STOP PRESS!  On the 24th September 2024. Shrewsbury Town Council began work to clear the parkland for public access.  The community hopes that the fences will be down and land accessible by Christmas 2024.  Seven years of tireless community endeavours to protect this land from housebuilding and ensure public access in perpetuity.

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It's a very special day for the local people who have worked tirelessly for seven years to take the case to The Supreme Court and save the parkland for the community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greenfields Community Group was formed in 2017 and is the volunteer organisation committed to bringing the community together and working to enhance and protect Greenfields Parkland.

 

 

We raise funding to make improvements to the park which serves a wide urban neighbourhood and the group of volunteers brings local people together to protect and upgrade their local park.

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The park group work closely with Greenfields Bowling Club which is based within the parkland and has served  local people of the neighbourhood for over a hundred years.​

 

We have a volunteer committee who work tirelessly to ensure that the club will continue to provide a local community facility to the people of Greenfields for another hundred years. 

 

Three volunteers are directors of the organisation and a team of five part time staff and 14 volunteers help to keep the club and organisation running smoothly.

​​​​​​​​​​​​The history of the park goes back to the early 1900's when builder Anthony Pace was constructing a small estate with short streets named after various Shakespearean characters (Falstaff, Percy, Hotspur ...) upon reaching the north end of  Falstaff Street and within sight of the old River Severn Bed he generously offered a section of the remaining open space for recreational purposes which was also the beginning of the Bowling Club.

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Today's park area is a lovely green open space with woodland 'avenues' providing access to Greenfields Bowling & Community Centre, Greenfields Allotments, and the Children’s Playground.   

 

The Park is a green zone within streets of dense housing, both Victorian and Modern, and provides an oasis of nature and walking trails and routes for local people.  The well-used walking circuit around the perimeter connects the areas of housing and also leads to Ellesmere Road and Greenfields Primary School, with access under the railway bridge to Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings and Ditherington.   

 

For five years between 2018 and 2023, local people worked tirelessly to raise significant funds for the local campaign to put a legal case together to overturn Planning Permission given by the Local Authority for fifteen houses to be built on land that is part of Greenfields Park.

 

On March 1st, 2023, community efforts were rewarded and the Supreme Court issued a ruling that legally protects Greenfields Park for community use and prohibits any form of housing development. 

 

The health and wellbeing benefits for local people will always be worth fighting for and it is important to note that the park was left in trust for the 'health and recreation' of the local community. 

 

This pledge is still as important today and modern science tells us that the mental and physical health benefits of these increasingly precious green spaces are vital for the nation's health. 

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Supporting the health and wellbeing of local people will always remain at the heart of our work.

 

We are fully committed to working with the Local Authority to restore access to the original area of land and we are currently working to raise funds for inspiring public art, outdoor exercise spaces, seating, solar lighting, signage, community orchard provision and accessible herb gardens.