Part of that woodland is for sale on Thursday 9th September by Auction,Their is a strong possibility that the land will be purchased by the travelling community as we have witnessed them marking the land out, They also very cheekily put sold signs up over the Auction signs to deter any fellow bidders. The land for sale does not stretch as far as the church site, The Land can not be built on "Legally". I just hope that if they are succesful in their purchase that they respect the History on their doorstep

Someone has just posted a link on facebook about this and is wanting concerned people to join the Cause !

http://www.causes.com/causes/522969?m=9e4cc0c7&recruiter_id=141823214

used to play here as a kid when living just off borrowdale road.
ahh memories!!
yeah saw the sold signs before the auction has even taken place. bit naughty that.
were they definitely travellers who were marking out? i know few people who live down by there and cant see them being happy about that!

I joined up, Looks like they still need more names down tho'

I have just e-mailed English Heritage to say how annoyed I was.

e-mail:
Hello,
Are you aware that this English Heritage site could soon be looted by Travelers ?
Please read the whole thread upto and including page5.

https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums...Overchurch_Graves_Stones.html#Post306923

I think there will be many members who find out about this disgracefull affair, wanting to leave English Heritage !!

Please tell me that you are going to do something before it is too late.


Joe


lets hope they do something- the days are ticking away !

What were they doing on the land in the first place ? Marking it out ?? It is NOT their property !! Where were the "Sold" signs stolen from to stick over the Auction sign ??

Is there anyone trespassing/squatting on the land now ??

This should ring alarms bells loud and clear !!

I have emailed English Heritage with a plan of the land in question to see whether that area falls inside the Scheduled Ancient Monument area. Also spoken to the planning department who inform me that alot of trees are also protected by Tree preservation Orders. I am attending a briefing this evening regarding a plan of action, I will keep you posted. No Planning would ever be given for this land. I just can't see it having any value you can not do anything with it. My opinion is that they intended to buy it and clear the trees, now they have found they can't, I imagine they will lose interest.

Luckily there's a fire-station close by!

If any moderators read this can they somehow put all to do with the sale of land in a new thread, as I seem to have started something that is perhaps not in the correct genre. And it was not my intention to hijack a history thread

Thanks

UPDATE: After a meeting with Jean Robinson, Local councillors and some local residents. A notice is going to be submitted to the local authority regarding the land being an open space, although this will not halt any sale as time is not on our side. Their was a suggestion that people make donations and a representative bids for the land in question, knowing how much he has to spend from a list of pledges. If anyone is fortunate enough financially and would like to consider making a pledge to donate, please contact me as a matter of urgency and I will happily forward them to the appropiate people. The idea would be to then donate the land to the woodland trust

Who are the current owners of that piece of land?

a company in Chester, I can't remember the name but will get back to you

Wandsworth Homes, Cheshire

Genlock did you get a reply from English Heritage, I sent them an email and they did get back to me.

Wordsworth Homes sorry

http://www.pugh-auctions.com/Lot/Manchester/20100909/089

http://www.wordsworthhomes.co.uk/

Makes me sick to see this firm selling £3,000,000 mansions, He must have bought the land along with the plot over the bypass which is also for sale for £60k the old swimpool site, but that has a mobile phone mast income as well

I have the legal docs Land reg etc but they are in pdf format so can't post them can email them if you would like to take a look

no you can't build on the land it s protected for scientific and History reasons, But a travelling community recently evicted from Chester are interested in buying it.

A mate told me some of the trees at overchurch were planted during the world scout jamboree in 1929. Scouts from each country got to plant a different tree. Surely that counts for some historic value??

....and they are under a tree preservation order which makes it pretty hard to do anything there!!

yes ghostly, also with it being next to a scheduled ancient monument Planning is 99.999% impossible, the worry is that whoever buys the land has no regard for the laws,A travelling community who have been evicted from Chester are interested in the land, The land is no use to anyone who would abide by the law

We are trying to rush through an order at the Borough solicitors today but this will not halt the sale just make the land even more restrictive.If anyone has used the land in the last 20 years and is witness to the area in question not having demarcation or any signs suggesting the area is private property can they please contact if they are happy to make a statement to the fact.

I was there three times last year (and have photo's - which will give specific date(s)) and despite having a good root around, I never spotted and private property signs.

Hi Earl,
No nothing from them as yet.

Update on Facebook
"Stop Moreton Spur Land becoming Travellers site"

Members total 161 now.

