A proposal to sell a small garden close to the waterfalls in Richmond will not go ahead – following pleas from local residents.
Richmondshire District Council has decided not to dispose of the old gasholder garden.
Last month the authority issued a Section 123 Notice seeking objections to the proposed disposal of the land – which is standard practice in such cases.
180 people signed a petition to save the garden
The petition was started by resident Nicholas Reckert following a Richmondshire District Council notice advising that they intended to sell a piece of land known as Gasholder Garden, near the Foss waterfall.
The petition stated: “It is a quiet and peaceful area which is rarely visited by the public because it is un-signposted and has become shabby as a result of the council’s benign neglect.
“A small notice of the council’s intent appeared in the Darlington and Stockton Times on 26 May and 2 June, but this move has otherwise been pretty much under the radar.”
Colin Dales, Corporate Director at Richmondshire District Council, said: “We received a significant number of objections and a petition, both of which have been taken into account.
“Based on these representations the council has decided not to progress with the disposal of this site – and would like to thank everyone that responded for taking the time to do so. We value resident feedback highly.”
He said the two local District Councillors, Stuart Parsons and Linda Curran, are now looking at working with local people to help tidy up the land – volunteers should contact them on 01748 823456 or 824626.
