Gordon Banks’s grandson locked in bitter council row over huge patch of fenced-off land

Ed Jervis, whose grandfather was the legendary England and Stoke City goalkeeper Gordon Banks, has launched a scathing attack on Staffordshire County Council over its decision to restrict access to a green space in Madeley.

The 37-year-old resident is demanding that College Fields be granted village green status after the council ordered fencing to be erected around the land earlier this year.

For more than three decades, local people had freely used the area for dog walking, children's play and enjoyment.

The council, which leases the land to Madeley School, maintains that barriers are necessary to comply with safeguarding regulations.

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However, Mr Jervis and fellow residents remain deeply dissatisfied with the authority's position.

"This space has always been really well-used by the community," Mr Jervis told StokeonTrentLive.

The property where Jervis lives holds particular significance, as he purchased it from Banks himself five years ago.

His grandfather had originally bought the home in 1996, with its grounds offering direct access to College Fields.

"Me and my cousin used to play football with him out on the field every week," Mr Jervis explained. "Now I take my kids out there. So it's played a big part in our family history, like I'm sure it has for many other families around the area."

The family was caught off guard when correspondence arrived from Madeley School informing them that the council had instructed the institution to erect fencing and curtail public use.

"It feels wrong. This is land that belongs to the village," Mr Jervis said.

Mr Jervis fundamentally rejects the council's safeguarding rationale for the restrictions.

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"As someone whose bedroom overlooks the fields, I can tell you that Madeley School simply does not use the space," he said. "I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen them using it. So I don't think there are any safeguarding issues there."

He argues the barriers have paradoxically created fresh hazards rather than preventing them.

"Funnily enough, since the fence has gone up, I've seen kids climbing over it to get into the field so they can play," Mr Jervis noted. "That shows how important it is to people around here. But it also shows that these fences are creating a safeguarding issue instead of preventing one."

He warned that injured children would be difficult for emergency services to reach due to restricted access.

Madeley Parish Council had submitted a village green application before the fencing appeared, but Jervis said this process has now been derailed.

One resident's frustration boiled over to the point where they cut through the barrier shortly after installation, an act Mr Jervis said he does not condone but which demonstrates the depth of local anger.

"The biggest concern for residents is the question of what this means for the future," he said, expressing fears that the closure represents the first phase of a plan to eventually build housing on the site.

Councillor Janet Higgins, cabinet member for education at Staffordshire County Council, defended the decision, stating the land must remain secure to satisfy national safeguarding standards and Department for Education requirements.

She confirmed both the council and academy have formally objected to the village green application, adding there are no plans to alter the land's use.

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