We oppose plan to close vital Cornish rail-crossing
We are backing objectors to the proposed closure of a vital footpath across the railway line near Penzance, Cornwall. This pedestrian crossing at the Mexico Inn, Long Rock, provides an important short-cut for walkers. The alternative route is nearly a kilometre long. A public inquiry opens today (21 October) at the Marazion Community Centre, into…
Read MorePath to Ramsgate Harbour confirmed
The society is delighted that a new public highway has been recorded at Ramsgate harbour in Kent. The route runs between Madeira Walk and the lower esplanade at the harbour via a flight of steps and a tunnel. The society’s local correspondent for Thanet, Gordon Sencicle, backed the claim. Because there was an objection, the…
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Hampshire County Council to stop public from claiming rights on its land
We are dismayed that Hampshire County Council, the greens registration authority, is posting notices on all its countryside sites to prevent people from registering the land as a village green or claiming public paths there. The county council has written to all the parish clerks in Hampshire to warn them that the notices are going…
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Government website advises landowners to break the law
The government website which advises landowners of their responsibilities for public rights of way on their land tells them to break the law. Says our general secretary Kate Ashbrook: ‘The website advises landowners that it’s OK to plough cross-field paths provided people can easily walk around the edge of the field. The relevant legislation (Highways…
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Riverside path at Purfleet re-opens after nearly 20 years
After nearly 20 years of obstruction, the riverside path at Purfleet, which leads to Grays, has re-opened following action by keen Thames-side walker and Open Spaces Society member Chris Smith. Chris was pleased to have the support of the OSS and the Ramblers. The path was obstructed in the 1990s near Purfleet Station by a…
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Oxfordshire County Council plans Cinderella paths to save money
We have urged 51 town and parish councils in Oxfordshire to reject Oxfordshire County Council’s plan to categorise local paths according to their use. The county has written to a number of local councils encouraging them to consider this. The society advises that this could lead to less-well-used paths being relegated so that they become…
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Wales apes England in changing law to destroy village greens
The society is dismayed that the Welsh Government proposes to copy England’s law and boost developers in destroying village greens. The Welsh Government in its Planning Bill, published today (6 October), copies England’s Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013. It prohibits the registration of land as a town or village green where it has been identified…
Read MoreVictory against destructive Somerset solar farm
We are delighted that plans by INRG Solar Ltd, for 25,000 solar panels at Tynings Farm, Kilmersdon, Somerset, have been rejected by a planning inspector. We backed our member, the Jack and Jill Hill Preservation Society in fighting the scheme. The developers appealed against Mendip District Council’s refusal of planning permission and inspector John Wilde…
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Henley council rejects path discrimination
We have congratulated Henley Town Council on refusing to comply with Oxfordshire County Council’s plan to categorise local paths according to their use. Councillors, advised by the society, considered that this could lead to less-well-used paths being relegated so that they become obstructed and overgrown. The county council, the highway authority responsible for Oxfordshire’s public…
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Public hearing for Ealing’s Haven Green
The Friends of Haven Green and the Open Spaces Society are defending Haven Green (which is common land) at a hearing on Thursday 25 September. Ealing Council wants to widen a footway, erect temporary fencing, renew the footways and swap the land occupied by the old bus-layby, which will become common, for other land which…
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