Path protectors celebrate reopening of blocked Cornish footpath
The Ramblers and the Open Spaces Society are delighted to have achieved the reopening of a severely blocked public footpath, with broken clapper-bridge, in the parish of St Buryan Lamorna Paul, 3.5 miles south of Penzance in Cornwall. The half-mile path runs parallel to the England Coast Path/South West Coast Path, near Kemyel Crease nature reserve. The path, which had been inaccessible for several decades, is breath-taking, affording panoramic views of the coast, contouring the…
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Bicentenary of Eton lammas lands
Two hundred years ago, on 1 May 1826, the lammas lands of Eton and Eton Wick were saved for the people. These commons extend between the two settlements in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. In 1826 the then lord of the manor, John Penn, who had already inclosed his land in Stoke Poges,…
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Blackwell Parkland, Darlington, one step closer to becoming a village green
We are pleased that Darlington Borough Council has agreed voluntarily to register Blackwell Parkland as a village green. The society backed the community in its quest to protect this historic parkland in the heart of Darlington. The Cabinet meeting on 5 May 2026 approved the proposal. The decision marks a significant milestone in the long-running effort to protect the 42-acre…
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Government compromises its green-space review
We are dismayed that the government has done a U-turn on the protection of green spaces during the passage of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill in the House of Lords. On 13 April the Minister for Housing and Local Government, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, backed an opposition amendment which spelled out a procedure whereby local authorities which have failed to follow…
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New greens celebrated at Dorchester on Thames
With residents of the Oxfordshire village of Dorchester on Thames, we have celebrated the erection of plaques on the new village greens at Dyke Hills and Day’s Lock Meadow. The greens were the subject of an intense battle ten years ago when the then owner of Bishops Court Farm fenced off the land and barred local people from exercising their customary rights…
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Our nine-point plan for the new Senedd
We have sent our nine-point plan for the new Senedd to our members in Wales to use when speaking to their candidates in the forthcoming election. Here is the manifesto. (Cymraeg yma) ________________________________________________ The opportunity for people to enjoy open spaces and paths, for their relaxation, health, well-being, and appreciation of nature, has never been…
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Government drags feet on green-space review
A review of the laws protecting vital green spaces is urgently needed, yet despite a government promise last November to undertake this, nothing has happened. Meanwhile, the government has undermined its own promise by supporting an amendment (248) to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, due to be debated in the House of Lords on 13 April. …
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Finality for commons registration: one year left
We have issued a reminder of the impending deadline in one year’s time (15 March 2027) for applications to deregister common land in England. Under Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, applications can be made to deregister common land throughout England, save in seven local-authority pioneer areas where the deadline for applications has already…
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New planning policy threatens access to nature
‘The government’s proposed planning policy will strike a fatal blow to the creation of new village greens and does nothing to safeguard and improve people’s vital access to nature.’ So declares Helen Monger, one of our case officers. The society, which is Britain’s oldest national conservation body, has responded to the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government’s consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework. …
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Every-day access for all
The long-delayed access to nature green paper must address the gross inequalities in public contact with the outdoors, says our general secretary Kate Ashbrook. The green paper was announced in the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan in December 2025—but regrettably given no priority. Kate writes in her Opinion in the spring issue of Open Space, our…
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