THE issue of a village green in Studley on land owned by the Co-op is to be pressed at the highest level at Stratford district council.
Parish councillor Maureen Rickhards voiced residents’ concerns over the delay in response from the district which earlier this year had floated the possibility of buying the land in question through a compulsory purchase order.
A report should have been made last month into the issue.
District councillor Julian Kerridge (Con, Studley with Mappleborough) said no definite commitment to make a compulsory purchase had been made but agreed ‘to get something done’.
“I have been pushing for compulsory purchase and they have been considering it but it was not a commitment,” he told Tuesday’s parish council meeting.
“We have been looking at the planning history for any constraints and getting a surveyor to find out how much the land is worth.
“The idea was to get a number of options including but not limited to compulsory purchase, but we are a lot further away from this than we were hoping to be,” he admitted.
He added that council leader Coun Chris Saint was aware of the issue and it was agreed that both Coun Kerridge parish council chairman Coun Paul Beaman would raise the case with Stratford’s chief executive.
The land in question, at the junction of Alcester Road and Studley High Street, has long been considered an eyesore and the idea of turning into a village green for the benefit of all residents was championed by former district councillor Hazel Wright.
