We warn parish council against skate bowl on green
We have warned Liss Parish Council that it is unlawful to construct a skate bowl on the registered village green at West Liss in east Hampshire. The green is within the boundary of the South Downs National Park. The society has written to the chairman of the parish council to explain that such a development…
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High Court judgment puts many greens at risk
Today Mr Justice Morgan delivered judgment in the High Court on the case of Markham and Little Francis village green at Weymouth in Dorset.(1) Read it here The judge has determined that the land should not have been registered as a green, and has directed that it be removed from the register, thus laying it…
Read MoreBlocked path reopened at Charlcombe, Bath
A blocked path at Valley View Road, Charlcombe, near Bath has been reopened, following pressure from the society. Supporting a local member, we mobilised the local councillor and the Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council’s parks department and public rights of way department. The path, which leads to the allotments and a local football…
Read MoreThreat of ugly deer-fencing alongside Thames Path
We have objected to plans by Culham Court Inc to erect deer fencing, 1.8 metres high, alongside the Thames Path National Trail near Culham Court, Remenham. This is a flagship path of international, as well as national and local importance. The fencing will ruin the lovely, open view and degrade this beautiful landscape. The fencing…
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Chiltern common freed of fence and keep-out notices
We are delighted that Yeoman Homes has removed the ugly fencing which blocked access to the lovely Layters Green Common, near Chalfont St Peter in the Buckinghamshire Chilterns. The Open Spaces Society, with Chalfont St Peter Parish Council, called on Chiltern District Council to take enforcement action against the works which were erected on the…
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Public access to woods and forests under threat
We are deeply concerned at the potential effects of the Public Bodies Bill on the future of the Forestry Commission’s estate. The Bill has its second reading in the House of Lords on 9 November. The Bill empowers the Secretary of State by order to amend how the Forestry Commission disposes of land, manages and…
Read MoreWestfield Common, Woking, saved from degradation
A public-inquiry inspector has rejected Woking Borough Council’s plans to swap part of Westfield Common at Woking in Surrey, to provide an access road to a potential new housing development. The decision from the inspector, Heidi Cruickshank, followed a public inquiry last July into the application for the exchange of common land, to which there…
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Cornwall’s flagship footpath illegally blocked
We have called on Cornwall Council to act swiftly in reopening the illegally-blocked section of the South West Coast Path at Carlyon Bay, near St Austell in Cornwall. The route has been partially blocked by fencing and a portacabin, erected in connection with Commercial Estates Group Ltd’s multi-million-pound development, and our member Gloria Price has…
Read MoreMumbles headland is under threat
The Amusement Equipment Company Ltd (AMECO) plans to develop the headland and foreshore at Mumbles, west of Swansea. We have objected to the planning application which includes apartments, a hotel and entertainment centre and involves deregistration of common land on the clifftop. Not only will this development be an intrusion on the edge of the…
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New plan for unique Odiham Common
Hart District Council has published its ten-year management plan for Odiham Common in north Hampshire. (Click to read) The plan is the result of 18 months’ work by an advisory group,(1) and a significant investment by the district council. The 284-acre common, which is owned by Hart District Council, is a site of special scientific…
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