New village green at Camrose in Pembrokeshire
The Lambston Parish Residents’ Association in Camrose community, Pembrokeshire, is celebrating the registration of an open space in Sutton as a village green. The one-acre site, just to the west of Haverfordwest, has been enjoyed by local people for informal recreation and social events for decades. Since the owner is not known, the Lambston residents…
Read More
We fight loss of open space in Bolsover
We have joined the campaign against a development on land north of Clowne, at Bolsover in Derbyshire. The society has objected to an outline planning application from Waystone Ltd for mixed-use development, including employment land, 1,800 residential dwellings, a retirement village, hotel and much more. We have backed CPRE Derbyshire and others in opposing the…
Read More
A celebration at Wittersham, Kent
Twenty-five years ago our member Mavis King succeeded in getting Poplar Farm field and pond, at Wittersham in Kent, registered as a village green, VG235. The 1.5-acre site was threatened with developers and, with our help, Mavis saved it. On 16 November 2017 Mavis unveiled a plaque, which was fixed to a three-ton boulder of…
Read More
We call for new open space designation in Wales
We have called on the Welsh Government to introduce a statutory designation for open space, to ensure that it is properly protected and can be enjoyed by local people. The society has responded to the Welsh Government consultation on changes to town and village green legislation in the Planning (Wales) Act 2015. Town and village…
Read More
The government’s 25-year plan for the environment
We are pleased that the government has at last published its 25-year plan for the environment. It has many fine ambitions, which we applaud, and now we should like to hear more about how the government intends to achieve them. And of course we are willing to help. Green spaces We particularly welcome the aims…
Read More
Breckland councillors to determine controversial development plans at Dereham, Norfolk
On Monday (15 January) Breckland Council’s Planning Committee will determine the planning application to build 291 houses on agricultural land south of Dereham in Norfolk. There are more than 192 objectors, including the society, the Ramblers and five town and parish councils. This development on open countryside will bring no public benefit and no new…
Read More
New Northern Forest: great opportunity for public involvement
We have welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement that a new Northern Forest is to be created along the M62 corridor, as part of the government’s 25-year Environment Plan. The forest is to span more than 120 miles between the cities of Bradford, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. The society is particularly pleased that this will provide…
Read More
Northumberland County Council drops plan for Amble Braid village green
Northumberland County Council has withdrawn its plan to deregister 4,400 square metres (just over one acre) of Amble Braid village green in order to create a car-park. The society was among the objectors to the proposal which was to be determined by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment,…
Read More
A new village green: the perfect Christmas gift for your community
We have called on landowners, particularly local councils, to consider dedicating land as a town or village green as the perfect Christmas gift to the community. Once land is registered as a green it is protected, by nineteenth-century laws, from development and local people have rights of informal recreation there. It is open to any…
Read More
We persuade Harwich developer to provide new town green
We have persuaded M Scott Properties Ltd to provide a town green, 160 square metres in extent, in exchange for part of a town green of the same area which it proposes to take for development. In July M Scott Properties applied to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for consent…
Read More