The 'meadow', the open area of barnston Dale in between the dip in Barnston Road near the Fox and Hounds, and the public footpath running between Holmwood Drive and Storeton Lane has been put up for Sale.

The price of the 8.5 acre meadow is around £8000 per acre. It is not zoned for house building but a new owner could change its nature significantly.
Just another assault on the green spaces of Wirral.

copy this link into your browser to see the details.
https://www.fineandcountry.com/uk/property-for-Sale/Wirral/CH61+1BW/1290657

I don't follow what you are trying to say, are you saying they shouldn't be allowed to sell it?

I also don't understand where you get "Just another assault on the green spaces of Wirral" from? Nothing has happened to the meadow and there are no proposals for anything to happen to it.

In reality, virtually nobody can even see the meadow so its not like it is a public amenity.

I never said it was a public amenity, but it is part of the natural fabric of the Wirral. Our house backs onto the Dale, like quite a few others, so what happens to it is important. A new owner would have latitude, within the planning laws of course, to do things to change the nature of the Dale. people do occasionally walk through it even since its been fenced off.

As indeed goes for you and your property, that is normal rights of ownership.

I am trying to find out why you are scaremongering, do you know something about potential new owners or a deal going on with the Council?

At £7,500 an acre they are unlikely to sell it to anyone other than a neighbour, I'm surprised someone local hasn't offered £50-£60k, its pretty much peanuts compared to some houses in Storeton Lane or the various road ends on the other side.

Every spare patch of land along the Mersey side of the peninsula has been built on, with a significant loss of amenity to those who live there. It is high time building new building is spread more evenly across the Wirral.

Nobody makes a fuss when a patch of land in say Rock Ferry - previously used for football by the local kids - is built on. But when building is proposed further west we are all expected to rally round and "Protect OUR green belt!"

I think the green belt idea is an elitist mistake anyway. Much lower density housing is a far better approach, with plenty of green land and wildlife corridors etc.for all. I think you nimbies should think again!

FROM £7500 an acre, and that's a guide price. Land always sells for more than the guide price at auction.

Lots of rural land on wirral takes years to sell.

The text from auction house implies reserve is £7500 which is normal price for quality farm land, this meadow being long, thin and isolated wouldn’t fall in that category. Maybe someone local with horses might buy it at that price.

Lots of rural land on wirral takes years to sell.

The text from auction house implies reserve is £7500 which is normal price for quality farm land, this meadow being long, thin and isolated wouldn’t fall in that category. Maybe someone local with horses might buy it at that price.

Is this land belonging to the farm, do you know ? i.e. the farmer at Barnston had longhorn cattle and he had opened a farm shop and café, which was doing exceptionally well . The owners would not renew the contract to the farmer for the lease in the last 12 months, so it could be part of it, and also as the council have proposed the land for building to ridiculous levels just across the road and behind the Pub , church and down to Heswall, from Gills Lane, maybe the owners are hoping to get in on the act ?

Some History of Barnston Dale. I did hear that a cannonball from the Cromwellian period was found there at some point. It is a beautiful spot though, with a haven for wildlife.

http://www.barnstonvillage.info/bvhistory.htm

Vehicular access to the meadow is at the bottom of Barnston dip on the east side, I don't think its been used very much for farming of any sort.

Very sad about Manor Farm, nice bunch of people.

I doubt that meadow would have been used for grazing, but as the farm being further along with obviously a lot of land, I thought the meadow could have belonged to the same people who own the farm. There is the road going up to Storeton between the meadow in the dips and the farm. Can't remember what it's called. ... oh yes, Storeton Lane (I think)

The owners of the farm could be getting on a bit now and family's don't want to continue the line as they did once upon a time. It is sad, but we don't actually know why they are not renewing the lease.

The History of Longcroft . Owned by the Milner's as is the farm. So I assume as Longcroft is right next to the meadow, it must also belong to the same people. Interesting little read on page 20. I have been inside Longcroft, it's a lovely house with the most peaceful and spiritual atmosphere . Gladys Aylewood stayed there which is written in this article.

https://www.heswallmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/October-2016.pdf

Between Longcroft (and other houses along there such as Fairfield etc) and the meadow is firstly Dale Brow which is a heavily wooded bank down to Prenton Brook then Barnston Dale Meadow is the other side of the brook.

I'd have thought the meadow belonged to Dale House at one time which is now Barnstondale Camp/Centre, this predates the other Storeton Lane buildings by 100 years or so, however the tithe maps suggest otherwise.

It looks like I was getting Carnsdale Farm and Manor Farm mixed up, Manor Farm is on the east side of Barnston Road (by the Women's Institute?) a bit further south than Storeton Lane.

Unless there is another access point apart from Barnston Road, (which is not a viable situation) I can't see that anyone could build on it. There is a huge drop from Longcroft side, and Longcroft at the back abuts the boundary for the Barnston Dale meadow. I also imagine it would be pretty soggy ground.

There again, I'm not an engineer. Quite a lot of farms and farmland in that area still, maybe we will need even more once we leave the EU and grow more of our produce. What a lovely thought !

Thanks for letting us know Davefabo. I'm very interested .