Posts by Abbie Cavendish
We celebrate addition of restricted byway to Norfolk’s path-map
We are delighted that our Norfolk local correspondent, Ian Witham, has succeeded in his application to upgrade a public footpath at Mundesley to a restricted byway, with rights for cyclists, horse-riders and carriage-drivers, in addition to walkers. The 60-metre path runs roughly south-west to north-east, between the C634 Cromer Road to the clifftop. The route…
Read MoreUser groups save Gloucestershire highway
A precious public ‘green road’ has been protected by user groups combining efforts to resist Gloucestershire County Council’s application to a magistrates’ court to extinguish public rights[1] over Hanover Green Road[2] in the parish of Redmarley D’Abitot. Cheltenham magistrates found the track to be necessary for the public to use, particularly on foot and by…
Read MoreWe rescue part of ancient Knighton Heath, Dorset
We have welcomed a decision to see off a threat to Knighton Heath in Dorset. In 1957, parts of Winfrith and Knighton Heaths were compulsorily acquired by the government for use as an atomic energy establishment. A small part (one third of a hectare) of Knighton Heath, south of Gibraltar Cottage and not required for…
Read MoreWe slate commercial exploitation of London’s commons
Commons and open spaces in London and across the country are under increased threat from commercial exploitation following a public inquiry decision [1] allowing a massive music festival event. The Open Spaces Society deplores the decision by an inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to permit the…
Read MoreSaving Blackwell parkland
A campaign is on to register Darlington’s 18-hectare historic parkland as a town green. Our members Michael and Angela Green of the Parkland Heritage Network tell the story. The historic Blackwell parkland, on the south side of Darlington, is the last of the town’s Georgian pleasure parks, dating back to the 1700s. It first appeared…
Read MoreToughening up
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, writes of the need to get tough in these times of austerity. In September I spoke to the Gower Society, as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations. The society played an important role in securing Gower as the first area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in 1956. And on its…
Read MoreAmenity groups deplore destruction of New Road Common, Kendal
The Open Spaces Society and Friends of the Lake District have deplored the decision of a planning inspector to allow flood-defence works on New Road Common in the heart of Kendal in Cumbria (now Westmorland and Furness). The application, made by the Environment Agency, followed hard on the heels of a damaging application for neighbouring…
Read MoreCould you be our next Trustee Director?
We’re looking for additional trustees to broaden our reach. Could this be the role for you? If you’re keen to develop strategy and policy for creating, defending and maintaining commons, greens, and paths, and to develop new approaches to make open spaces available to all, we’d love to hear from you. Our trustees work mainly…
Read MoreWe help win the right result for Hamsterley Green, County Durham
We have welcomed a decision which will help protect Hamsterley village green, six miles west of Bishop Auckland in County Durham. Hamsterley Parish Council, the owner of the green, with the owners of Green View, a site to be developed for housing, had applied to the environment secretary for permission to deregister part of the…
Read MoreCelebrating the Gower Society’s 75th anniversary
‘The Gower Society is a model for local campaigning.’ So said our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, in a talk to celebrate the Gower Society’s 75th anniversary this year. On its inception in 1948 the Gower Society joined the Open Spaces and they have shared similar aims of protecting common land, open spaces, and paths ever…
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