Archive for December 2011

Sale of County Council Land

December 2011

Following our email of 13 December alerting members to this proposed sale, there has been considerable media interest in this proposal.  Although Friends of Quantock has been interviewed several times and has clearly stated its position on this sale, it is felt that, due to the mixed messages in the media, it would be helpful if we once again make our position clear, as follows:

“FoQ are opposed to the sale by the County Council of any land the Council owns within the AONB and we have entered a formal objection to the proposal.  We feel that the four areas that are currently owned by the Council – i.e. Great Wood, Over Stowey Custom Common, Thorncombe Hill and Cothelstone Hill – are very important parts of the AONB and should remain in public ownership as heritage assets.

The County Council argues that, with proper safeguards, these parcels of land could safely pass into private ownership.  FoQ are not against private ownership in principle and indeed other parts of the Hills are privately owned and in good hands. However, we feel that the public interest in these assets is better served by public ownership and that moving them to private ownership after 100 years is a retrograde step. We also have concerns as to how satisfactory the safeguards can be in the long term, should the land fall into hands that were not so sympathetic to the public interest.

FoQ believes that, if the County Council does not wish to hold these assets, they should be passed to another public or charitable body, such as the National Trust.  We have also expressed our possible interest in holding this land, particularly Thorncombe Hill, on behalf of the wider community, if that proves to be the way forward.”

Posted in Newsletter Articles 20 Comments