Plans revealed for a new village green at Lilliesleaf

Leaf Green in Lilliesleaf had been earmarked for housing but the last plan for 16 homes on the 0.72 ha site in 2015 failed to materialise.

The field was bought for the community with a grant from the Scottish Land Fund in 2018 by Lilliesleaf Community Development Ltd (LCD), which is registered as a charity.

The site has now been designated as key greenspace in the council’s Local Development Plan and is set for a transformation into a village green to “create a positive focal point and facility within the centre of the village”.

A planning bid has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council for the conversion of the land.

An LCD report with the application says: “The Green has seen excellent use for recreation, social events and fundraisers.

“The purpose of LCD is to own and develop, on behalf of the community, the Leaf Green: a communal space for safe outdoor recreation, social contacts, sports days and fetes for participation by the whole village.

"Our collective vision is to significantly improve the cohesion and resilience of the community by involving local people in the ownership, design and management of projects.”

The proposal is to carry out landscaping to provide a network of paths and terraces, connected to a hard-standing area at the site entrance, and to improve all-weather recreational access.

Planting will consist largely of native species such as aspen, field maple and birch.