Campaigners believe that the decision could help block potential future proposals for other developments on school playing fields. The Government Office for the East of England had called for a Public Inquiry in the first place because this was a test case – a case involving the largest school playing fields (and one of the largest schools) in Eastern region and an application with the backing of the former Education Secretary and local MP Charles Clarke.

The Green Party is one of the local groups to have been actively involved in campaigning against the plans from the outset.

Green Party City Councillor Adrian Ramsay said: "I am absolutely delighted by this news. We don’t yet know for certain why this application was withdrawn but I’m confident that the strong campaign against the development by a range of local groups was an important factor.

"This is a crucial decision for this part of the city. It means that a green space has been protected from development and that the whole of the school playing fields will be available for school sport, and hopefully for the community at large. It also means that local residents will not have to suffer from the increased traffic levels that a new development with 250 car parking spaces would have brought, and that local roads will not be made more dangerous for Hewett pupils.

"This decision is also crucial for the future of school funding in general. The development would have set a precedent of a school selling off assets to pay for new facilities that ought to be funded by the County Council and the Government as the authorities responsible for education. Hopefully we can now ensure that schools will not have to consider selling assets and that playing fields will be protected."

The news is a blow for the Conservative-controlled County Council, the Labour MP for Norwich South and the Liberal Democrat City Councillors for Town Close ward, all of whom have given strong support to the proposal. Charles Clarke approved the selling off of the Hewett fields (in his own constituency) when he was Education Secretary.

But GO-EAST (the Government Office for the Eastern Counties) has decided that this sell-off raises issues of more than local importance. The plans, which are against both national and regional planning policy (2), have been 'called in' for a Public Inquiry - despite being given the go-ahead by the majority of City Council Planning Committee members at a September meeting, and despite being supported by the local LibDem Councillor and by Charles Clarke (Labour MP for Norwich South and Education Secretary).

Following the City Council decision, members of local campaign group RAID (Residents Against Inappropriate Development) and Green Party Councillors wrote to Go-EAST, urging them to call in the application for a Public Inquiry.

Keith Farwell, 39, of Cecil Road, and one of the organisers of RAID, said that local people are delighted at the news. "But", he said, "it has been an uphill struggle to get this far because all the normal routes for raising our concerns were closed to us. The LibDem councillors were in favour of the plan, as was Charles Clarke. Fortunately, we have received a great deal of support from Councillor Adrian Ramsay of the Green Party and his colleagues".

Tom Samain, headmaster of the Hewett School and former head teacher at Earlham High School, had argued that the sell-off was necessary to fund a new gymnasium for the school. The Public Inquiry is expected to consider whether all sources of funding for the school gym were properly explored, bearing in mind that there is National Lottery money readily available for such schemes - which the school has apparently not even applied for. Furthermore, although Charles Clarke as Education Secretary gave the go-ahead for the sell-off, it is government policy that sale of playing fields should be the absolute last resort (3).

Green Party Councillor Adrian Ramsay - who will be challenging Charles Clarke for his Norwich South seat at the general election - said: "We are delighted that GO-EAST has recognised the genuine concerns of local residents about the impact of this development - and that it would be an extremely bad precedent to set to allow such a large area of school playing field to be sold off. The Green Party will continue to support the RAID campaign at the Public Inquiry. We are concerned about the traffic implications of the proposals and believe that such green space should be freely available for use by schools and the wider community to benefit public health. A commercial leisure centre with high membership fees would not provide such a benefit. The Government should ensure that schools receive adequate funding for their facilities so they do not feel a need to sell off playing fields to pay for them."

Planning Application No 04/00254/F Sale of Hewett School Playing Fields, Norwich, is an application by a consortium of developers including the David Lloyd Leisure Centre, BUPA and Westminster Healthcare to build an up-market sports and recreation centre, 80 bedroom nursing home and children's nursery along with parking for at least 240 cars on land purchased from Norfolk County Council currently used as school playing fields by the Hewett School, Norwich. In return, the Hewett School will receive money to build a new sports hall on its site and some limited access to the commercial facilities.

The areas within a 1 km radius of this proposed development are to a large extent areas of local authority housing on the Tuckswood and Lakenham estates, occupied by people on low incomes and with a high proportion of poor pensioners. The development of a private, exclusive, leisure club will do nothing for the local community who will be unable to afford the facilities. The comparable David Lloyd leisure centre in Stevenage, Herts, charges membership fees for a couple are £135 joining fee and £100.50 monthly subscription, putting these facilities well out of range of most local residents.

It is a matter of simple fact that there is very little 'urban green-space' in the immediate area of this proposed development. Development on what little urban green-space as exists is in principle contrary to Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 on Sport & Recreation ('PPG17') issued July 2002.

PPG17 states: "Existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land should not be built on unless an assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space or the buildings and land to be surplus to requirements."

The Government issued 'the toughest-ever protection for school playing fields' in a joint initiative by the Department for Education and Skills and the National Playing Fields Association on 27 August 2004.

This joint initiative makes clear that: "The sale of a playing field must be an absolute last resort. Local authorities will have to prove that they have exhausted all other possibilities for funding for improved school sports facilities".

Green Councillor Adrian Holmes said: "I voted against the application because the council has a duty to protect this green space. We should ensure such space is used by schools and the wider community for the benefit of public health. A commercial leisure centre with high membership fees will not benefit the community at large. If the Government provided adequate funding for schools they would not feel a need to sell of their playing fields to fund other facilities."

Following on from the City Council Planning Committee meeting of 16 September 2004, I would like to explain why I voted against the proposal to sell off part of the Hewett School playing fields.

As city councillors we have a duty to protect the urban green spaces in Norwich, as set out in the local plan. The argument put forward for the sell off was that the land was surplus to requirements and the existing running track was in a state of disrepair.

The fact that the site had been neglected for some years is not a good enough reason for selling it off. The rules on selling off playing fields have been tightened recently. In future, local authorities will only be allowed to sell off playing fields in 'extreme' circumstances. Even when this occurs, outside facilities will have to be improved before any work on indoor facilities is carried out.

The sale of the Hewett School playing fields involves the contruction of 250 space car park and additional non-sports developments. The increase in traffic is likely to hamper those students walking and cycling to school. All in all the decision is bad for the environment and increases the risk of accidents in the area of the school.

Yours sincerely,