Fields in Trust - Dolerw Park

What Is Fields in Trust Protection?

Fields in Trust is a UK charity that works to protect green spaces forever.
When a site is registered with Fields in Trust, a legal protection is placed on the land, independent of who owns or manages it.

This protection is not a designation or aspiration — it is a binding legal safeguard.

In practical terms, it means the land is protected against:

• Sale for development
• Loss to commercial or private use
• Inappropriate built structures
• Permanent change away from green space use

The protection continues regardless of future ownership, management changes, or funding cycles.

What Protection Means for Dolerw Park

Because Dolerw Park is a registered Fields in Trust site:

• The land cannot be developed for housing, retail, or commercial buildings
• Any proposal that would compromise its status as a public green space would be legally challenged
• The park must remain accessible and usable as a green space for the local community
• The protection applies in perpetuity, not for a fixed number of years

This protection sits alongside Open Newtown’s responsibilities as leaseholder and community land trust, providing multiple layers of safeguarding.

Why Development Is Not Possible

From time to time, suggestions are made locally about “developing” parts of Dolerw Park.

It is important to be clear:

1. Fields in Trust protection prevents development
   The registered status exists specifically to stop land being lost to development.
2. The land is also a documented floodplain
   Dolerw Park plays an important role in natural flood management. Permanent structures would be inappropriate and unsafe.
3. Open Newtown would not consent to development
   As leaseholder and steward of the land, Open Newtown’s legal duty is to protect the park for community and environmental benefit.

Taken together, these factors mean that development is neither viable nor permissible.

What Is Encouraged on a Protected Site

Fields in Trust protection does not mean the park is “locked in time” or cannot evolve.

What is encouraged includes:

• Improved access and inclusive pathways
• Benches, seating, and rest areas
• Nature trails and interpretation panels
• Biodiversity enhancement
• Community events and wellbeing activities
• Low-impact, reversible infrastructure that supports public use

All improvements must respect the land’s role as open green space and its environmental constraints.

Why This Protection Matters

Fields in Trust protection exists because green spaces are vulnerable — especially in towns and communities where land values rise over time.

By registering Dolerw Park:

• The space is protected for today’s residents and future generations
• Decisions are insulated from short-term pressures or political change
• The park’s value is defined by public benefit, not commercial return
• The community gains long-term certainty about the future of the land

This is a deliberate, proactive safeguard — not a symbolic gesture.

Stewardship and Accountability

Open Newtown manages Dolerw Park on behalf of the community, through a Service Level Agreement with Newtown & Llanllwchaiarn Town Council, in line with:

• The lease conditions
• Fields in Trust protection principles
• Environmental responsibilities relating to floodplain land
• The wider public interest

Any significant change to the park is carefully assessed against these obligations.

In Summary

• Dolerw Park is a Fields in Trust protected green space
• Protection is legal, permanent, and enforceable
• Development is not permitted
• The park is safeguarded for community use, nature, and wellbeing
• Open Newtown’s role is to protect, manage, and improve the park responsibly

Dolerw Park is protected — not for one generation, but for all.