I can't find the FB page

http://www.causes.com/causes/522969?m=9e4cc0c7&recruiter_id=141823214

link

Looks like we were successful at the auctions.And a huge thankyou has to go to Jean and Co who have put in a huge amount of work and money already. But we do need help still with donations, So if any of you fellow wiki friends would like to make a donation or if you can help with fund raising please get in touch, also you can call in at the Overchurch community shop. And I will be the first to admit I was rather pessimistic of our chances, but I am so glad to admit I was wrong

Genlock thanks mate, just to let you know the Facebook site is also mine and thanks for spreading the word

I am happy to give a little more info about stuff now as I didn't want the enemy to know our tactics too much. But we have managed to rush an order through to claim the land as a public right of way, Hats off to Wirral council, councillors, Borough Solicitors.Although that could have been contested by the new owners, But not anymore. The plan is to now donate the land to the Woodland Trust or Parks and Open Spaces. But Guys please still spread the word, we do need funds raising.

Well done mate, certainly a surprise result.

Yes, well done indeed that man ! Thank goodness you highlighted this before it was too late. For once WBC seem to be on the ball. Hopefully, the area will now remain "as is".

Thanks Guys, now to find 28k in 28 days, sounds like a good title for a film....lol

I am amazed it went for that price, because of the restrictions on the site, the land is almost without value.

I guess there would always be some chance of pushing a phone-mast permission, which would generate a comfortable income judging from the site across the road (circa 12K per annum).

I think it wrong that the auctioneers don't have to highlight the land restrictions on the advert. Buyer beware I suppose.

their was a guy who was bidding against us who wanted it for paintballing, Don't think that would have worked if we get the Public right of way granted. And the travellers were also at the auction bidding, found out today that they were evicted from land in Chester that also belonged to Wordsworth homes?????

There's already a few paint-balling sites on the Wirral, at least two that I can think off, and a couple of sites that probably unofficially get used as well, I didn't think there would be room for another.

There's a bit of private woodland not far from J3 (Woodchurch) that seemed to be up for sale for ever, it is well out the way for anyone to object, I am surprised that never got grabbed by outward bound/paintball type groups.

I think that's just an advert, as it's not on the website in question (and hasn't been since I first checked about 5 years ago).

In 2006, if it is Stanley Wood, Teal Sport UK were using it for clay pigeon shooting, it is also listed as an area of Biological Importance.

Why isit listed as an area of Biological Importance?

No idea, it is not a protected listing.

not sure, I know their is a bat sanctuary their, The scientific bit is mentioned in the legal docs I obtained from the auction, I think that it has something to do with it being saxon land, but not too sure why, Upton.cx may know

sorry just read back and seen you was referring to the land at J3 although overchurch is listed to, maybe its just a standard input by the authority

No problem Earl,!
Just glad all the friends of Wirral History sites got together in time , and it went well.

I have spoken to every man & his dog at Woodlands for Sale but they don't know anything about this wood. I even sent photos of the sign in relation to the M53 road signs. Still don't know.

From the Globe:

Celebration after Upton woodland is saved

A WIRRAL community is celebrating after raising thousands of pounds to save a threatened piece of woodland.

Members of the Upton community rallyed to raise around £34,000 to buy a three-and-a-half acre piece of land behind Overton Community Centre.

And organisers behind the project have thanked the Globe after our readers responded to their story two weeks ago.

Residents' association member Jean Robinson had launched a last-minute campaign to raise cash so she could bid for the land when it went under the hammer on Thursday, September 9.

The estate, which sits behind Overton Community Centre and was in regular use by the public, was put up for auction but local residents feared new owners would destroy the natural area.

But after winning the plot for £28,500, they were faced with a race against time to raise the remaining amount of money needed before the land was sold to another bidder.

And thanks to support from Globe readers, Wirral Council and Wirral Partnership Homes, the action group managed to exceed their target.

Jean said: "We have been overwhelmed by the amount of donations we have had off everybody. The generosity is just astounding and we cannot believe the way the whole community and the wider community have pulled together to achieve this.

"Of course we also want to say thank-you to Wirral Partnership Homes and Wirral Council for agreeing to contribute around £12,000 towards the fund.

"We are also hugely grateful to the Wirral Globe for supporting us and giving us a platform to appeal to the people of Wirral."

Now, a meeting has been scheduled so that those who donated can decide how to deal with the land.

It will be held on Wednesday, October 20 at the Overton Community Centre to look into the prospect of handing the land to the Woodlands Trust.

Jean said: "At the moment there are issues with how the Woodlands Trust would manage the land so we all need to get together to discuss it. It is amazing that we managed to go above and beyond what we needed so that extra money will now go towards the Trust."

Cllr Stuart Whittingham, one of the ward councillors who backed the campaign, said: "We would like to congratulate the Overchurch residents on their amazing and successful campaign to raise the money necessary to fund this purchase.

"This was a great achievement and shows just what can be done by a determined community who have now bought an asset the whole community can enjoy for generations to come.

"This is a time for politicians of all parties to take a step backwards and let the credit go to a community who took matters into their own hands and achieved what seemed impossible at first in the short timescale available."