Commons in a ‘glocal’ world
This was the title of the conference which our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, attended in Bern, Switzerland, in May. It was organised by the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) and Bern University, to discuss commons at a European level. Kate tells the story. We should start with some definitions. ‘Glocal’ means…
Read More
We fight plan to seize part of Haven Green common
We have objected to plans by Ealing Council to deregister part of Haven Green common. The council wants to legitimise a cycle hub which was constructed unlawfully on the common in 2012. This did not receive the necessary ministerial consent for works on common land before it was installed. We argue that the council should…
Read MoreThreat to Dunsfold Common, Surrey
Kitewood Investments Ltd has applied for planning permission for 42 dwellings and associated development adjacent to Dunsfold Common south of Guildford in Surrey. The plans include an access track across the common, which will require the consent of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in addition to planning permission, because it is…
Read More
Heritage Lottery funding for Kent’s Greensand Commons
We are delighted that Sevenoaks District Council has won funding for the Sevenoaks Greensand Commons Project in Kent. The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £65,900 to help the council develop plans for increasing public access to the commons and improving them for wildlife. The council will then prepare a full bid to enable it to…
Read MoreOur new Case Officer
We are delighted to welcome Hugh Craddock as our new Case Officer. Hugh will work alongside our present Case Officer, Nicola Hodgson, assisting members of the society on technical, legal and practical issues regarding commons, greens, open spaces and public paths. Hugh formerly worked for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and…
Read More
We fight road threat to Surrey common
We are concerned that Miller Developments is threatening to build a road across Broad Street Common, near Guildford in Surrey, to serve a proposed new housing development of 220 properties. We have urged Surrey County Council to reject the plan. Broad Street Common is heavily protected. Not only is it registered common land with access rights…
Read More
We launch our 12-point action plan for the new National Assembly for Wales
We have unveiled our 12-point action plan for the new National Assembly for Wales. We call on election candidates to lobby for a better deal for green spaces and public paths. Our Action Plan for Wales chimes with the seven principles in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. Open spaces and paths are…
Read More
We become common rightholder in Norfolk
We have become the proud owner of a right of common on land known as St Clement’s Common at Rushall near Diss in Norfolk. The society’s right is of ‘estovers’, ie to collect furze and bracken. The right was originally granted by the late landowner, Daphne Buxton, to a local member of the society, Maurice…
Read More
Commons – global and local
The Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) of the University of Gloucestershire has published its new book, Commons—Governance of Shared Assets, coinciding nicely with World Book Day. It can be downloaded as a pdf or as epub from the university’s website. The book is a collection of recent blog posts on the CCRI website, centred on…
Read More
Stepping stones across the River Thame
Our local correspondent Chris Hall writes of the society’s efforts to record a route across the River Thame in Oxfordshire as a public footpath. Three miles east of industrial Cowley, deep and peacefully remote in the meadows of the Oxford green belt, is a legal battleground at grid reference SP 601 005. As recently as…
Read More