Chorleywood Common
Chorleywood Common is an amazing place. Within a mile of the M25 and surrounded by roads and railways, it survives as a wild oasis, breathtakingly lovely with its wide open spaces and mixed woodland. It is a reminder, in miniature, of our pre-inclosure landscapes. It is enjoyed by walkers and riders, residents and visitors of…
Read MoreShortlist for our Open Space Award
We have announced the shortlist for our first-ever Open Space Award. Those in the running are: The Bishop’s Meadow Trust at Farnham in Surrey, Full Frontal in Medway, the Our Green Space Project in Cumbria, and Royd Regeneration in Mytholmroyd, Calderdale. The society was delighted with the response to its request for nominations for the…
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New protection for common land in Wales
We welcome the new measures brought into force in Wales on 1 April. These will give better protection to all registered common land—more than eight per cent of the land area of Wales. Welsh ministers have enacted part 3 of the Commons Act 2006, which sets out the process for obtaining consent from the Minister…
Read MoreKeep the Kinder torch aflame
‘We must keep the Kinder trespassers’ torch aflame,’ declared Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, speaking at the launch of the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, in Edale on Tuesday 24 April. ‘We cannot be complacent, we cannot treat Kinder as mere history. The threats which the trespassers…
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Kinder 80 – celebrating the trespass
The Open Spaces Society will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass which took place on 24 April 1932. Our general secretary Kate Ashbrook is speaking at the launch event on Tuesday 24 April and the society has contributed to the programme. Says Kate: ‘There is nothing like the right to…
Read MoreUnlawful track on Gloucestershire common
We have urged Gloucestershire County Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council to take legal action against a track which has been constructed on common land. The track is on Brockeridge Common, near Twyning, Tewkesbury. The landowner, Mr Ewan Reynolds, was refused planning permission but has built the track anyway, and the borough council has issued a…
Read MoreNew golfing-plans on Walton Heath Common
We have objected to plans by Walton Heath Golf Club to use part of Walton Heath Common, in Surrey, as a ‘golf-practice facility’. The golf club has submitted a planning application to Reigate and Banstead Borough Council. The land is registered common land and the public has the right to walk and ride here. We…
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Milestone court-ruling: cattle-grids on public paths
We are delighted with the successful outcome to Alan Kind’s appeal to the High Court, to clarify whether or not a council can lawfully authorise a cattle-grid across the full width of a footpath or bridleway. This decision will provide additional protection for our public paths and better safety for the people using them. Capheaton…
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Cattle-grid blocks bridleway
On 14 March 2012, in a useful judgment for path defenders, two high court judges ruled that a cattle-grid cannot be authorised to block the whole width of a footpath or bridleway—Kind v Northumberland County Council [2012] EWHC 603 (Admin). Capheaton bridleway 11, 18 miles north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne, was recorded as a public…
Read MoreWind turbines in Gloucestershire countryside
We have objected to two wind turbines in south Gloucestershire, near the village of Kingswood. The Resilience Centre has applied to Stroud District Council for permission to erect one turbine near Cherry Rock Farm and another near Mounteneys Farm. We have backed local members and objected to both turbines. There are public footpaths in the…
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