The Burntwood Action Group is incredibly proud to announce that Prince’s Park has officially been awarded the prestigious Green Flag status! As reported by Lichfield District Council, our beloved park is now recognised among the country’s very best green spaces.

This is a massive victory for the Burntwood community and everyone who volunteers their time to look after this unique local treasure. Thank you to every one of our volunteers!

A Guinness World Record Holder with Royal History For those who might not know the deep history beneath the trees, Prince’s Park is a Guinness World Record holder as the smallest park in the United Kingdom. It is a nationally and locally distinct civic space that marks the historic tip of our settlement’s green network, originally created to commemorate the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark. It is not just a patch of grass; it is a Non-Designated Heritage Asset that holds immense social and communal value for Burntwood.

Read more here:

https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/news/article/1216/four-of-lichfield-district-s-parks-recognised-among-the-country-s-very-best

Proving the Planners Wrong This national Green Flag award could not have come at a more crucial time for our campaign to save the Coulter Lane fields.

Recently, as part of the Bloor Homes application for 250 houses, the Council’s internal Conservation Officer attempted to dismiss Prince’s Park. In their official report, they claimed the park resulted in only a “nominal degree of heritage significance” and stated that its amenity value is “diminished by the road network”. The applicant’s own Heritage Statement even went as far as to say the grassed area contains “no built form which would generate any architectural or aesthetic value”. They tried to label our world-unique landmark as “marginal” to justify paving over its historic rural setting.

The Green Flag judges have just empirically proven them wrong.

You cannot award Green Flag status to a space that has “nominal” significance. This award confirms exactly what the Burntwood Action Group has been legally arguing on the planning portal: under National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidelines, heritage must be assessed for its “social and cultural” value. Prince’s Park is a highly prized community asset, and we will not allow it to be transformed into a congested, polluted traffic island trapped next to a modern housing estate.

We invite everyone to visit Prince’s Park this week to celebrate this incredible achievement. We have shown that when a community protects its heritage, the whole country takes notice!


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