The Open Spaces Society, Britain's oldest national conservation body, has objected to plans to swap part of the village green, at Chapel Street, Blaencwm, to allow development there.

Glaister Russell Developments Ltd has applied to the Environment Minister for permission to deregister 238 square metres of the green and to provide land in exchange, under section 16 of the Commons Act 2006. The Open Spaces Society is consulted on all such applications.

Says Jay Kynch, the Open Spaces Society's local correspondent for Rhondda Cynon Taff: 'This is a quiet Valleys village where the village green is important, for the landscape setting and for community recreation. Children play here and older people, many of whom remember the old colliery, enjoy sitting there.  There is an abundance of wildlife—sparrowhawks, buzzard, woodpeckers and squirrels.

'The strip of land being offered in exchange is inferior, it is at the back of the green, rough and steep with big stones from the pit and exposed tree-roots, unlike the flat grassy area to be taken at the front. The offered land is no compensation for the strip to be taken.

'No one wants to lose part of the friendly green for an overshadowed, steep pile of rocks and tree roots.

'We were sorry to see that there has been some sloppy, inadequate work carried out on the Jubilee bank holiday, ahead of any consent for the land exchange, which has left the green deeply rutted. We hope the environment minister will reject the application and the green will be spared further abuse,' says Jay.

See Jay's blog at http://ossjay.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/blaencwm-likes-its-village-green-the-way-it-is