Park sharks
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, considers how commercial exploitation is threatening our parks and green spaces. As I walked through Battersea Park in the February sunshine I found it hard to imagine what it would be like here in July. Then the quiet roads around the park will be converted into a motor-race track for the international…
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Bucks councils recognise value of Local Green Space
We are pleased that Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils have recognised the importance of Local Green Space in their new joint local plan. The councils have advocated that where land is proposed for removal from the green belt, the joint local plan will consider whether additional planning controls are appropriate, such as protection as…
Read MoreLocal councils need to be proactive in saving their open spaces
We have called on town and parish councils in Hampshire to be proactive in saving and supporting their local open spaces in these times of austerity. Nicola Hodgson, our society’s case officer, was speaking at the annual conference of the Hampshire Association of Local Councils on the vital topic of saving and supporting open spaces.…
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150th anniversary of Berkhamsted Common battle
On Sunday (6 March) with the National Trust we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the night raid to free Berkhamsted Common. On 6 March 1866, the year after its foundation, the Open Spaces Society organised a trainload of brawny navvies to pull down Lord Brownlow’s illegal iron fences and reopen the common to the people.…
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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…
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Our new book to celebrate village greens
We have published a new book, Village Greens, to celebrate the fascinating village greens of England and Wales. It is written by our chairman, Graham Bathe. The book appears at a time when our green spaces have never been more threatened—by development, sale by local authorities, commercial abuse, neglect and lack of funding. Yet paradoxically…
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Battersea Park condemned to become motor racetrack for Formula E
We are dismayed that Wandsworth Council has granted planning permission for the construction of a ‘temporary’ motor-racing circuit, fencing, safety barriers and numerous other structures related to hospitality and broadcasting, for the proposed Formula E championship in July. The event was staged for the first time last year. The society, Save Battersea Park, the London…
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We slate boozy event on Acton Green common
We have objected to an application from Carsten Raun to hold a German beer-festival on Acton Green common, Ealing, for five days this August. Ealing Council has written to local residents to say that it intends to allow this. We argue that the Oktoberfest is unlawful under the Greater London Parks and Open Spaces Order…
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Pull the plug on motor race in Battersea Park
We are calling for the immediate withdrawal of a planning application to hold a damaging motor race in a park of national status. The proposal to restage the Formula E race in Grade II*-listed Battersea Park close to central London has sparked hundreds of objections, but Wandsworth Council planners have published their recommendation to approve…
Read MoreWe renew call for use of Local Green Space designation
We have called on the government to clarify the opportunities to win Local Green Space (LGS), and once again urged local authorities and communities to make use of the designation. The society has responded to a consultation from the Department for Communities and Local Government on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework of March…
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