Beauty spot sale proposal dropped amid objections

A Worcestershire beauty spot will remain a public open space after plans to sell it to a football club were abandoned following widespread opposition.

In July, Wyre Forest District Council agreed to consider the principle of selling 8.5 hectares (21 acres) of the 40-hectare (99-acre) of Burlish Country Park, also known as Burlish Meadows, to Kidderminster Harriers.

The decision came after the authority voted on Wednesday to keep the land, situated near Stourport-on-Severn, in council ownership.

Of the 656 public responses, 650 were objections, three supported the proposal and three were enquiries.

Councillor Marcus Hart, leader of Wyre Forest District Council, said: "We have listened to the strong views expressed and carefully weighed the potential benefits for local football against the value of this land to the wider community.

"Cabinet agreed that Burlish Country Park should remain a public open space for people to enjoy now and in the future."

Councillor David Ross, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and the capital portfolio, added: "We will continue to work constructively with Kidderminster Harriers and support its ambitions where we can."

A campaign group, which opposed the land's sale, has praised the council for vetoing the proposal.

But Jason Kernohan, chairman of the Friends of Burlish Meadows, said he was now calling on Wyre Forest District Council to redesignate Burlish Country Park as a local nature reserve.

He said this would "give it the protection it deserves so that it can continue to support an abundance of wildlife and be accessible for generations of the local community".

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.