Cliffe: Villagers fight to save recreation ground

A group of Kent residents has succeeded in having a recreation ground under threat of development recognised as a community asset.

Villagers in Cliffe, near Rochester, had petitioned Medway Council to have the APCM recreation ground registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

Trenport Investments Ltd has submitted a planning application to build 250 houses on the land.

The plans would see a replacement sports ground built off Buttway Lane.

A field opposite the recreation ground would also be developed as part of the housing plans.

The developer would retain Cliffe Bowls Club - which neighbours the APCM - and provide improved club parking, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Cliffe and Cliffe Woods Residents Development Group has campaigned against the plans and said it was now looking to get the playing fields behind the village hall and the Six Bells pub recognised in the same way, although these are not included in Trenport's application.

Group member Timothy Smith said: "It will help us to protect the assets that make the village, and the parts defined as Cliffe."

The ACV designation means the site gets registered with the local authority and if it comes up for sale, the interested party will be given a fair chance to bid for it.

If the group uses the community right to bid, this gives it six months to see if it can raise enough funds to make the purchase.

Mr Smith said: "During Covid, it was a place for people to get exercise and meet people socially distanced.

"It's not necessarily going to stop it, but it will give us a chance to bid for it ourselves."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].