On 04/12/17 01:09, Bill wrote:

In this particular case, my understanding of the current position is
that the land was covenanted to the local community by someone with the
condition that it should remain open space.

Where dos your understanding come from?
Sometimes Chinese whispers can gain a lot of ground.

FWIW, a similar situation near here was resolved with a land swap, so
that the area for public use remained the same and was a continuous area.