Anlaby Common
Published: 14 February 2025
The Parish Council is, and always has been, opposed to any development on the land known to us all as Anlaby Common. To this end it is a standing agenda item at each of our meetings so that developments can be monitored and we can receive updates on activity or any issues connected with the land.
Also, over the last 18 months the Parish Council have both observed and received regular complaints and reports about the state of the whole site. These being about the fencing, fly-tipping and maintenance of the hedgerows and trees. We have also received reports connected with the welfare of the horses and ponies lodged there.
It is important to note that the whole of the area we refer to as Anlaby Common is private land.
Therefore, in response to these reports the Parish Council have been in regular contact with the landowners, asking them to take action to deal with the issues.
In response to this the landowners, Central Land Holdings, installed the concrete water trough, which they are still awaiting on Yorkshire Water connecting to a mains water supply.
Also, in June 2024, the council received a communication from the landowner advising that they intended to undertake remedial work and maintenance on the land to address the issues. This work was scheduled to start in September/October 2024 and would involve clearing fly-tipped rubbish, cutting back hedgerows and replacing and repairing the fencing.
This was welcome news in that the landowner was seen by the Parish Council as responding to local concerns, as they have no duty to do this.
As everyone is now aware this work started recently, with the first indications being the clearing of land for a compound before Christmas, which was followed up by the Parish Council to ensure it fitted with the communication received in June.
As soon as the Parish Council became aware of the most recent work, and the upset it was causing to some in the local community, we immediately contacted the East Riding Councils Public Protection Team and the following day the Planning Enforcement Team. We also alerted Emma Hardy MPs office to the issues, as well as ensuring that the two elected councillors for the ward, Margot Sutton and Ross Harrison, were sighted on the issue. Additionally, we contacted Central Land Holdings, the land owners, so as to get an update on what their brief was to the contractors. The Parish Council continued working with all of these, sharing information and ensuring that responses were being received.
As everyone is aware this matter developed quickly but while this work is not welcomed by some it is being carried out by local professional contractors who specialise in this type of work and are aware of the legal framework within which they are operating.
The Contractor, Land Plan, has confirmed:
· The majority of the work is to be completed by the end of this week, with all land maintenance works finished by 28th February, in-line with regulations on nesting birds.
· The company had checked with Natural England that the ridge and furrow features are not protected.
· They had checked for the presence of Great Crested Newts on Defra Magic Maps.
· Standing water has increasingly become a problem on the site and the focus of the maintenance has been to improve drainage by keeping ditches and dykes cleared.
· Fly-tipping has created additional challenges recently with the intentional damming of the ditches and dykes which has necessitated extra effort to re-cut dykes and extending others. This has required removal of more shrubbery than usual for access.
· More than half a dozen full skips of fly-tipping waste were removed from the site in the first week.
· Additionally, foot bridges have been installed to prevent ad-hoc crossings being made which block the dykes and to assist the ponies by providing crossing points.
· Also, Land Plan, the contractor, has been undertaking maintenance of the land, on behalf of Central Land Holdings, since 2007.
The East Riding of Yorkshire Council have confirmed:
· No Tree Preservation Orders are in place on the site.
· The site is not a conservation area.
· The site does not have any public rights of way.
· The Councils Enforcement Officers have reviewed the videos on face book.
· On initial inspection the hedgerows were not deemed a hedgerow under the hedgerow regulations, the Parish Council has asked for this to be reviewed.
· The work does not constitute development nor breach of planning regulations.
· Unless more than 5 cubic meters of timber is removed a felling licence is not required.
· No planning permission exists so there are no conditions being breached.
· No building work is being done so there is not a breach of planning controls.
Through Emma Hardy MP, {who is here} the following has been confirmed:
· She will be contacting Natural England to enquire about them doing a wildlife survey of the area and to find out the rules connected with this.
· Councillor Nolan will contact East Riding Council to ask if the works on the area are due to the owner being asked to drain the land. It is important to note that Councillor Nolan is not a councillor for the Anlaby with Anlaby Common Ward.
· The Environment Agency will investigate the flooding of the land and what maintenance would be required from the landowner to address and prevent it.
The Parish Council is aware that Emma Hardy did visit, holding an ad-hoc meeting on Hull Road.
The Parish Council were unable to attend that meeting because they were never informed of it, nor the time or the place. We also understand that the two elected local East Riding ward councillors, with responsibility for Anlaby with Anlaby Common, were not invited either.
As regards any Wildlife Crime, the Police’s Rural Task Force has been contacted via the Neighbourhood Policing Team and PC Batch and PSCO Lynch are here from our local Neighbourhood Team. They will explain, after this statement, the situation as regards such crime and any reports made to the Police.
It is important to note that the area is NOT zoned by the East Riding as Housing development land. Additionally, the East Riding Local Plan states the East Ridings strategic aim is to maintain the character of the three west Hull village locations of Cottingham, Hessle and Anlaby, Willerby and Kirk Ella. Part of this will be achieved by ensuring the agricultural and green space between these areas, and the city of Hull (where it exists) will be protected and all efforts will be made to maintain these. (Local Plan ref P20, P21, Policy A1.C.2 valid until 2029)
This means that any development will be immediately refused as it does not conform to the approved Local Plan. Additionally, any appeal for such a refusal to planning inspectors or the government would most likely fail as our local authority has zoned land elsewhere in the county to meet the targets in building houses that were in place in late 2024.
The Parish Council is aware this is being reviewed by the East Riding, as a direct instruction from the current government, as are all local authorities. The Parish Council, and our local elected councillors, are monitoring this review closely.
The next steps the Parish Council will undertake are:
· To continue to work closely with our local elected East Riding Councillors - Margot Sutton and Ross Harrison, and Emma Hardy to monitor collectively any further work being undertaken to ensure it is being done lawfully.
· To monitor the review being undertaken by the East Riding Council around the Hedgerow Regulations.
· To ensure any infractions are reported direct to the East Ridings Planning Enforcement Team, with the Parish Council monitoring developments in relation to these and any subsequent enforcement action.
· To maintain links with Central Land Holdings, with our local elected East Riding Councillors, reporting any issues raised around maintenance and upkeep of the whole site.
· Through Emma Hardy, monitor the progress made with Natural England about undertaking a survey of the area to ascertain if parts or the whole of the site needs orders or designations to protect any wildlife.
· Through Emma Hardy, monitor the Environment Agencies assessment of the flood risk and the land drainage to ensure the current works are correct, necessary and effective or if any further works are required.
· Through our Neighbourhood Policing Team, monitor the progress of any reports made to the Police about this matter.
· Monitor closely, with our East Riding Councillors, the East Riding review of house building land allocations to fulfil the new government house building targets.
· Monitor the Parish Councils latest request which is that the East Riding Council’s Archaeologists assess the ridge and furrow system on the common for its significance and to advise if it needs protection.
Additionally, the Parish Council is to
· Monitor the new fencing work, as the Landowners indicate that it may take up to another 18 months to finish this work. Unfortunately, the status of this work may now be in doubt due to recent criminal damage of equipment and intimidation of workers.
and lastly…
· To reflect the strength of local feeling we are going to formally write to Central Land Holdings and Land Plan Ltd expressing concern at the methods used to maintain the site and asking that considerably more care is taken to protect any wildlife habitats on the site.
All the parish councillors are local residents, non-political and are therefore your neighbours and we want to ensure the above next steps are completed.
To this end the Parish Council will update you regularly via its website, through which it can also be contacted. Please bear in mind that we all do this work voluntarily, in our spare time, and only have one part time staff member.
This statement has been posted to ensure everyone in our local community, including the media, has access and is kept informed.