War against green space
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, writes of the unprecedented threats to open spaces. Our green spaces are being squeezed from both ends. Government made it harder to register greens and now a supreme court ruling encourages greedy developers to unpick existing registrations. Under the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 land cannot be registered as a…
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Residents save Bucks green
Congratulations to our member the Penn & Tylers Green Residents’ Society in Bucks who have won a five-year campaign to register two verges as village green and have set an excellent example to other communities. The land consists of two, wide, roadside verges leading from the Hazlemere to Penn road (the B474) into Coppice Farm…
Read MoreDeregulation Bill will help to get lost paths on the map
The Deregulation Bill, which is due for second reading in the House of Commons on Monday 3 February, will help to speed up claims for historic rights of way in England. The bill follows the recommendations in Stepping Forward, the report produced in 2010 by Natural England’s stakeholder working group on unrecorded highways. The group…
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What happened to balance?
When the Commons Bill was published in 2005 we were concerned, among other things, about part 1, which allows for correction and updating of the common-land registers. We feared that in the process we might lose more than we gained. However, ministers continually assured us, and parliament, that the bill was balanced and affected landowners…
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Unbounded freedom
Andrew Humphries, experienced hill-farmer and teacher, writes about the contribution of the Lake District yeomen. Unbounded freedom ruled the wandering scene Nor fence of ownership crept in between To hide the prospect of the following eye Its only bondage was the circling sky. (John Clare 1792-1864) Writing when enclosure and ‘high farming’ were in…
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Chilterns Commons Project competition to celebrate beauty of our commons
The stunning landscape of the Chilterns has inspired artists over the years and, to celebrate the natural beauty of our commons, the Chilterns Commons Project is running a free art competition. Artwork in any medium is welcomed from amateur artists young and old inspired by a common in the Chilterns. Prizes will be awarded to…
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Kate Ashbrook shortlisted as Outdoor Personality of the Year
We are delighted that our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, has been shortlisted as Outdoor Personality of the Year in The Great Outdoors (TGO) Awards which are run annually by TGO magazine and voted for by members of the public. Kate became general secretary of the society in 1984. A former member of the Countryside Agency…
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Sir Robert Hunter, 1844-1913
6 November 2013 is the centenary of the death of Robert Hunter, the society’s solicitor from 1868 to 1882. Robert Hunter was an early luminary of the Commons Preservation Society (CPS), as the Open Spaces Society was first known. He later became solicitor to the General Post Office and founded the National Trust. He was…
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Inclosure revived
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, writes about the revival of the inclosure movement. A century and a half ago we thought the inclosures were coming to an end—about the time that the Open Spaces Society was formed. Indeed, I said as much in Japan recently to an international audience on commons, and commiserated with those…
Read MorePublic paths in parliament
The draft Deregulation Bill, which contains measures for public rights of way (clauses 12-18 and schedule 6), has been published for parliamentary pre-legislative scrutiny. The bill aims to streamline and speed up the procedures for claiming paths for the definitive map. It follows the recommendations of Natural England’s Stakeholder Working Group on unrecorded ways, published…
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