The Inspector's recommendations have finally arrived

Mr Alun Aylesbury, the Inspector appointed by Essex County Council to consider and report on the Application for the Registration of Mistley Quay as a Village Green has now completed his Inquiry and delivered his report to ECC.
The report recommends to the County Council that the part of Mistley Quay for which the Application was made (other than those parts of the Quay that are highways) should be registered as a Village Green under Section 15 of the Commons Act 2006.
The Inspector’s recommendations will be considered by the Development and Regulation Committee of ECC in the near future and Free the Quay expects that the Committee will adopt the Inspector’s findings. Mistley Quay will then become a Village Green for the enjoyment for all the people of Mistley and visitors.
Ian Tucker, who made the Application for the Registration of Mistley Quay as a Village Green and who lives and works on Mistley Quay said: “This is wonderful news for the people of Mistley, who have enjoyed the beauty and tranquillity of Mistley Quay for centuries. We can now be certain that future generations will also be able to enjoy the Quay.”
Simon Bullimore, Chairman of Free the Quay said: ”It is now five years since the fence on the edge of the Quay was erected and it has been a long and costly struggle to establish the rights, which the people of Mistley have always known existed, to use the Quay for recreational purposes. The whole community has supported our campaign; I would like to thank them all and particularly those who have  given time and resources to the preparation of the evidence for the Public Inquiry. Without their practical and financial support we would not have achieved this outstandingly successful result.”
The decision will not of itself result in the removal of the fence. The Inspector has, however, made it very clear that the fence is within the area of the Village Green he is recommending for registration. Mr Bullimore added: “FTQ is confident that, once the Village Green is registered, the fence will be removed. Free the Quay has always tried to establish a dialogue with Mr Parker, the owner of TWL, who erected the fence, and will continue to seek agreement on a different form of barrier acceptable to TWL and the local community and appropriate to the Mistley conservation area. It is time to build bridges not fences”.