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25
Jan 2023
Plans for more Stray protection 'not needed' says defence group
The organisation set up to protect Harrogate's Stray has said a move to make it common land is "not needed".
The Stray Defence Association said it was approached by the Open Spaces Society for a number of years about the possibility of changing its official status.
However, SDA chairman Judy d'Arcy Thomson told the Stray Ferret the existing protections for the Stray were adequate and she had not been persuaded that common land status would bring any benefit.
She said:
Read more:
- Bid to protect Harrogate's Stray with common land status
- Work starts to reseed the Stray as part of £130,000 repairs
The Stray Act 1985 restricts the number of days on which events can be held on the Stray, as well as the amount of space they can use.
In recent years, special permission has been sought from the government to hold additional events, such as the UCI Road World Championships in 2019.
Heavy rain and large crowds during that event led to the grass on West Park Stray being extensively damaged, causing long periods of closure for repairs and a bill of almost £130,000.
The OSS said being made common land would add an "extra layer" of protection and require additional consent to hold similar events in the future. It also said the move would help to clear up discrepancies in maps of the Stray.
Ms d'Arcy-Thompson said she had worked with the late historian Malcolm Neesam, who had reviewed his maps and plans of the Stray over the last few years. He believed the OSS was working from inaccurate and out-of-date maps.
Before his death last year, he wrote:
The Stray Defence Association has spoken to the Duchy of Lancaster, which owns the land, and Mrs d'Arcy-Thompson said it too was of the view that the change in status was not necessary.
Consultation period
North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, Barrie Mason, said:
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