Our Treasured Landscapes
We shall be submitting evidence to the government’s review of England’s designated landscapes; this nicely coincides with their seventieth anniversary next year. Rydal Water, Lake District On 27 May the environment secretary Michael Gove launched a review of the national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), to be led by author and journalist Julian…
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PINS Determines Proposals For Deregistration From Bridgend County Borough Council
PINS has determined the two proposals made by Bridgend county borough council for deregistration of school sites, at Pencoed School and at Brynmenyn Primary School, both under s.19. We succeeded in objecting to one, and the other was granted without any real objection from us. We objected to both, on the grounds that the council…
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Beef Up The Bill
In her Opinion article in the autumn issue of Open Space magazine, our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, writes about the Agriculture Bill. Last summer the Dartmoor Society (a voluntary body) hosted a visit to Gidleigh Common on north-east Dartmoor. Those present were shocked to see the land there smothered in purple moor-grass and gorse, where once there had been…
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Massive Motorsport Development On Common Land In South Wales
We have objected to plans by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council to revive the ill-fated Circuit of Wales motorsport development. The council has applied for renewal of planning permission for the massive racing circuit, hotels, showrooms and other industrial development on common land at Rassau, Ebbw Vale. Circuit of Wales – artist’s impression We fought…
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Round Two In The Battle To Save The Warcop Commons In Cumbria From The Military
On Tuesday 30 October we resume our opposition to the applications of the Secretary of State for Defence to deregister the extensive Warcop commons(1). The applications, if granted, would cause Burton, Hilton and Murton Fells, in the Cumbrian North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to cease to be common land after centuries—perhaps even a…
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John Underhill-Day, 1943-2018
Kate Ashbrook writes: We are sad to report the untimely death of John Underhill-Day at the age of 74. He was an excellent all-round naturalist with expertise in common land, and a good friend to the society. John was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and educated at Lancing College in West Sussex, which he hated.…
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We fight common-land swap at the Canyons
We have objected to an application from Peakman Ltd to remove part of Mynydd Llanhilleth Common from the common-land register. This popular common is near Abertillery in south Wales. As part of its plan to extract aggregates from the nearby quarry, Peakman wants to widen the existing Blaen y Cwm road and create parking bays.…
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Our clash with the military over threat to Cumbrian commons
We are set to clash with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at the forthcoming public inquiry into the government’s application to deregister three large upland commons in Cumbria: Burton & Warcop fells, Murton and Hilton. This would turn the commons into private land and the application threatens to be the largest inclosure of common land…
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Fencing plan for Fylingdales Moor common
We have objected to a proposal to erect over five kilometres of fencing on Fylingdales Moor common in the North York Moors National Park. The application has been made by the Manor of Fyling Court Leet which wants to graze livestock there. Because the fencing is on common land, the applicant must obtain the consent…
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Protests over unacceptable damage to Clapham Common
The society is appealing to Lambeth Council not to allow another six-week long Winterville festival on Clapham Common in south London. We consider it shocking that Winterville is planned to take place again, when the Common has still not recovered from the damage caused by last year’s festival. The so-called ‘events area’ on the common,…
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