LEDBURY'S Recreation Ground, which has been threatened by developers in recent years, will be preserved for posterity as a war memorial site to the town's fallen, under the Centenary Fields project.

The Fields in Trust organisation, which runs the Centenary Fields programme, paid a visit to the site several weeks ago, and the positive outcome was revealed at last week's full town council meeting in St Katherine's Hall.

Town clerk, Karen Mitchell revealed that "Fields in trust had confirmed that they would be happy to protect the Recreation Ground under the Centenary Fields programme and that, as part of the process, the town council would be required to register the land at the Land Registry and obtain an up to date valuation of the land".

The clerk was given authorisation by councillors to "proceed with all necessary arrangements."

Cllr Martin Eager, chairman of the town's environment and leisure committee said: "Now the Recreation Ground will be safe from any developers, and that can only be a good thing for the town."

But Cllr Bob Barnes said that saving the site from development was not the sole or main intention of registering the Recreation ground as a Centenary Field.

He said: "The recommendation is make sure the Recreation Ground is kept in memory of the fallen of the First World War. This move will further protect it in perpetuity as a war memorial site for the fallen of Ledbury.

"Protecting it from developers was a secondary thing, but not the main purpose."

The stated aim of the Centenary Fields project, which has the support of the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, is to "secure war memorial parks, playgrounds and other memorial spaces in perpetuity".

When all the arrangements have been made, the town council will sign a deed of dedication which "does not require any change to the ownership and management of the site".

The Recreation Ground was actually created after the First World War by local people, in memory of the town's fallen.

It is owned and run by the town council, on behalf of the local community.