Bucks common freed of unlawful fence
We are delighted that unlawful fencing has been removed from Pinner Green common, near Latimer in Buckinghamshire. In 2013 it was reported that a local landowner had erected barbed-wire fencing around the small piece of common land which adjoins Blackwell Hall Lane, to prevent fly-tipping. The land is owned by Chiltern District Council. The fencing…
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Hundreds enjoy Big Picnic on Wycombe Rye to celebrate 50th anniversary of its rescue
We are delighted that the Big Picnic, which we organised jointly with the High Wycombe Society on Wycombe Rye on Sunday 9 August, was a huge success. The event was to celebrate the rescue of The Rye from a road scheme 50 years ago as well as marking our 150th anniversary. Says Jackie Kay, the…
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We fight threat to Guildford’s unique commons
We have written to Guildford Borough Council’s head of development, Barry Fagg, calling on the council to abandon its plan to use three areas of common land close to Guildford in Surrey as Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG). This is proposed to compensate for development close to the Special Protection Area (SPA) of Whitmoor Common…
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We join forces with the High Wycombe Society for a celebratory Big Picnic on Wycombe Rye
OSS and the High Wycombe Society are jointly celebrating an important anniversary with a Big Picnic on Wycombe Rye on Sunday 9 August. It is 50 years since the Rye Protection Society, with help from the Open Spaces Society, saved The Rye from a road scheme. The event is free and open to all, from…
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Championing Chiltern commons
As the Chilterns Commons Project comes to an end, project officer Rachel Sanderson reflects on its achievements. In the south-east of England, a large number of small commons provide important recreational facilities for people in urban and semi-urban communities. Over the last four years, the Chilterns Commons Project, run by the Chilterns Conservation Board, has…
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Giving Henley a hand for Entente Florale
At the invitation of our member Henley-on-Thames Town Council our general secretary Kate Ashbrook spent part of our 150th birthday on Sunday meeting the judges of the Entente Florale European competition. The council had entered for the award, having been nominated by a Britain in Bloom judge. The ten judges came from all over Europe,…
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Wycombe Rye rescue a milestone in the Open Spaces Society’s 150-year history
‘We saved the incomparable Wycombe Rye 50 years ago through joint local and national effort,’ said Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary. Kate was giving a talk to the High Wycombe Society on 15 July. Says Kate: ‘In 1964 the secretary of the newly-formed Wycombe Rye Protection Society, forerunner of the High Wycombe Society, wrote to…
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We condemn drive for ‘self-funding countryside estate’ in Surrey
We have condemned the cuts to national and local government services for countryside and public enjoyment. Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, was the keynote speaker at the annual general meeting of the Surrey branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) on 3 July. Kate was particularly critical of Surrey County Council’s intention to…
Read MoreWithdrawal of Stevenage common enclosure plans
Stevenage Borough Council has heeded our advice and has withdrawn its application to fence off part of Norton Green Common. The common is on the south-west side of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, immediately to the west of the A1(M). The council had applied to the Secretary of State for Environment for consent to erect a fence…
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Land at Breaky Bottom open to the public
After a long battle by Action for Access and the Open Spaces Society, walkers can now use some of the Access Land (1) at Breaky Bottom, near Lewes. A new stile has been erected. The grid reference is TQ404054 (2). Our local correspondent Chris Smith says “The new access land is a great place to…
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