Posts by Abbie Cavendish
We fight Clyne Common swap at public inquiry
We object to the proposed, unfair land swap on Clyne Common, Swansea, and will give evidence to a public inquiry which opens on Tuesday (6 August)[1]. The society joins the Gower Society and many other objectors in arguing that the Duke of Beaufort’s Somerset Trust land to be taken for housing is far superior to…
Read MoreGerry Stewart, 1933 – 2024
We are sad that our local correspondent for Cotswold District in Gloucestershire who served for 26 years, has died aged 90. Gerald Frederick Stewart, known as Gerry, was born in Winchcombe on 5 September 1933. He moved, as a young child, to Frampton Cottages, near the village of Alderton, six miles east of Tewkesbury. He…
Read MoreOpen Spaces Society to intervene in supreme court in Dartmoor backpack-camping case
We are delighted to have been granted permission to intervene in the Dartmoor backpack-camping case. The society intervened in support of the Dartmoor National Park Authority in the Court of Appeal and was relieved when the court ruled that the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 gave the public the right to camp on nearly all the Dartmoor…
Read MoreGreen-space gap in new planning policies
‘The planning system should give the creation and protection of green space and public paths the same priority as other infrastructure. Sadly, this is not reflected in the proposed revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).’ So declared Nicola Hodgson, one of our case officers. ‘This would have been a good opportunity to put green spaces,…
Read MoreA summer of celebration for new village greens in Havering
Earlier this year, we were delighted when Havering Council formally agreed to adopt five new village greens which it had previously identified as much-needed sites across the borough. This summer, the council is celebrating the new sites with a series of event and dedications over the coming weeks. The first of these events, which local…
Read MorePublic access to green space must be priority for new government
‘Public access to good-quality green spaces must be a priority for the new government.’ So declared our chairman Phil Wadey at the society’s annual general meeting held on the day of the general election. ‘We stand ready with suggestions for the government to improve access to, and enjoyment of, green spaces and paths in town…
Read MoreWe fight new threat to Brent River Park, Ealing
We have objected to an application from Ealing Council to erect a massive leisure-centre with residential development and other infrastructure in Brent River Park in Ealing. The society is concerned that the development will take a bite out of the Brent River Park, destroying metropolitan open land (MOL) and public open space (POS). It argues…
Read MoreAccess groups free an obstructed byway in North Yorkshire
The society was pleased to support the British Horse Society (BHS), along with the Byways and Bridleways Trust and Ramblers, to secure the removal of two pairs of large, ornamental gates which were obstructing a restricted byway in Stanwick St John, about eight miles north-east of Richmond in North Yorkshire. The BHS issued proceedings in…
Read MoreJohn Lavery, 1953-2024
Our former trustee John Lavery has died aged 70. John became involved in the society after he retired from his post as a lawyer with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). He was one of our trustees from 2013 to 2019, and for a time our parliamentary agent, studying the private bills…
Read MoreAn extract from Open Space Magazine: reflecting on forty years
In the latest edition of Open Space magazine, Kate Ashbrook reflects on 40 years in her post as the general secretary of the Open Spaces Society. Forty years on When I joined the Open Spaces Society as its general secretary 40 years ago, our world was very different, says Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary. We…
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