We Love Stoke Lodge

We Love Stoke Lodge (WLSL) is the campaign group that eventually managed to get Stoke Lodge registered as a village green in August 2023.

Sadly, Cotham School has since spent hundreds of thousands of pounds getting it de-registered in order to build a fence enclosing almost the entire area. But it’s far from over.

It had been a long fight and far from straightforward. Another group of local residents, Save Stoke Lodge Parkland (SSLP), had supported a previous application to register the land. In 2018 We Love Stoke Lodge was born and a further two applications were made.  Each of the applicants for village green status has had a tremendous amount of support from members of the local community, many of whom helped within their areas of expertise and many more who gave very generously when the need for paid legal representation became necessary.

As of autumn 2025, Cotham School leadership are still fighting us – they have taken to the courts to get the TVG (Town or Village Green) registration overturned and have challenged the registration of the public rights of way on the Definitive Map agreed by the Public Rights of Way and Greens Committee in November 2024. While it’s not legally a village green, it is just that in every other sense of the word and still there for all to enjoy.

An early show of support by the community, including MP Darren Jones, to whom we are hugely grateful.

Helen and Emma, who run the group, are still working enormously hard to fight for shared access to all, but of course legal fees are high and we’re very grateful for all those who have donated so far. All administration, printing and general costs are met by volunteers – every penny of donations received goes towards legal representation.

If you’d like to help please visit our Donation page where you can find ways that you can do this. Thank you.

There will be no appeal

the court of appeal came back unexpectedly quickly and has it refused our application for permission to appeal the High Court decision on Village Green status it says that the key ground (statutory compatibility) is definitely appealable, but it won’t reopen the judge’s factual findings on other grounds even though it recognises that some of them may be wrong and that another judge might have reached a different decision.

after a 15 year fight, this means that the quest to win village Green status (and keep it) is over. There are no more avenues to go down. As a community we gave this our absolute best shot and the deeply unsatisfactory decision from the High Court is not a good ending, but we have to set our faces forward. Village Green status was about protecting access to the field for the community, so now it’s all about the public rights of way. And there are things we can do to protect those -we are working hard on that.

Stoke Lodge Fenced Again: Community Calls for Transparency, Protection, and Action

This week, contractors and security staff arrived at Stoke Lodge, beginning work to reinstall fencing around the 23-acre public green space. The move has reignited deep frustration within the local community, who have been excluded from decisions affecting land that has been used and cared for by locals since 1947.

The land, leased by Cotham School on a 125-year peppercorn rent agreement after it became an academy in 2011, has been the focus of a long-running dispute. In 2019, it fenced the entire perimeter – without public consultation and without making going through any planning process – claiming the need to “keep pupils safe.” That fence was later removed after Town and Village Green (TVG) status was granted in 2023. However, when the school successfully overturned the TVG status in June 2025, it paved the way for renewed fencing.

Now, despite widespread concern about wildlife, public rights of way, and community access, the school has resumed its plans.

Earlier this month, campaigners asked Bristol City Council’s Economy and Skills Committee to introduce an Article 4 Direction – a measure that would remove the school’s automatic “permitted development” rights, ensuring that any fencing and other development would require full planning permission.

However, following advice from the Chief Planning Officer, who stated there were “no material planning considerations” at Stoke Lodge, the committee narrowly voted against pursuing it. Many campaigners questioned the officer’s advice, noting that the land borders a listed building and its curtilage, that damage to the setting of a listed building is a material planning consideration; that the land contains protected trees, and supports bats, badgers, deer and foxes – some of which are legally protected species.

The Chief Planning Officer told councillors at the Economy and Skills committee meeting on Monday 22nd September that wildlife and trees are already protected by law, and that public access rights are safeguarded by existing public rights of way (PROWs). However, since those rights are still awaiting confirmation on the Definitive Map, Cotham School apparently does not accept that they exist.

Simone Wilding, Bristol city Council’s Chief Planning Officer who said: “… So in relation to impact on trees and wildlife, members should know that these already benefit from separate protection regimes, for example, TPOs and legislation protecting species like badgers.” She used this argument to persuade the committee that additional protection from planning conditions wasn’t needed to ensure the safety of trees and wildlife.

Sandra Fryer, Chair of Governors for Cotham School who, on speaking about the fence, promised: “… We will do it properly and effectively, something that, if it were to have to have planning permission, it would meet that standard.”

New Fence Raises Immediate Concerns

Within hours of contractors arriving on site, reports emerged that the new fence had already been driven through root protection zones of protected trees. No badger gates have been included, nor will they according to contractors – contrary to requests made by landlord, Bristol City Council regarding the previous fence – and in several places, the fence is so close to hedgerows that pathways are impassable.

Security officers stationed on site have reportedly been harassing walkers and incorrectly claiming that all public rights of way have been extinguished. We dispute this – overturning TVG status does not automatically remove PROWs. The judge confirmed in his ruling that language in the lease means that public rights of way – which do not need to be recorded to come into existence – override the school’s rights as tenant.

“Having already broken so many promises, how can the community believe anything the school leadership says?” one campaigner asked.

Despite feeling shocked by the school’s actions, the community remains determined. We will pursue an appeal against the TVG ruling and continue to press for full transparency and proper environmental safeguards.

Meanwhile, please stay informed, keep using public rights of way respectfully, and write to Bristol City Council officers to express support for the Article 4 Direction and stronger protections for Stoke Lodge.

We know how much this green space means to so many — families, walkers, dog owners, and nature lovers. We have come too far to give up now. We will continue this fight — for fairness, for wildlife, and for the right to share this land. Doing this costs a great deal of money and we are incredibly grateful to the many people who have donated so far and enabled us to get to this stage. If you can help, please go to our Donations page for several ways to contribute.

Cost Order paid several days early and in full!

Due to the intensity of feeling and overwhelming generosity from the community, the funds were received very quickly enabling the costs order to be paid days early. The school has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on litigation over a fence it has admitted isn’t necessary. At the very least, this payment should help to mitigate the impact of the past decisions of the school leadership on its pupils.

More shocks in staggering costs decision

The appalling & virtually unprecedented decision by the judge in the Stoke Lodge TVG case to apportion costs 10% to the council 90% to 2nd defendant and TVG  applicant as requested by Cotham School left a pensioner with an £85k bill because she was excluded from cost-capping talks.

Of course Cotham School have repeatedly and inaccurately said that she withdrew from the talks but what’s the real story behind why an unfunded, volunteer group trying to fight for shared access to their green space was left with just two weeks to pay £85k?

Check out the latest WLSL blog post for the details – it’s truly astonishing.

“Costs capping – What really happened.”

Thanks to the incredibly generous community this has now been paid. Emma Burgess had the following to say:

“Words alone cannot express how grateful, humbled, and overwhelmed we are by the incredible support of this community. “Thank you” hardly seems sufficient—but thank you, all the same.

Once again, we have stood shoulder to shoulder and done what’s right: the £85,000 cost order has now been paid. This is a powerful demonstration of our shared resolve.”

“Our hope now is that this payment might mitigate some of the damage inflicted upon Cotham pupils’ education as a result of decisions made by the school’s senior leadership.”

“Our focus now shifts to the appeal process at the end of summer, and to protecting the four public rights of way across Stoke Lodge.”

Our latest video shows what you are investing in if you help us get our case to court.

To donate please visit the Donations page

You can also contact welovestokelodge@gmail.com

You can find out more about the We Love Stoke Lodge fight for registration as a Town or Village Green (TVG) and for maintaining that status on the blog at:

https://welovestokelodge.blog