Protect your park
As a landowner, you can make an incredible decision for the people and nature that rely on your parks and green spaces.
Choosing to protect your land today will have a huge impact over many years. Your protected park will provide an important place for the community to relax, play, connect with friends and enjoy nature for decades to come.
Working with Fields in Trust gives you the opportunity to leave a priceless legacy for countless people.
How it works
Protecting with Fields in Trust involves entering into a legally binding agreement with us using a Deed of Dedication (England, Wales and NI) or Minute of Agreement (Scotland). This unique document lays out the terms of the agreement, ensuring your park or green space can only be used for sport or recreational activities and that it will always be there for the benefit of the community and nature.
The 10-step protection process
Whether you want to protect one space or one hundred, our 10-step protection process is simple and easy to follow, and our friendly team will support you every step of the way.
If you are thinking about protecting a number of spaces at the same time, we can help you decide which ones would have the biggest impact in your area.
Have a look at our Insights pages to learn how we use Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis to help inform your decisions. Or you can ask us a question using the contact us form.
Step 1
Please read our Protection Guidance to find out what can be protected and the supporting documents you will need to provide when applying.
Step 2
Visit our Apply to Protect page to complete a protection application form.
Step 3
Our in-house solicitor will complete a legal review of your application and contact you to discuss any queries.
Step 4
One of the team will arrange a site visit – this can be done in person or you can submit a video which we will provide instructions for. The site visit is an opportunity to discuss any areas of the space that should be excluded and for you to ask any questions. If required, we will ask for some further information or documentation.
Step 5
Our solicitor will draft a Deed of Dedication bespoke to your park or green space. If you are based in Scotland, we will out-source the drafting of the Minute of Agreement to a Scottish legal firm. You may want to take legal advice at this point, to provide assurance or advice on the drafted documentation.
Step 6
When all parties are happy with the Deed or Minute, you will sign two copies and return them to us. We require the Deed or Minute to be signed within three months of receiving it, except where there are extenuating circumstances.
Step 7
Our Chief Executive and a Trustee will co-sign both documents. Then we will seal and date them, and return one completed copy to you.
Step 8
Within three months of completing the Deed or Minute, you must register the protection against the registered title of the property with your country’s land registry agency.
Step 9
Let us know that you have submitted the required forms to your relevant land registry agency.
Step 10
We will send you a commemorative plaque for your newly protected space. The plaque is free of charge, but it is a requirement that you display it at the space. If you want additional plaques we will ask you for a small fee to help cover costs.
Until now, I've always considered we are custodians of green space that belongs to our children. But it's becoming clear that it is far more than that. It's also about biodiversity, our climate, our environment, our physical and mental health, our own space we all need be it for time out, socialising and much more.
Our protection will strengthen any other protections your land may have, while providing the flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of your local community. And we will ensure the management of your parks and green spaces stays right where it should be – with you.
We want the process to be straightforward and enjoyable, so we won’t charge you for our protection service and will support you at every stage. Together, we can ensure that your parks and green spaces continue to work hard for people and the planet - forever.
The next steps...
Protection Guidance
We'll walk you through everything you need to know to help you prepare your protection application.
Apply to protect
Take the first step to protect your green space forever by filling out our online application form.
It was important to us to protect Sandy Bay [Playing Fields] for generations to come, just like it's been there for my generation, and the ones before me. It's considered a flagship facility in the area - there's not a lot of green spaces like it - so it's vital to protect it.