South Wales Evening Post - 19 March 2008
The fight to save land in West Cross from future development has received a boost with the support of Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Tory MP Cheryl Gillan.
Conservative community councillors, city councillors and local election candidates were joined by the Shadow Secretary on Monday after she heard about the efforts of Mumbles Community Council to protect green spaces alongside Mumbles Road.
The council's development committee has been working with local solicitors John Collins and Partners to put in a formal application to County Hall for the Swansea Council-owned land to be designated a village green, meaning it would be safe from any developers wanting to build there.
The community council has set up a legal fighting fund of £20,000 in case of any objection to the application to give the land protected status.
Once Swansea Council issues a notification that it has received the application for village green status, objectors have six weeks in which to make their representations.
The council would then have to decide whether to support the bid.Mumbles Community Council's development committee chairwoman, Conservative councillor Linda Tyler-Lloyd, said: "We are delighted that Cheryl Gillan has come to West Cross to show local people that the Conservatives take the protection of green spaces very seriously indeed. At a time when Labour are pushing local councils to build yet more housing, green spaces like these ones in West Cross are always going to be at risk of being developed.
"We are hoping that the community council's efforts to bestow village green status on these cherished green spaces will protect them for generations to come."
Conservative community councillors Elaine Hughes and Phil Swinnerton have been supporting the bid for the village greens and are standing for Swansea Council in West Cross at the elections on May 1.
Mrs Hughes, who represents West Cross on the community council, said: "The LibDem/ Independent council tried building on green spaces in Derwen Fawr not so long ago.
"It was only action by local residents and the local Conservatives which made the council think again.
"We will not wait for any attempt to build on this land in our community," she added.
"That's why we have been actively campaigning to get village green status before any threat to this land."
Councillor Kinzett, who represents the next- door ward of Mayals on Swansea Council, said: "West Cross needs protecting from over- development.
"I congratulate the community councillors for the work they are doing to protect these much- loved green spaces."
