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Warneford Meadow is one of the few remaining natural spaces in Oxford. The Meadow is a tranquil 18 acre grassland in the east of the city. The meadow adjoins a wildlife corridor to the east, and provides a significant habitat for birds and animals. It also includes an orchard, home to a number of rare apple tree species.

However under pressure to generate revenue the local NHS Trust who own the land, had plans to develop the meadow, which were strongly opposed by local residents, led by the Friends of Warneford Meadow.

In 2006, a local resident, supported by Friends of Warneford Meadow, applied to Oxfordshire County Council to register the Meadow as a Town Green.

The Branch objected to the planning application, and we agreed to give the campaign considerable publicity in the media helping them to raise the funds towards the legal costs of the Town Green application. CPRE also provided expertise in Rights of Way legislation.

The NHS objected to the Town Green application and a 15 day public inquiry followed. In his Report the Inspector, Mr Vivian Chapman, recommended to the County Council that Warneford Meadow should be registered as a new green.

In April 2009, the County Council followed the advice of the Inspector and decided to register Warneford Meadow as a Town Green.

But this wasn’t the end of the story, since in June 2009, the NHS applied for a Judicial Review of the County Council’s decision.

The objection centred on the interpretation of the term ‘as of right’ (the NHS said that anyone using the land could only have done so by walking past a large sign proclaiming “no public right of way”).

The NHS also argued that the area serviced by Warneford Meadow lacked the “cohesiveness” required under the Commons Registration Act, and could not be considered a “single neighbourhood”.

However, lawyers for the local authority said the notice only applied to footpaths crossing the land, and did not prevent anyone from playing sports on it. And they insisted that there was a clearly defined local neighbourhood.

In his judgement the High Court Judge, David Waksman, dismissed the NHS appeal and upheld the Council’s decision to register Warneford Meadow as a Town Green.

The NHS accepted the outcome of the Judicial Review and did not proceed to further appeal. After a long and costly battle Warneford Meadow was finally registered a Town Green in May 2010.