New edition of our greens bible
We have published the third edition of Getting Green Registered, our handbook on how to register land as a town or village green in England and Wales. The book includes the changes to the law, made by the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 in April, which make it harder to register land as a green…
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OSS wins Elinor Ostrom Award
We have won a prestigious international award for our work on common land. Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, received the first-ever Elinor Ostrom Award at a global conference in Japan last week. The award was established by 15 institutions in memory of the renowned academic expert on commons, Elinor Ostrom of Indiana University, who died…
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International accolade for OSS
We have won a prestigious international award for our work on common land. Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, will receive the first-ever Elinor Ostrom Award at a global conference in Japan next month. The award was established by 15 institutions in memory of the renowned academic expert on commons, Elinor Ostrom of Indiana University, who…
Read MoreThree projects short-listed for national Open Space Award
Three community-based projects, in Bucks, Newcastle upon Tyne and Surrey, have been short-listed for the Open Spaces Society’sprestigious Open Space Award. The Grange Area Trust has saved Widmer Fields at Widmer End, Hazlemere, near High Wycombe in Bucks from development. The trust, which was established with the aim of conserving the 16-hectare site as a…
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The spirit of Kinder lives on—81 years later
The first in what is hoped will be an annual celebration of Kinder Scout and the mass trespass will be held at New Mills Town Hall on Saturday 27 April. The Kinder & High Peak Advisory Group has decided that such was the enthusiasm engendered by the 80th anniversary celebrations last year, the event should…
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…
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Call for open space champions
We have launched our 2013 Open Space Award and are calling for nominations for open space champions. We want to encourage nominations for projects which support our aims to protect, increase, enhance and champion common land, town and village greens, open spaces and public rights of way in England and Wales, and the public’s right…
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Our five-point action-plan to save commons from encroachment
We have today (17 October) set out our action plan for dealing with unlawful encroachments on common land. Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, is speaking at the annual meeting of the Association of Commons Registration Authorities in Birmingham. Says Kate: ‘Common land is at risk from being eaten away by encroachment. Too often adjoining property-owners…
Read MoreSlow down! It’s a common!
This article was published on the Headline Environment website, On the Agenda, 12 October 2012. Responding to a recent Department of Transport consultation, Kate Ashbrook explains why the Open Spaces Society has advocated a 40mph limit on all roads through commons and how this is an important step in maintaining the open and unenclosed nature…
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Common ground not battleground
Article published on Headline Environment website, On the Agenda, 11 September 2012 Commons are unique and precious places to be treasured by all, says Kate Ashbrook, of the Open Spaces Society, as she welcomes the publication of a revised version of A Common Purpose. Kate Ashbrook writes: Common land has for centuries been a…
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