Vital local park in Redbridge faces disposal threat
The London Borough of Redbridge is planning to grant a 35-year lease of Goodmayes Park Extension to the Singh Sabha Football Club. We have objected. The park is greatly enjoyed by local people for informal recreation, it is a vital green lung in an urban area. The park is treasured by them, it is an…
Read MoreLincoln’s plan to axe commons warden service
We are dismayed that Lincoln City Council plans to axe the commons warden service for the Lincoln Commons. The council is seeking the views of members of the Lincoln Commons Advisory Panel and the society, along with many other members of the panel, has written to object. The council claims that the closure of the…
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Common land reclaimed at Zennor, Cornwall
Carn Galva Common, west of Zennor in west Cornwall, has been reclaimed as registered common land, using legislation which is being pioneered in Cornwall (part 1 of the Commons Act 2006). Following a public inquiry last month, planning inspector Mrs Helen Slade ruled that the land should be recorded on the commons register. Carn Galva Common…
Read MoreDismay at Swansea Council’s yes to turbines on Mynydd y Gwair
Swansea Council’s planning committee has approved an application for 16 wind-turbines on Mynydd y Gwair common. We were one of the many objectors. The planning committee approved the scheme from RWE npower renewables by 27 votes to 24. We argued that the turbines will destroy the magnificent stretch of unspoilt common land, eight miles north…
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Open spaces need friends more than ever
‘Open spaces have never been more in need of friends.’ So declared Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary at a meeting of the London Green Spaces Friends Groups Network on Monday evening, 4 February, at City Hall, London. She was sharing her campaign experience of fighting threats to green spaces with friends groups from open spaces…
Read MoreSwansea Council to decide fate of Mynydd y Gwair Common
We have renewed our call to Swansea Council to reject the application for 16 wind turbines on Mynydd y Gwair common. The planning committee is to determine the application from RWE npower tomorrow (7 February). We objected strongly to the application because it will destroy the magnificent stretch of unspoilt common land, eight miles north…
Read MoreWe need a champion for the environment and public access
We have called for there to be a strong agency to champion the environment, landscape and public access to and enjoyment of the outdoors in England. The society was responding to the triennial review of the Environment Agency and Natural England being carried out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The…
Read MoreWe join fight to save Reigate’s special countryside
We have objected strongly to the proposal in Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s core strategy to demote the special landscape designation of green belt on the west side of Reigate in Surrey. The society, with many other objectors such as Save Reigate’s Green Belt, opposes the plan to redesignate as Sustainable Urban Extension the area…
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Open spaces to lose democratic protection
The government proposes to remove democratic protection from open spaces threatened with compulsory purchase. The House of Lords will debate these plans, which are in clause 22 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, on Monday (4 February). We are urging members of the House of Lords to oppose clause 22 because it puts open spaces…
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A battlefield at Cramber Tor – objectors warn
The Dartmoor National Park Authority will decide the future of military training at Cramber Tor, south-west Dartmoor, at its meeting on Friday (1 February). The military wants to continue using 848 hectares at Cramber Tor for ‘dry’ training, on a permanent basis. This training involves battlefield simulation exercises that include the use of pyrotechnics, blank…
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