Dismay that Newhaven beach is not a green

We are dismayed by the High Court judgment that West Beach at Newhaven in East Sussex is not a village green. Mr Justice Ouseley ruled (21 March) that the land did not qualify as a green because its use by local people for informal recreation was incompatible with its statutory use as a port by…

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Tony Drake, path protector, 1923-2012

We are sad to report that our long-standing member Tony Drake has died aged 89. Tony was a walker and mountaineer; for decades he campaigned for public paths, especially in his home county of Gloucestershire and in Wales. Tony was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, the only child of Leslie and Gladys Drake. He inherited the…

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Red-tape review could threaten common land

We are concerned that plans to simplify the law of common land could put commons at risk of hostile development.  The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published its plans to cut red tape for environmental regulations.  These include extending the range of works on common land to be exempted from the consent…

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David and Goliath battle for Harefield green

Next week is a further milestone in the campaign to save Harefield’s Medi Parc site as a green space for local people. On Tuesday (20 March) the public inquiry opens into the application by the Harefield Tenants’ and Residents’ Association to register the land as a village green. Harefield is a village on the western…

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Waltham Forest Council delays on its public-path duties

We have criticised Waltham Forest Council for failing to follow the correct legal procedures on public rights of way and for severe procrastination. The council has delayed adding a public highway to its official map of public paths (the definitive map), for more than five years. In 2007 local people submitted evidence that the footpath…

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West Yorkshire green space saved in appeal court

We are delighted that the Court of Appeal today overturned a High Court judgment, so that Clayton Fields at Birkby, Huddersfield, will now be registered as a village green. The 6.5 acres of sloping, partly-wooded, green space was first registered as a green in 1997, under the Commons Registration Act 1965.  The registration was overturned…

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Court of Appeal judgment threatens village greens

We are disappointed that the Court of Appeal today upheld a decision of the High Court (23 November 2010) on Markham and Little Francis village green at Weymouth in Dorset. Read the judgment here. The judges determined that the land was wrongly registered as a green.  It will be removed from the register, leaving it…

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Anne Wilks, 1918-2012

We are sad to report that our vice-president Anne Wilks has died aged 93. Anne lived for most of her life in Kent and was a tireless campaigner for commons, greens and public paths. She moved to Kent in 1924 and lived in Seasalter, Whitstable and finally Gravesend. Anne claimed countless paths for the official…

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