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More on KentOnline
Playing fields fenced off four years ago can now be used once more by the public, but there's a £21 catch.
Approximately 32 acres used by Oakwood Park Grammar School and St Augustine Academy in Maidstone was fenced off in March 2017, infuriating nearby residents who had been able to wander freely over the fields since the 1940s.
St Augustine head teacher Jason Feldwick said at the time people had been ignoring the private land signs and a fence was necessary to reduce litter, crime and "random teams turning up to play sport without permission."
Now, however, a compromise has been reached after years of negotiations, with households wishing to visit the fields paying £21 a year for a fob to access the fields during non-school hours. Dog walking has not yet been bought back, but is being considered.
The deal has been brought about by talks between Oakwood Park Community Group, the two schools and Kent County Council (KCC) who lease the land used by St Augustine Academy.
Maidstone borough councillor Paul Harper, vice chair and treasurer of the group, said: "We are on the threshold of restoring community access. We have already had 30 emails, the numbers are going up daily. It's turning out to likely be very successful."
Households can apply for a fob now and able to access the fields from Good Friday, April 2.
An application to register the land as a village green was lodged with KCC in 2017 and considered by KCC in 2019. It was referred to the government inspectorate but Cllr Harper says he has yet to hear of the final decision. Recent case law would also suggest the request would not be accepted, he said.
However he is happy with the agreement reached.
He added: "We have got to respect the fact that the sites are used by the schools and the kids have to have complete access and safety.
"Asking people to give a small contribution to this fob system isn't unreasonable. You go to a National Trust or English Heritage site you will be paying. You can go there on the weekend or after school."
The plan is to create a dog lane but Cllr Harper said that wasn't a "five minute job" and would require some "serious volunteering".
If someone gives the fob to a person outside of their household, then access will be taken away.
There is no rule yet on whether people would have to pay if they lost their fob.
"We have got to respect the fact that the sites are used by the schools and the kids have to have complete access and safety..."
Cllr Harper added: "It's a fairly simple thing we are trying to do. The schools were in more or less agreement, it's just taken all this time with KCC slowly to get to this stage."
A KCC spokesman said: “The schools fenced off the fields because their ability to use them to support the delivery of education services was being impacted by those seeking to use the field, with the safety of pupils being compromised.
“The community group submitted a village green application which was considered by KCC’s Regulation Committee Member Panel in February 2019 and referred it to the government’s Planning Inspectorate for determination.
“In the meantime, KCC continued to work with the community group to agree an arrangement that would satisfy all parties and we feel that this has now been achieved.’’
Cllr Harper added the £21 fee would cover the cost of the fob system, which includes electricity for the gates and monitoring the system.
The schools have been approached for comment.
