Sir – CPRE Oxfordshire is delighted to learn that a High Court ruling has upheld Oxfordshire County Council’s decision to register Warneford Meadow as a town green. Warneford Meadow is one of the hidden secrets of Oxford city.

Seven hectares of unkempt pasture in East Oxford are bounded by a wildlife corridor and an old orchard. It is a meadow that is well used but not manicured and it has been left untouched for decades. In 2006, however, the NHS Trust, which owns the land, put in planning applications for the site, threatening its very existence.

CPRE Oxfordshire has for many years supported Friends of Warneford Meadow in its campaign to get town green status for Warneford Meadow and the orchard, in order to protect it for posterity.

We believe it is crucial to preserve this lovely area of open, semi-rural land in the heart of the city for recreation and for its ecological and environmental value.

We hope that this ruling secures the protection of this unique and valuable green space for generations to come.

We trust that the NHS Trust will do the right thing by the local community, who value this green space, and by the tax payer who will bear the brunt of this legal wrangle, and accept the inspector’s decision, so that the meadow can once again be used and enjoyed by residents of the city, as well as patients of the hospital, as it was originally intended.

Dr Helena Whall, Campaign manager, CPRE Oxfordshire, Oxford