A community group in Scone is hoping to buy a “village green” to ensure it survives as an open space for the enjoyment of future generations.
People in the Woollcombe Square area have banded together to form an SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) and registered themselves with the Scottish Government under the Community Right to Buy legislation.
They set out their intentions in their bid saying: “The organisation wishes to make the area a community asset for the benefit of the immediate neighbourhood and the wider community of Scone.”
They want to maintain the area, remove fencing, install seating and play equipment and conserve the two large oak trees on the site.
A sensory garden and using the land for community events such as a summer barbecue are also outlined in their plans.
“The project would regenerate the land and make it accessible to the whole of Scone as a pleasant area in which either to sit or walk and to relax in an area of natural quiet,” said the group.
“The project would be for the benefit of the people of Scone as a whole, especially since there is not an open public space in this area of Scone.
“It is the intention of the organisation to ensure that the actions taken are for the long term future of the area as a green, open public space on a sustainable basis.”
The land changed hands in 2016 after previous owners failed in a bid to gain outline permission to have the land developed for residential use.
The council rejected the plan as it would “adversely affect the density, character and amenity of the village”.
An appeal was made to the Scottish Government but fell on deaf ears.
The reporter rejected building on the land saying: “The appeal site is currently an area of well-kept grass, rather like a village green, on which there are two mature oak trees as well as a few smaller trees.
“There are other, smaller corners of open space at road junctions nearby. These and the appeal site, combined with mature gardens, are a significant part of the established character and amenity of this part of Scone.”
Locals complained recently that a cherry blossom tree was cut down and say the area is in danger of becoming “a wilderness”.
