Land acquisition bid to enable council to lease facilities to Calderdale sports clubs

When they meet on Monday (July 5), Calderdale Council Cabinet members will be asked to approve the appropriation of parts of the council-owned land at Mill Fold Recreation Ground, Ripponden.

The land in question includes the pavilion, bowling green and tennis courts, with the term appropriation being applied to changing the land’s use from open air recreation to mixed use of open air recreation and organised games.

Cabinet members have been told this ensures the authority’s holding power reflects the longstanding use of those parts of the recreation ground.

In turn this would enable the council to grant a lease of the pavilion and green to the local bowls club and of the tennis courts to a local tennis club, consent having been granted for this by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) last November.

The appropriation would apply only to the bowling green, pavilion and tennis court areas and not to any other parts.

Also on the agenda, Cabinet will be asked to endorse the White Rose Forest canopy targets for Calderdale and that the council promotes an ambition for a 18.73 per cent target for tree canopy cover by 2050, helping address the climate crisis.

This will be achieved through identifying suitable council land to plant trees on, and through landowner engagement across Calderdale to support tree planting on land in private ownership, including partnership working with key agencies, councillors have been told.

White Rose Forest, established in 2000, is supported by more than 30 organisations, including local authorities, the national Government, charities, community enterprises and independent organisations, working together across North and West Yorkshire to plant trees.

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