Lib Dems force rethink on Hagg Wood as Council delays ACV decision

Liberal Democrat Councillor Andrew Hollyer has welcomed a decision to delay a ruling on whether Hagg Wood should be recognised as an Asset of Community Value, after raising concerns about the Council’s legal reasoning.

The Council had been due to decide on 6 October whether to list Hagg Wood as an Asset of Community Value, following a nomination from Dunnington Parish Council.

The officer recommendation had been to refuse the nomination.

However, ahead of the meeting, Councillor Andrew Hollyer raised a series of questions about the legal basis for that recommendation, including whether the report had confused the eligibility for ACV listing with exemptions from the separate sale moratorium.

He also questioned the Council’s interpretation of an exemption relating to Church Commissioners land and asked what legal provision would actually prevent Hagg Wood from being listed.

Following those questions, the Council’s Director of Governance confirmed that the legal team had carried out further work and that the position was “more complex than it first appeared.”

The decision was subsequently deferred to allow further legal investigation.

Councillor Andrew Hollyer said:

“The local community and parish council have been fighting to protect Hagg Wood for years, and they were right to raise concerns about what the proposed sale of the freehold could mean for this much-loved woodland.

“I had serious questions about the legal reasoning behind the Council’s recommendation to reject the ACV application, particularly whether two separate issues had been getting confused.

“I’m pleased those questions have now been properly looked at and that the Council has recognised that the legal position is more complicated than it first appeared.

“This isn’t the end of the process, but delaying the decision gives the Council the opportunity to get the legal position right before making a decision that could have important consequences for Hagg Wood and the community that has fought to protect it.

“The local community and parish council deserve credit for keeping this issue on the agenda. We will continue to support them and make sure the Council properly considers the future of Hagg Wood.”

The Council’s decision record confirms that the Hagg Wood ACV determination was deferred pending “further legal investigation”, while the separate Hempland Lane Allotment Community Wildlife Area ACV application was approved.