CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to protect an area’s ‘last remaining’ parcel of greenery having launched a petition which has already gained hundreds of signatures.

A sports ground known as Rockingham Cricket Ground was earmarked for business use in the future although given the area’s been the location of sprawling warehouses being built, locals have urged council bosses to leave the patch of land alone.

Local campaigner Jaz Holt, who has been working with the Hoyland Common Residents’ Group, started the petition and said the land must be protected given its history.

She said: “The land we have come to know as the Rockingham Cricket Ground was gifted to the miners of the Rockingham Colliery by the Earl of Fitzwilliam in the 1800s for recreational use.

“This was done as a thank you for the hard work they put into bringing coal to the surface.

“The Earl even went on to covenant the land, restricting its use for pleasure only.

“The miners paid a weekly fee from their wages to have the ground maintained and Rockingham Colliery Cricket Club was born.

“The miners and their families have used this land for decades upon decades and was set for life until the former Labour-run council purchased the land in the 1980s and has pursued the removal of the covenant to ensure the land is legal to develop.

“I am not sure how far this has gone but I cannot see that the covenant has been removed to date.

“It is my belief that a covenant can only be removed by the person, or trust holders, who put the covenant in place.”

Jaz’s petition - which has been signed by more than 300 people this week - has urged the new Reform-led council to safeguard its future given the area’s already high level of development.

She added: “The council has a new governing body under Reform UK, who have been reached out to, to investigate the value for money of this transaction as it is not as straight forward as just moving the club and developing the land.

“For me, it does not make sense and appears on the face of it as false economy.

“I’m hoping people add their signatures to this petition to raise awareness to Reform UK that this is a historical monument to those miners who lost their lives making the Earl of Fitzwilliam prosperous.

“It is a landmark to the families of those miners and to the future generations.

“Everything the residents believe in in this area has been taken away.

“Once this has gone, the green space around our area will be no more.”

Visit the Chronicle’s website to sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/help-save-the-rockingham-colliery-cricket-ground