Wales apes England and proposes law which will destroy village greens
We are 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 for…
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Saving our green spaces
If you want to save your open space you need to get involved. Our general secretary Kate Ashbrook tells you how. Communities need to be on their toes if they want to rescue their much-loved spaces from developers. The opportunity to register them as town or village greens has recently diminished in England, and…
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John Riddall—a lawyer for the people
We are sad that John Riddall, who lived in Bradwell in the Derbyshire Peak District, has died aged 86. He had been our vice-president since 2003 and was a trustee (1987–1993) and our local correspondent for the Derbyshire Dales district (1986-1994). With John Trevelyan he was co-author of the second, third and fourth editions of…
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We deplore green space ‘sop’
Our vice-president, the open spaces expert Paul Clayden, condemned the government’s Local Green Space designation as a sop to local people, and no substitute for village and town greens. He was addressing our annual general meeting in London on 8 July. Paul said: ‘The Local Green Space, introduced in the government’s National Planning Policy Framework…
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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…
Read MoreChanges to judicial review process
New civil procedure court rules have been introduced for England and Wales for judicial review. Judicial review is the process of challenging the lawfulness of decisions of public authorities and the application for permission for judicial review has to be made within time limits set by the Court Rules. There is now a six week…
Read MoreWe appoint new treasurer
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Steve Warr as Treasurer and Trustee of the Open Spaces Society. Steve is a Chartered Accountant who spent his career in the banking industry. He brings considerable experience of operating at Board level to the role of Treasurer. He lives in north Oxfordshire and has had an…
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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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Residents of Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, win new green
Residents of Westgate-on-Sea, near Margate in Kent, have won a new village green, following four years of hard work and a public inquiry. The 2.44-acre field, consisting of rough grass with a wooded perimeter, has been enjoyed by local people for informal recreation since the end of the war. Sited north of Ursuline Drive, the…
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The tide has turned
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, writes about worrying changes in legal opinion. Fifteen years ago the Sunningwell case clarified the law on village greens in the public interest. Since then a series of cases has gone the same way—but now the tide has turned. Already this year we have had three judgments about greens in…
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