Posts by danbaltic
We call for a new fee for common-land swaps
We have written to the Welsh Government’s Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths MS, asking her to introduce a fee for applicants who want to swap areas of common land. The process is ruled by section 16 of the Commons Act 2006. We point out that section 16 requires that, in all…
Read MoreNew green at Scorton, North Yorkshire
We have congratulated Scorton Parish Council on its voluntary registration of land as a new village green. The land is adjacent to Blenheim Close at the southern end of the village which is north-east of Catterick in North Yorkshire. The new green adjoins the existing Jubilee Green which was registered two years ago. The parish…
Read MoreProtecting Wales’s local spaces through good design and community involvement
We have signed the Placemaking Wales Charter, pledging to support its objectives. These include a commitment to support the creation of high-quality places across Wales for the benefit of communities. The charter has been developed by the Welsh government and the Design Commission for Wales in collaboration with the Placemaking Wales partnership. It has more…
Read MoreLivestock diversions
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), the Tenant Farmers’ Assocation and the Countryside Alliance have asked Defra Ministers to legislate to facilitate farmer-managed diversions on public paths to avoid cattle and other livestock. The Ramblers’ website offers a good summary of the position. The society has attended meetings with the CLA…
Read MoreWe win new green and new path for Witney
We have won a new town green and public footpath for the people of Witney in west Oxfordshire. These public amenities are on land at Coral Springs, between Thorney Leys and the A40, which four years ago was developed by Richmond Care Villages (RCV). In building an estate of retirement homes RCV illegally blocked a…
Read MoreOur new activist for the Isle of Wight
We have appointed Mrs Helen Slade as our local correspondent for the Isle of Wight. Helen, who lives in Ventnor, will be the society’s eyes and ears, keeping a close watch on paths, commons, greens, open spaces and the progress of the coastal path on the Island, and intervening as necessary. Helen has recently retired…
Read MoreSomerset Trust withdraws Clyne Common land-swap for second time
The Duke of Beaufort’s Somerset Trust, owner of part of Clyne Common on Gower, City and County of Swansea, has for a second time withdrawn its application for a common-land swap. Having twice objected to the proposals, we are pleased that the common appears to be saved, but are angry that the trust has wasted…
Read MoreMisdeeds and no deeds
On 28 September the Prime Minister pledged to protect an additional 400,000 hectares (1,562 square miles) of England’s countryside to support ‘the recovery of nature’. A fine promise but what does it mean? The recovery of nature is immensely important, so too is the recovery of people. The pandemic has shown the value of local…
Read MoreOctober update: Open Space Charters
This year people have enjoyed their local green spaces as never before. Now is the time to protect and expand them. In early August we wrote to every planning authority in England and Wales (nearly 400 of them), Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Julie James, the Welsh…
Read MoreRegistration of land at Goose Holme
We have welcomed the decision of Cumbria County Council to register land at Goose Holme, Kendal, as common land. The decision was made at the council’s development control and regulation committee on Friday 9 October, and will add about 0.45 hectares of land, much of it comprised in the bed of the River Kent, to…
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