HOOE GREEN AWARDED VILLAGE GREEN STATUS. At their meeting on the 30th May 2019 PCC Planning Committee agreed unanimously that the land known as Hooe Green should be given Village Green status and included in the register of Village Greens.
Mr Robin Blythe-Lord, Chairman of Plym Valley Heritage, said “I am absolutely delighted that it has been registered. As the only major piece of flat land within the village it acts as a focal point for the community and now it has been protected from development for the foreseeable future. I would like to thank all those who completed our questionnaires, sent in photographs and other evidence of use and supported us in this application. Without you it could not have been done.”
Background on behalf of the local community, Plym Valley Heritage completed the process of applying to have Hooe Green registered as a village green in August 2014. The application consisted of 50 seven page evidence questionnaires, a statement booklet including photographic evidence and the completed Application Form 44.
The benefits of registering land as a village green are to:
- Secure permanent recording of the land as a town or village green.
- Protect the land from development and other forms of detrimental activity.
- Secure the right of local people to enjoy the land for recreation in perpetuity.
- Give the registered land a new status as land for the community, to be valued and enjoyed.
- Ensure that existing and prospective owners are aware of the established recreational function of the land.
In 1964 Plymouth City Council created the green by infilling the southern end of Hooe Lake. This was not solely a generous municipal gift to the community, they were looking for somewhere to dump rubble from building clearance in the town centre. Remember the Guinness Clock at Drake’s Circus? Well the building that supported it is under Hooe Green. This now forms the only large level space in Hooe and is much used by the community as a recreation ground, for dog walking, fetes and fairs. During all this time it has been maintained and enhanced by Plymouth City Council who have planted 15 trees, installed six stainless steel benches and used section 106 monies to enlarge the playground facilities.
Since 2014 there has been substantial housing development in Hooe, particularly with the construction of over 200 houses in Hooe Lake Quarry. Now these are occupied there has been a noticeable increase in the use of the Green for recreation, dog walking and team games; the area continuing to demonstrate its use by and benefit to the community.
As its creation was purposefully designed as a Village Green and expenditure from PCC on its development and maintenance has been ongoing it would be fitting if it were protected from any other development and remained a valuable and irreplaceable facility for the community.