Help protect Singlers Marsh for future generations

Singlers Marsh has been at the heart of Welwyn Village for hundreds of years. But it is under threat of development like never before. The only way to preserve it for future generations is to register it as a “Village Green”. This is an official process which requires legal support.

We are raising £18,000 to cover our legal costs at the next stage of the inquiry. Please consider donating to this cause.

Singlers Marsh

Singlers Marsh is a much loved and well used green space in Welwyn. It is shown on maps going back over 300 years. Originally known as “Single Bridge Mead”, its marshes have given it its more modern name, and they also host the willow trees that give Welwyn its name (“Welwyn” comes from “weligun”, the Old English for “at the willows”).

More recently, Singlers Marsh has been the home of the Welwyn Festival for over 20 years, and it hosts the ever-popular annual charity Duck Race. It is the only place along the whole length of the River Mimram where the public can access the waters of this globally rare and precious chalk stream. Singlers Marsh is an official nature reserve and wildlife site, and it is also designated “archaeologically significant” due to its proximity to the heart of the original Roman settlement.

During lockdown, it was used more than ever before. It is a cherished piece of open countryside in the centre of our village, used for picnics and splashing about in the river, for enjoying nature and hosting community events.

And yet it is at high risk of having roads built in it, and houses built around it, with all the environmental damage that this would cause.

Village Green

Current proposals to build houses in the fields all around Singlers Marsh have highlighted how great that risk is. The traffic from literally hundreds of new homes would clog the local road network, pollute the river, urbanise the environment, create constant noise, and drive right through Singlers Marsh on a new road.

These plans have been growing for twenty years, and are getting ever stronger. None of the existing safeguards will prevent development. The only way open to us to preserve Singlers Marsh for future generations to enjoy is to register it as a formal “Village Green”. This is a powerful legal concept that was created 150 years ago. It preserves the land from any new development, and dedicates it to the “better enjoyment” of “lawful sports and pastimes” by the local community.

There are two ways to register a Village Green: a landowner can voluntarily register it, or the local community can make an application. WHBC, who own most of Singlers Marsh, refuse to register it, presumably because they’ve been offered over £1,000,000 by the housing developer who wants to build a road across it.

The Welwyn Planning and Amenity Group (www.wpag.org.uk) is a local charity that’s been campaigning on behalf of Welwyn’s community for over sixty years. Back in February 2020, it started the ball rolling to make Singlers Marsh into a Village Green. WHBC oppose the application, so there has to be a formal legal inquiry to reach a decision. This can take several years.

WPAG’s committee has been managing the process on a purely voluntary basis. However, the hearings of the inquiry can be complex and legalistic, requiring expert legal representation. The opponents use barristers to argue their case, and WPAG has had to do the same.

Our barrister is a specialist in Village Green law, and has stated that we have “a very convincing case”. However, we need to pay him, and we have adopted a strategy of raising funds to cover our legal costs each time we step towards the next stage of the inquiry.

WHBC employs a senior barrister, who is paid from taxpayer funds, and the inquiry’s inspector is also paid by taxpayers. From start to finish, it is possible that WHBC’s continued opposition could cost taxpayers over £250,000 in legal costs.

We are extremely grateful for the huge show of support we have had from the community since this project began five years ago. Our call-out for evidence of people’s use of the land met with an unprecedentedly high rate of response, nearly overwhelming the inquiry process. Similarly, our various petitions have received actual attention because they have been so well supported by local residents.

We are also very grateful for the financial support for our legal costs at the early stages of the inquiry.

Please Donate to our Legal Costs

The next stage of the inquiry is taking place this November. This multi-day hearing will involve considerable preparation ahead of complex legal argument. If successful, we expect to move onto the main hearing next year. However, our legal costs for the November hearing will come to £18,000. This is a substantial amount of money.

Having already received some initial donations, we believe this target is achievable. If you are interested to help us achieve long-term protection for Singlers Marsh, please consider making a donation.

We appreciate every single donation, both big and small. Smaller donations are most easily made via this page. If you are a UK taxpayer, we are able to top up your donation via GiftAid. If you are able to gift a larger amount, please contact us directly at save@singlersmarsh.org.uk.

Thank you for your interest and, hopefully, for your support. If you would like to find out more about our campaign, please email us at save@singlersmarsh.org.uk.