Robert Hunter where are you?
‘Sir Robert Hunter would have been horrified by the government’s assault on our green spaces.’ So said Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary, on the centenary of Robert Hunter’s death on 6 November. Robert Hunter was solicitor to the Commons Preservation Society, as the Open Spaces Society was first known, some years before he went on…
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Common land reclaimed at St Just, Cornwall
More than 100 hectares of common land at Carn Kenidjack, north of St Just in Penwith, Cornwall, have 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 in September, planning inspector Martin Elliott ruled that the land should be…
Read MoreWe object to Defra’s plans to justify development
We have objected to plans by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for ‘biodiversity offsetting’, by which alternative sites and habitats are provided to replace those lost through development. The society responded to Defra’s consultation Biodiversity offsetting in England, green paper. We believe that offsetting will lead to a net loss of…
Read MoreA gross injustice
We have submitted a robust response to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation, Judicial review—proposals for further reform. The consultation closed on 1 November. The proposals are an attack on the freedom of charities to pursue action in the courts. The ministry proposes to make it more difficult for charities such as ours to take cases…
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Objectors prepare for battle to save path to Morfa Beach
We are among the objectors to the proposed extinguishment of most of Longlands Lane, Margam, in Neath Port Talbot, and the diversion of the Wales Coastal Path inland beside a railway line and goods yard. There is to be a public inquiry into these proposed path-changes, to be held at the Orangery in Margam Country…
Read MorePorthcawl’s quiet lane saved from development
We have welcomed Bridgend County Borough Council’s decision to refuse planning permission on land at Moor Lane, Porthcawl, south Wales. The society objected because Moor Lane is popular with walkers, runners, horse riders and cyclists, and these vulnerable road-users could not have continued to enjoy this narrow country lane. Porthcawl Riders and local residents from…
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Brendon Commons, Exmoor, set to become first commons council under new law
We have backed a proposal to create a commons council for the Brendon Commons in the Exmoor National Park. This would be the first-ever commons council under the Commons Act 2006. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is consulting on whether to establish the commons council and will only do so…
Read MoreNew law could ban public from open spaces and paths
We have called on Peers to challenge provisions in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill which empower local authorities to restrict people’s use of public spaces in England. The Bill has its second reading in the House of Lords on 29 October. The Bill enables a local authority to make a Public Spaces Protection…
Read MoreLincoln stalwart retires
Mick Commons has recently resigned from the Lincoln City Commons Advisory Panel on which he served as the society’s representative for nearly 30 years. Mick, a professional footballer, became interested in the commons when he kept horses there. The committee was established thanks to the society’s opposition to the city council’s Lincoln City Council Bill…
Read MoreFurther fencing allowed on Allendale Common, Northumberland
We are sorry that the Planning Inspectorate has approved two miles of fencing alongside the east side of the Allendale/Carrshield road in Northumberland, in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Such works need the consent of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under section 38 of the Commons Act…
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