A PLANNING application has been submitted for a long-awaited security fence around Bourne's Abbey Lawn.
Bourne United Charities, which owns the land, put in the planning application to South Kesteven District Council this week.
Plans for the fence around the grounds form part of a bid to combat vandalism, which has blighted the lawn for years.
The ap
plication says the trustees have considered alternatives but added: "Regretfully (we) have come to the conclusion that restriction of general public access during the hours of darkness is the policy which promises to be the most effective."
The Abbey Lawn was bought by the charities in the 1930s with the intention of preserving it as an open space, but persistent problems with vandalism have forced trustees to act.
The lawn is used by the town's swimming, football, cricket, tennis, petanque and bowls clubs. In July 2006 a public meeting discussed the best way forward and a fence enclosing the lawn was eventually recommended.
In August 2008 the charity employed security guards in a bid to deter the vandals. It decided to put in the planning application for the fence in December.
Prominent sportsman Terry Bates, who died in January of a heart attack, campaigned for measures to stop vandalism on the lawn for many years.
