Ravenhurst Latest - Residents Win Latest Round In Pitch Battle29-11-2006 Heartening news this morning for campaigners trying to protect Ravenhurst Playing Fields in Harborne. New council regulations will make it much harder for developers to build there, and on other green areas in Birmingham. Earlier this week, the city's cabinet approved a full list of recognised playing fields, and although Ravenhurst had originally been “forgotten”, it was included on the final register. That's good, but even better is the revelation that far-sighted council officials have now stipulated that anyone who wants to develop a playing field has to demonstrate that there is no demand for its use as a sports ground. In the case of Ravenhurst, there's been sporting interest both from Birmingham University and the rugby players of Dixonians, only for the cost to prove prohibitive. None of this guarantees that every playing field will be saved, but such is the pent-up demand for sports pitches in Birmingham that it should at least be possible to make a decent case for all of them if they are threatened in future. |
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