Help us to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the South Downs National Park
The Hampshire Ramblers have organised an event to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the South Downs National Park, at which our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, is one of the speakers (at 3pm). It is on Saturday 15 April, starting at 11am at the South Downs Centre, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 9DH. After a short introductory…
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Amenity organisations call for an immediate end to zoo parking on the Downs
National and local amenity organisations today called on Bristol City Council to put an immediate end to zoo parking on the Downs. In a joint statement, Bristol Civic Society, the Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge, the Open Spaces Society, the Ramblers, and the Redland and Cotham Amenity Association said: ‘The Downs are one…
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Unfair land-swap at Gorseinon, Swansea
Persimmon Homes wants to swap an area of Mynydd Garngoch Common at Gorseinon, north-west of Swansea. The plan is to strike 0.71 hectares of common land from the register and use it for development, replacing it with 0.81 hectares of land which we and others believe to be inferior. Persimmon says that it needs the…
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Watton Copse, Driffield, is freed from unauthorised oil-tank
An unauthorised oil-tank on Watton Copse, Driffield, has been removed. This follows refusal of planning permission by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. The Open Spaces Society, Watton Parish Council and 42 local people opposed the application. A year ago, owners of a neighbouring property in Vicarage Close, Watton, had placed an oil tank in…
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We fear loss of public paths in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire County Council has consulted on its plan to categorise the county’s public paths so that some will receive little or no attention. It proposes to put paths into categories to determine the level of their maintenance, with a complicated system of assigning the priority to be given to each route. We are deeply…
Read MoreFuture Generations Commissioner for Wales consults on strategic plan
The office of the first Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Sophie Howe, has launched a new website and a broad conversation/consultation on their Draft Strategic Plan and policy priorities. They are currently running a survey which will collate broad patterns of priorities raised by organisations, individuals and companies. It is anticipated that this survey will…
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Development next to Charlton Common, South Gloucestershire
Redrow Homes plan a major development next to Charlton Common in South Gloucestershire. They want to build 80 dwellings on the western side of the common. We have objected to the planning application because the development involves building an access track across the common. We objected to a similar proposal in 2012 and, in the…
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We fight electricity line across Bridgend common
Western Power Distribution intends to site an overhead electricity line, with 16 poles, on a South Wales common. The society has objected. The proposed electricity line would run for more than a mile across Mynydd Llangeinwyr common, the upland between Cwm Garw and Cwm Ogwr Fawr about six miles north of Bridgend. Because the line…
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Unfair land-swap at Therfield Heath Common, Royston
We have objected to a proposed land swap by the Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens. The conservators wish to exchange 1.65 acres of common land off Sun Hill at Royston in Hertfordshire for the same area of woodland over a mile away. The proposed exchange is to enable the conservators to build eight dwellings…
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Eastbourne downs will not be sold
We are delighted that Eastbourne Borough Council has done a U-turn and decided not to sell 3,000 acres of its downland. The decision follows a public poll which showed that 75 per cent of respondents voted against the sale of downland, even though this may mean a cut in other services. We called on the…
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