News / Stoke Lodge Playing Fields
‘Disgust’ as fence panels around playing field removed by ‘local vigilantes’
Dozens of fence panels have been removed from around Stoke Lodge with “local vigilante action” being blamed.
On Friday morning, around half of the fence panels around the playing fields had been taken down. Piles of green panels were dotted around the site as several dog walkers made use of the land.
Some poles still remained standing, with two being used as makeshift football goalposts.
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Bristol24/7 understands that police have been called to Stoke Lodge but will not intervene as they view the situation as a boundary dispute.
Campaign group We Love Stoke Lodge say they “don’t believe there are ‘local vigilantes’ and do not support ‘vigilante action'”, but do claim that the fence is illegal and should be removed.
After a decades-long row, it was decided in June that the playing fields in Stoke Bishop should be protected as a “village green” – legally opening it up for public use.
The fields owned by Bristol City Council have been leased to Cotham School as their offsite playing fields since 2011, but were fenced off in 2019 due to safety concerns.
Since the beginning of the current school year, Cotham pupils have used Golden Hill Sports Ground for their PE lessons but school leaders have refused to remove the fence around Stoke Lodge.
Bristol City Council’s head of legal service recently ruled that the council share the view of the school that they are not obliged to remove the fence despite the land now being a town green.
Nancy Rollason revealed in an email to a council colleague that Cotham has also now started judicial review proceedings to challenge the decision to register the land as a town green.
Rollason wrote: “I consider it to be highly unlikely that a court would grant an injunction to remove the fencing or that a prosecution would be successful whilst the claims are awaiting resolution.”
Just a few of the missing fence panels – photo: Martin Booth
A source close to Cotham School told Bristol24/7: “As it stands, the fence is the property of Cotham School and any damage to the property is criminal damage.
“Whilst We Love Stoke Lodge has been attempting to get the council to order the school to remove the fence via court action (unsuccessfully) they have been surreptitiously encouraging the removal of the fence by locals.
“Do we now live in a time where we take unlawful action to correct what you consider to be an unlawful action on the part of others?
“Their supporters claim the school is continuing a ‘vendetta’ against locals when to all intents and purposes it really looks like the school has left the site open and pursued the only course of action it can possibly take to protect its property.”
Some of the removed panels have just been dumped – photo: Martin Booth
The source added: “I genuinely do feel the school have been horribly misrepresented in all this.
“The most important thing to bear in mind here is this is a school playing field. It is not land that has been sold to developers for housing, nor will it be while it is in the hands of the school; nor is this land which locals are completely disallowed from using.
“I’m sorry to say that allowing this to happen unchallenged is outrageous sponsorship of vandalism and theft.
“I find it horribly disappointing that this kind of thing is allowed to happen and people in Stoke Bishop find themselves above the law.
“This genuinely is simply local vigilante action and I am disgusted by it to be truthful.”
Stoke Lodge was granted village green status in June – photo: Martin Booth
In response to the allegations of vigilantism, a We Love Stoke Lodge spokesperson said: “Part of Cotham School’s fence at Stoke Lodge was crushed by a falling tree branch a few months ago and since that area was made safe (and the panels and poles were ultimately removed) by BCC, we are aware that further sections of fencing, particularly in the lower half of the field, are no longer in place.
“Some posts appear now to be in use as makeshift goalposts, after Cotham removed its own goalposts to discourage football being played.
“We don’t believe there are ‘local vigilantes’ and do not support ‘vigilante action’.
“In fact, we are aware that several local residents have made formal requests for those responsible for the land (BCC and Cotham School) to remove unsafe posts and panels.”
The spokesperson added: “Cotham School’s fence at Stoke Lodge is illegal following the registration of the land on 22 August as a village green, and should have been removed by the school months ago.
“As set out in our blog post, a prosecution may be brought against the school either by BCC or by any private individual in the local area.
“BCC has recently stated that, while it agrees that it could prosecute Cotham for this ongoing offence, it thinks this would be ‘premature’. A private prosecution remains a possibility.
“These are the options that WLSL is openly and actively considering to get the unlawful fence removed, in the public interest.
“The fencing and gates around the field remain unlawful and should be removed by Cotham School as soon as possible to comply with the law.
“At the moment the school appears to think that it is optional for it to comply with the law at a time that is convenient for it. That is not how the criminal law works.”
Cotham School have been asked for comment.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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