At last! After six years campaigning, the North Loose Residents Association (NLRA) has finally been granted permission to take over a stretch of open space from Maidstone council.

The NLRA has been granted a 99-year lease on the green triangle between Richmond Way and the Postley Road extension, which will now be known as Richmond Way Green.

Chairman Sean Carter said: "Obviously it's a cause for celebration, it's been a long battle to persuade the borough."

The association had to pay the council's legal costs of £500 - it's own legal work was done free of charge by a member.

The association has no plans to instal goalposts or seating, but does intend to keep the area much tidier so that it can be used for recreation.

Mr Carter said: "The borough had not been maintaining it very frequently. The grass was very long so if you tried to kick a football or throw a tennis ball for a dog, it would just land plop in the long grass."

The association has already had the area mown twice since it took over the land a few weeks ago and will have it mown regularly by contractors during the growing season.

Mr Carter said: "It will make a dent in our finances, but it is money well spent."

The association will use its own volunteers to carry out other maintenance work.

The only condition to the lease is that Maidstone council has retained the right to claw back a 3m strip of land along the boundary with the Postley Road extension, if it is needed to provide an additional footpath at some time in the future.

There are plans for housing development further along Postley Road, at The Lodge and at nearby Smith's Field, and questions have been raised over whether the existing access is wide enough to accommodate any the extra traffic that would be generated.

But Mr Carter was optimistic the land strip would not be needed. He said: "I don't think that is likely to happen."