Global commons conference, Canada, 25-29 May 2015
The commons amid complexity and change is the theme of the next global conference organised by the International Association for the Study of the Commons. It is to be held at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, from 25 to 29 May next year. Commons in an international sense are much broader than our ancient…
Read MoreCross-compliance on public paths should apply in Wales
We have urged the Welsh Government to require that landowners and occupiers who receive agri-environment funding keep the public paths on their land in good order. The society was responding to the government’s consultation on Common Agricultural Policy reform and cross-compliance. We have said that owners or occupiers who receive public funds for the management…
Read MoreCommon-land swap approved for Walton Heath, Surrey
The Planning Inspectorate has approved plans by Walton Heath Golf Club to swap an area of common land known as Beecham’s Field on the golf course for a site some distance away. The land to be taken is 80,000 square metres on the west side of the golf course (near the car-park) which the golf…
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Defra’s figures for village greens show it has acted on dogma not evidence
Figures published today by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) do not show that there was a need to change the law on village greens. Last year the government passed the Growth and Infrastructure Act which outlaws the registration of land as a green where it is threatened with development, arguing that…
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We fear that government will privatise land of public importance
We are concerned that the government’s Infrastructure Bill could lead to the loss of publicly-important land. The bill, currently in the House of Lords, appears to allow ministers to transfer land of public value to the Homes and Communities Agency and other bodies, and thence to developers. We fear that this could not only be…
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Plan dropped for massive wind-turbines in Cumbrian beauty-spot
Banks Renewables has abandoned its plan to build three massive wind-turbines near Killington Reservoir in Cumbria (near junction 37 on the M6 motorway)—the gateway to the Lake District and the Western Fells of the Yorkshire Dales. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, called in the application last March after South…
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Pub extension could threaten beauty-spot Chilterns common
We have objected to a planning appeal which could threaten the lovely Ibstone Common in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Bucks. The owners of the Fox public house in Ibstone applied to Wycombe District Council for permission to extend the premises, including a basement function-suite with capacity for 150 people. The council…
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Waverley Council to rethink future of Haslemere Common
We are delighted that Waverly Borough Council has decided to defer plans to refurbish Wey Hill Fairground common at Haslemere in Surrey. The land is currently used as a car-park. The council applied for consent for works on the common, under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006. We and many others, including the Haslemere…
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Outdoor organisations call on MPs and peers to “champion outdoor recreation” for the good of the nation
Ten leading outdoor organisations are joining together in Westminster today (11 June) to urge parliamentarians to factor the benefits of outdoor recreation into their manifestos and policies ahead of the next general election. The event, organised by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Mountaineering, co-chaired by David Rutley MP…
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Our manifesto for green spaces
We have published our manifesto for the 2015 Westminster election. We are calling on politicians of all parties to support these policies. Good-quality paths and green spaces are vital to people’s well-being and they support the economy too. So we are urging politicians to adopt policies which protect and promote commons, greens, other open spaces…
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