – because it has been used for more than 20 years ‘for the purpose of children playing, exercise and training, dog walking, sporting activities, social gatherings and community events.’

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A spokesperson for the Collingwood Green Association said when the land sale was first revealed last year: “The green has constantly been used as Common Land by different generations of residents’ children and their friends to enjoy playing in the freedom and safety of the green as they grew up.”

He said that Collingwood Road was originally built by Federated Homes “who consciously left the green as is, with no houses” and he said that Horsham District Council had indicated it to be an ‘amenity area.’