Unwelcome review of process for registering new greens
We are disappointed at the tone and content of the consultation from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on the registration of new town and village greens. Read more here. Says our case officer, Nicola Hodgson: ‘The basis for the consultation, that there is an abuse of the legislation, is contrary to…
Read MoreWe slate proposed demolition of planning system
We have slated the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published for consultation yesterday (25 July) by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Read more here. The society argues that it proposes demolition of the planning system which has served the country well for more than 60 years. Says Nicola Hodgson, our case…
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Bradwell Parish Council secures peace garden for ever
Bradwell Parish Council in Derbyshire has registered the Peace Garden as a village green. This will ensure that this small triangle in the heart of the village is safe for ever. Derbyshire County Council, the commons and greens registration authority, confirmed the registration on 10 May. The Open Spaces Society, which is the leading organisation…
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Sugary Green, Dartmouth, saved
The outstanding natural beauty of Sugary Green (near Castle Cove, Dartmouth) and its breathtaking view of the mouth of the river Dart have been protected for ever. When a major development of the site, with infrastructure and parking, was proposed in 2009, local publisher Richard Webb formed The Friends of Sugary Green, an action group…
Read MoreFarming lobbyists attack greens and public paths
We have slated as ‘crude and ill-informed’ proposals for village greens and public paths in the report of the Farming Regulation Task Force (the Macdonald Report), ‘Striking a balance: reducing burdens; increasing responsibility; earning recognition’. Says our case officer, Nicola Hodgson: ‘the proposals are crude because they are the work of an obviously vested interest…
Read MoreOne quarter of new Assembly Members support our action plan for Wales
Fifteen of the 60 members of the National Assembly for Wales have supported, wholly or largely, the Open Spaces Society’s 12-point Action Plan for Wales. We sent the plan, through our members in Wales and from our headquarters, to all the candidates in the recent election, asking for their backing. The 15 Assembly Members are:…
Read MoreThreat to Kendal’s village green
We have objected to the planning application from Kendal Golf Club for a golf driving-range on Kendal’s extensive village green in Cumbria. The green is on the side of Kendal Fell which lies above the town to the north-west. For more than two centuries the land has been enjoyed by the public for informal recreation.…
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Our blueprint for green-space law
We have made a bid to save unconsidered scraps and patches of land from development and neglect. Responding to the government’s proposal for ‘a new designation to protect green areas of particular importance to local communities’(1) the society points out that these are likely to be small and often not very green─but of great value…
Read MoreBristol to consult on process for new greens
Bristol City Council’s Public Rights of Way and Greens Committee, on 18 April, deferred a decision on a new process for determining applications to register land as a town or village greens and agreed instead to conduct a public consultation. We had objected to the council’s proposal to refer applications to a council subcommittee, advised…
Read MoreDefra study of Women’s Institute Survey on Town and Village Greens
Please click on the link below to download a copy of Defra’s study of the character of greens based on a semi-randomised representative sample (200) of information gathered by the Women’s Institute across England. Please click here
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