Ceredigion County Council has already spent more than £40,000 fighting residents over their wish to see a field in Waunfawr designated a village green, a freedom of information request has revealed.
The Cambrian News has reported for several years on the ongoing battle between the authority and local residents for plans for Erw Goch field.
A consultation into the plan to save Erw Goch field – which has been the subject of a scheme to build scores of houses – was held in 2021, with a bid to “protect the open space for future generations” being led by local residents who use the field regularly for a variety of activities.
The land, which backs on to Hafan y Waun, has been a “recreational space for the community to enjoy football, walking, wildlife and the benefits of fresh air for over 30 years and was especially vital during the pandemic”, the Friends of Erw Goch group said.
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As the row rumbled on, the county council brought in independent barrister Katherine Barnes to fight the claim to give the field an official village green status.
The council is fighting the village green designation, claiming “statutory incompatibility” – with the land’s commercial value plummeting as its use is severely restricted.
An Freedom of Information Act request by the Friends of Erw Goch campaign group shows that Ceredigion has spent £44,183.41 so far on the village green application.
It has been warned that if the “statutory incompatibility” test for the field fails then costs are likely to spiral, with the need for a costly and time consuming public inquiry.
Last year local member Cllr John Roberts said it is “immoral to use public money to oppose public opinion” and Cllr Paul Hinge added employing a barrister was a “brutal tool” that would “create more division within the area”.
Cllr Roberts said at the time: “Community resilience has been seriously undermined by not compromising with the applicant regarding use of the land.
“I see plenty of room for discussion between the two parties, but nobody will talk to each other.
“While it is a good idea to have an outside opinion, it is not a good idea to use public money to fight the wishes of the public.”
Ceredigion MP Ben Lake and MS Elin Jones met with campaigners last year and urged the council to “pause the legal process” to fund and facilitate an independent mediator between the council and residents.
The site has been designated in the Local Development Plan as an area for housing and Wales and West Housing Association’s hybrid application was discussed in July 2021.
The plan for 77 homes received dozens of objections when it was submitted.
Wales and West Housing said the development would facilitate ”a range of affordable and open market housing tenures” and provide a learning disability facility which would offer “long-term benefits to repatriate a number of out-of-county placements, whilst at the same time delivering significant overall cost savings” to the council.