History of Scotia Valley

The area gets its name from Scotia Brook, which travels, via a chain of ponds, from north to south through the valley.  (Legend has it the name Scotia comes from a retreating Scottish army, hundreds of years ago, as does ‘Clanway’!)

The valley was originally a farming area, which was intersected by a railway, complete with embankment, 150 years ago.  The railway, part of the Beeching cuts, closed over 40 years ago. 

Between 1930 and 1980, most of Scotia Valley was farmland and rough grazing for horses.  Clanway Farm was a real farm. The ‘bomb holes’ originated from informal surface mining.

Whilst Scotia Brook and certain ponds survived, much of the area became used for marl (clay) extraction in the west, and landfill to the south.  The east was soggy grazing for horses.  Locals will remember the pedestrian connection between east and west:  Sausage Tunnel.

In 1972, the first Phase of Clanway Reclamation began, with further landscaping in 1976 and 1992.  Meanwhile, the abandonment of marl extraction in the 1970s left nature to work its wonders on the western valley, below.

Clanway Heath land, looking south

A New Landscape

History of threats

In the 1970s, Tunstall was full of ‘pot banks’ (pottery factories), and the roads choked with commuting Ford Cortinas.  The Council’s ‘solution’ was to be the ‘Tunstall Northern Distributor’, designed to spread the traffic load by building a road across the Scotia Valley.  The scheme lay dormant until the late 1990s, by which time, most of the pot banks had closed. (Not one of the famous names now remains). 

The Council, however, sought to borrow ‘Capital Challenge’ money to ‘regenerate’ Tunstall.  Many of their proposals were opposed by local residents and traders.  And the Council’s bid failed – they were told they needed to put a bypass into their proposals.  So, the Tunstall Northern Bypass was born – like the Northern Distributor on steroids, with added roundabouts and spur roads.  The owners of the access land at Sandyford, which included the Cricket Club, objected.  But Redland, owners of the marl pool were greatly chuffed – Their landlocked site would have access first for landfill and dumping. Then, when lots of coal had been dug out, it could be sold with planning permission for building…

Concerned local residents and traders formed the Friends of Tunstall group, and organised public meetings. Council officer Steve Tams (Director of the Bypass project) said, “Don’t worry, all your questions will be answered at the Public Inquiry.”

The Public Inquiry took place in two parts in 1998.  To the astonishment of local residents, the Inspector announced:

“We are not here to decide whether the road is necessary or would work, merely to address the Orders.”

What did this mean?  Essentially, the Council, with 60 Labour Councillors and no opposition, had given the Bypass planning permission.  All that could be challenged were the associated Compulsory Purchase Orders, mainly into Public Open Space.

Whilst the Inspector made great criticism in his Report regarding the Council’s inadequate access and crossing proposals, local people could only challenge one issue: “Equal Advantage.”

In law, if you take away Public Open Space, you must replace it with something “equally advantageous.”

Clanway Greenway, looking east, from ponds, towards the old railway line path

So how do you ‘replace’ matured woodland, ponds, paths etc.?

Essentially, the Council proposed to bulldoze and landscape part of the heath land by Sandyford, ‘give’ a narrow corridor of the heath land back (called Plot 6  – which the public had already used for decades).  Plus ‘Plot 7’ – An already used field off Turnhurst Road – severely sloping, no ponds…and basically just not good enough!  (Even now, its regimented rows of ornamental trees are largely dead or disappeared).

Well, the Inspector agreed with local residents, saying he was ‘far from satisfied’.

The Council disagreed with the residents, Inspector and the Secretary of State and forced a rare “Special Parliamentary Procedure.”  It actually sought to be above the law of the land and build the Bypass anyway.

So, in the winter of 1999, local residents went to Parliament, to face the wrath of teams of barristers.  As with the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) previously, objections came from the local Friends of the Earth and Transport 2000 groups. For three weeks, a joint team of MPs and Peers sat in judgement.  (Most impressive was Ann Macintosh, a Tory MP who is also a QC).

Numerous residents gave evidence: amongst them, traders, teachers, nurses, pensioners, engineers, children, and local councillors.

In addition to its own legal team, Stoke-on-Trent Council employed two teams of barristers, numerous officers and ‘expert’ witnesses.  Two local residents had the opportunity to cross-examine them.

During the hearings, it emerged the Council witnesses were unfamiliar with the details of the local area, had missed everything from badgers to horse chestnuts, and some of their witnesses even praised the value of the Scotia Valley heath land!

The result?  The Parliamentary Joint Committee were so concerned about what they heard, they issued a rare critical “Special Report” -  http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/jt199900/jtselect/jttuns/15/1503.htm

 Only the sixth in Parliamentary history, it agreed with what the Independent Inspector  said:

·        there had been no full Public Inquiry,

·        the Council hadn’t followed the spirit of the law,

·        had wasted public money,

·        hadn’t consulted local people properly (and should do in future),

·        and should provide much more public open space, accessible to all, including pushchair users and people with disabilities. 

·        Furthermore, it made the report as a message to planning authorities throughout the country.

Sadly, the Council (and the Secretary of State) ignored the Report, and continued regardless.  In December, 2000, this prompted a High Court action from local residents.  They won the judgement, with the verdict that the Parliamentary Committee would have been appalled at the Council’s and Secretary of State’s treatment of their report, and their lack of consultation.  Furthermore, so appalled was the judge, the right to appeal was denied.

In October 2001 The Secretary of State accepts a revised proposal submitted by the city council.

In July, 2002, numerous local residents try to get the area preserved through Village Green status. (See Open Spaces Society web site).  A Public Inquiry is held, with residents facing THREE teams of barristers!  One lawyer had warned us it was a lost cause, because the Inspector, a QC, had a history of turning down village green applications, and had frequently worked for corporate interests opposing local residents – including having worked with the lead barrister opposing us here!  Even though people in their 80s testified to having used the land for decades, the application was lost.

February 2004.

Councillors approve a planning application for nearly 400 homes on the Clanway Farm site, alongside the proposed site of the Tunstall Northern Bypass. Councillors were told it was basically a ‘derelict brownfield site’!  Ecologists and representatives of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust were appalled at the prospect of turning a wildlife haven into a moonscape.

October  2004.

Secretary of State announces his satisfaction with legal agreements and brings the compulsory purchase order into operation.

January 2005. 

As preparations for a High Court challenge are made, the Council fast-tracks ‘advance ecological mitigation works’, mainly consisting of felling 6,200 trees lying in the path of the proposed bypass.  One pond was drained (now filled up again!); another was filled in. 

Since the area remained public open space and no paths were closed, local residents, mainly pensioners, attempted to show their disgust to the local media.  They were met by special police who deal with environmental protestors, complete with video cameras and threats of arrest!

Most of these trees were felled early in 2005, but the pond is already thriving again.

February 2005

The battle goes to the High Court of Justice in London, arguing that the planning permission is now out of date and that the road does not create enough good quality public space for wildlife and residents; and that the Secretary of State had put the importance of house building over the need to provide good quality public space, as requested by both the Inquiry Inspector and the joint Parliamentary Select Committee.

May 2005

Since the High Court felt unable to consider the issue of planning permission, an appeal is made against High Court ruling and the City Council is now considering, in the light of Mr Justice Forbes’ judgement, the need to renew the planning permission.

July 2005

Scotia Valley is looking resplendent.  It’s the summer holidays, wildflowers, heather and birdsong abound.  There are cyclists, anglers, dog walkers and horse-riders galore.