RESIDENTS of York might not have visited Holgate Community Garden or Upper St Pauls Play Area yet.

To non-locals it’s the secret park, a hidden gem waiting to be discovered, but to locals this is our village green. It’s a garden that we have invested time improving, for the benefit of the neighbourhood and beyond.

This is much more than just a park. This is a place that has enabled the local community to come together and grow stronger.

We learned earlier this year that City of York Council plan to build a road through this park in order to serve the York Central development.

Details of the road (the Chancery Rise link) have been vague and we have engaged with the council to clarify only to be told repeatedly “no final decision has been made on site access” and that the road is “not a fait accompli”.

However, while the consultation for York Central was taking place, a land-swap between Network Rail and City of York Council had already been agreed “to facilitate a new road”.

To drive a road through our village green would destroy a valuable community asset. It would remove trees and wildlife, bringing new pollution to a residential area that already suffers high levels from Holgate Road.

We have set up as Friends of Holgate Community Garden, and begun a petition to save our garden and play area. As a community we collectively oppose City of York Council’s plans to drive a road through this green space.

Benjamin Hall, On behalf of Friends of Holgate Community Garden