Preserve the green on Heath Gardens

03/26/2025

Please support our neighbours on Downing Gardens who are facing a planning application on their green space.

Your fantastic support helped helped us save the green from a similar plight back in 2022.

Please add to the multiple objections already raised on the Stafford Borough Council website.

Plans to build three new houses on green space between Downing Gardens and Friars Avenue have prompted strong objections from local residents, who say the area is a valued community space that should remain untouched.

The application, submitted by JRJ Homes, seeks outline permission to build three detached houses with off-road parking. If approved, it would see four of the site’s five mature trees felled, reducing a long-used recreational green into private plots of land.

Surrounded by bungalows, the space has served as a quiet retreat for locals for decades, offering a spot for walking, play, wildlife-watching and community gatherings.

Read more on our website -> https://alittlebitofstone.com/2025/03/24/outcry-grows-over-plans-to-build-on-downing-gardens-green-space/

04/16/2024

This afternoon the fencing erected around the Green has been taken down by the owners.
We’re unsure if this is due to instruction by SBC following complaints or related to direct discussions held with them last week.
Either way we’re delighted to have the Green available again for all to enjoy.

We’ll hopefully continue discussing with the owners the way forward in due course.

In the meantime we’ll resume with it’s upkeep

👍👍

03/30/2024

This is the notice on the fencing, very strange as…

- No trees grow on the green (unless referring to the roots underground from adjacent trees)?
- No current planning application in place?
- Local planning authority has no open cases relating to the green?

03/28/2024

Hello all…it’s been a while but…..fencing is going up around the green, a neighbour has spoken to them and it appears that the owner is attempting to get planning permission…🙁

Just spoken to the owner, he claims to be erecting the fence to protect the community against dog walkers and fouling.

I pointed out it’s the community, dog walkers included, who have been looking after the green since his purchase.

He has no obligation to look after it was his response!!!

04/26/2023

It’s so lovely to see the local residents pulling together to mow the green and the grass alongside the path down to Spring Gardens…we’ve even had a very kind donation towards petrol for the lawnmower…community spirit at its best, thank you! 💚

10/20/2021

We have been informed by the auction house that the land between the Green and Spring Gardens didn’t sell. It would seem it didn’t meet the reserve of £10,000..

10/14/2021

Land Adjacent To 38 Wood Lane, Walton, Stone, Staffordshire - Land in South East - Folkestone available at Online Auction on 20th October 2021, Guide Price: £10,000 plus. For further details please contact Pugh Auctions on 0345 505 1200.

10/14/2021

The plot of land runnng from Spring Gardens to the Green has been put up for auction.

It’s unashamedly being advertised as having potential for development. Even though there are mains gas pipes, high voltage power cables and the main sewer running under the ground.

Land Adjacent To 38 Wood Lane, Walton, Stone, Staffordshire - Land in South East - Folkestone available at Online Auction on 20th October 2021, Guide Price: £10,000 plus. For further details please contact Pugh Auctions on 0345 505 1200.

09/25/2021

Good afternoon all,

On Monday a team of contractors will 'reclaim' land on the path from Spring Gardens to the green which has been part of a resident's garden for many decades with a formal agreement in place with Stafford Borough Council. Since the sale of the numerous pieces of land - all believed to be council owned - back in December, the local resident has been locked in a battle to keep part of their garden.

Unfortunately the battle has become too expensive to maintain and they have been forced to concede and allow the land to be reclaimed. This will happen on Monday when the land owners will send contractors to erect a new fence reducing the size of the resident's garden considerably. The piece of land will then be offered up for sale by auction.

The resident has expressed concern about the condition the land will be left in and wants everyone to know that they have done everything they possibly could to prevent this from happening.

09/20/2021

The auction has just finished......although there was a bid for £24,000 it looks like it remains unsold as the auctioneer's hammer didn't go down.
Perhaps the reserve price wasn't met? We will seek clarity.

09/17/2021

The auction details have been changed to more accurately reflect the status of the Green.

The legal pack now includes the planning permission refusal and the Neighbourhood Plan designation.

Potential purchasers are now appropriately informed of the Green’s status.

Thank you to everyone who has helped to influence this change 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

09/15/2021

It looks like the current owner of the Green has given up on his plans for development and has put it up for auction. It is included in next Monday's online auction with Butter John Bee.

Having reviewed the legal pack we can see no reference to the Green's inclusion in the Stone Neighbourhood Plan and the level of protection from development this provides. We are now working to ensure that this information is included so any potential purchaser is fully informed of the Green's status.

https://www.buttersjohnbee.com/commercial-property-for-sale/land-and-development-for-sale-in-stone-stone-staffordshire/26559

Get the best commercial properties with Butters John Bee. To know more details about Land and Development for sale in Stone, contact our Commercial Agency office.

06/17/2021

We have some absolutely wonderful news……the application for permission to build 2 bungalows on the green has been REFUSED!!!!

Thank you all for your support and efforts…….as residents we are all extremely grateful

05/31/2021

The closing date for comments to be registered with the Stafford Borough Council on the plans to build houses on the green is Thursday this week.

We already have an amazing 107 individual objections submitted, these have been consolidated to 79 comments of objection against the application on SBC planning portal. To date there have been no comments in support of the application .

79 comments of objection v's ZERO comments in support.

We thank everyone who has commented for sending out such a strong message from our community to the developer and Stafford Borough Council.

We urge as many people as possible who want to preserve green spaces in our local community to register their comments before Thursday's closing date.

05/17/2021

Stone Town Council has today, 17th May, submitted strong objections to the proposed application for planning in principle at Heath Gardens.

05/13/2021

After seeking clarity, due to site notices only being put up around the green today, the closing date for comments to be registered is now Thursday 3rd June.

Please be assured we will use the extra time to continue with our efforts to preserve the green as a safe, green space for our community to enjoy

05/12/2021

WOW.....there are now 52 objections to the plans to build houses on the green registered with Stafford Borough Council. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to register their comments.
We would encourage everyone who feels the same about the plans, and hasn't done so already, to register their objection before the Friday deadline.

Let's show SBC the community's strength of feeling against any plans to build on the green.

Link in comments. Thank you..

05/11/2021

A neighbourhood green that was snapped up by a local developer earlier this year, outbidding a local residents consortium, has a planning application submitted for the er****on of up to two bungalows...