Residents of Bawtry, near Doncaster, have complained as three local public spaces have become inaccessible after being purchased by a luxury wedding venue for potential development.
Fish Pond Woodland behind Bawtry Hall and the Crown Hotel, plus Menagerie Wood and a local reservoir, have all been cut off from public use over the course of the year.
Bawtry Hall’s owners took to Facebook in October to announce that they had acquired the attached woodland. They expressed ‘disappointment’ at the fact that they had been handed legal documents from Doncaster Council to reduce their ownership rights following complaints from local residents.
They said: “To be 100% clear to everyone. If the application for Deemed Rights had not been made, or had there been an offer to withdraw it, we would not have blocked off the woodland. We would like this issue resolved ASAP so that people who want to legally enjoy a walk in the woodland will be able to do so.”
The hotel owners have now ruled that locals can apply for individual permits to access the land. Bawtry Town Council has now also backed residents on this issue.
The authority posted a letter in the Bawtry Today, saying: “The Town Council supports the residents in seeking to have public rights of way recognised.”
A resident shared their view: “Bawtry Hall keeps saying they are working with locals but there’s no real evidence of this.”
Elsewhere, the formerly open Menagerie Woods was fenced off from the public earlier this year. A resident shared that fences were vandalised “within a day, which tells you how people feel.”
The reason for the change is unknown, as no planning applications have been submitted for the land.
Finally, a reservoir between Bawtry and Harworth is in the final stages of being flattened. Again, it is unclear what the intent of this operation is as there is no public planning information for the space.
The trio of developments makes for three key public spaces of biodiversity that are no longer available to Bawtry residents.
The Doncaster Free Press has reached out to Bawtry Hall/The Crown Hotel for comment.
Bawtry Hall is a Georgian country house that was used by the RAF’s Bomber Command during World War Two. It later became a Christian retreat and is now a luxury wedding venue.