Parish Council seeks advice on controversial sale of land
A parish council has tasked a committee with seeking advice on the appropriate way to sell of a controversial fenland field which was bought as a potential public ‘green space’.
Angry villagers called for a parish poll after Heckington Parish Council spent £71,500 on buying acres of land at Star Fen.
The piece of land was purchased in April this year after councillors had agreed in principle, in July 2023, to purchase the six acre piece of land subject to support in a public consultation. However a Facebook poll carried out was seen as inadequate and the site is 2.2 miles from the village centre, accessed via a narrow country lane.
The parish poll on September 19 asked, “Should the Parish Council sell the six-acre plot of land at Star Fen?” In response 439 said yes, 64 said no in a turn out of 15.84 per cent.
Three parish councillors stepped down over the row including chairman Jan Palmer and vice-chairman Richard Higgs. A by-election held at the same time elected Andrew Davison, Virginia O’Connor and Susan Tucker. Colin Spencer was subsequently elected the new chairman of the council and Andrew Garlick as its vice-chairman.
A spokesperson for the council said the finance committee has been delegated to investigate what needs to be done if the council decides to re-sell the land, but no decision on selling had been made yet. The committee will research what valuations would be needed and correct legal procedures, to report back by early February.
The parish council also elected to improve its communication with the public, including a quarterly newsletter, councillor surgeries and extended parish office openings in evenings
The parish council also issued a public statement where it accepted: “there was a departure from proper practices around the purchase of the land. There was no business case, and the decision to buy lacked adequate consultation.”
It said it is committed to regular training of all councillors and the clerk and is now a member of the Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils for advice and guidance. They added: “We aim to rebuild relationships with the community and restore trust through transparency, openness and by following the rules.”