Britain’s oldest national conservation charity, the Open Spaces Society (OSS), has publicly condemned Plymouth City Council's proposal to allow development at Wilmot Gardens in Crownhill, calling the plans "monstrous".
The controversial development plan, set to be discussed by Plymouth councillors today (Thursday, July 24), proposes building five houses on the 0.3-acre green space.
The scheme is recommended for approval by council officer Macauley Potter, despite openly admitting it breaches Plymouth’s own open-space policy (DEV27), due to a "significant loss to existing open space".
UPDATE:
Seamus McCoy
Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the OSS, said:
"We deplore the council’s proposal blatantly to override its own open-space policy. Wilmot Gardens is much loved by local people."
Ms Ashbrook criticised the council’s reasoning that the absence of a community notice-board or official friends group somehow diminishes the site's importance, calling the claim "plainly bizarre". She highlighted the active community involvement in safeguarding the space, including the installation of a community bench and ongoing local protests.
"We urge Plymouth councillors to reject this monstrous proposal and leave the space for all to enjoy", Ms Ashbrook added.
The Open Spaces Society, founded in 1865, previously supported a successful legal challenge against Plymouth City Council’s initial decision to permit building at Wilmot Gardens. The High Court quashed the council’s original approval in May, siding with local campaigners who highlighted the area's lack of alternative open spaces.
Local residents remain fiercely opposed, citing the potential loss of mature trees, ancient hedgerows, and significant biodiversity. In letters to the developer, Classic Builders (SW) Ltd, and the council's planning committee, residents expressed being "devastated" at the prospect of losing their cherished green space.
The council’s planning committee meets at 4 pm today, with campaigners hopeful the plans will be rejected, mirroring a recent decision to refuse a similar housing development at Mary Dean Avenue, Tamerton Foliot.
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