Archive for May 2015
International commons conference in Canada
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, is in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for the biennial conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC), 25-29 May. She has been generously funded by the Elinor Ostrom Award, which the society won in 2013. The society is keen to encourage the IASC to embrace practitioners who…
Read MoreMajor victory for green spaces of Wales
The Welsh Government has decided not to ape England’s village-greens law. In December 2013 we learnt that the Welsh Government was proposing, in its Planning (Wales) Bill, to copy the provisions of England’s egregious Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 for greens. In other words, it proposed that applications for greens should be outlawed when land had been identified for planning,…
Read MoreWelsh village greens rescued from damaging law-change
We are delighted to have helped stop the Planning (Wales) Act from making devastating changes to village-green law. The Planning (Wales) Act, which was finalised yesterday (19 May), was amended during its passage through the Welsh Assembly, thanks to the society’s campaign. Assembly Members reversed several draconian measures which would have severely restricted the public’s…
Read MoreWe fight fence on limestone beauty-spot
We are fighting an application from the Farleton Knott Commoners’ Association for a 550-metre fence along the west side of Puddlemire Lane across Farleton Knott common, in Cumbria. Farleton Knott, close to the M6 three miles east of Milnthorpe, is a limestone hill of outstanding natural beauty and interest for its geology and flora and…
Read MoreWe object to path change in Wenvoe, South Wales
We have objected to a plan to move a beautiful footpath at Wenvoe, in the Vale of Glamorgan. The Vale of Glamorgan Council has consulted interested parties on a plan to move Wenvoe footpath 21 in connection with a development to the west of Port Road. The council wants to shift the path next to…
Read MoreHenley RBL learns about Open Spaces Society
‘The national Open Spaces Society has plenty to keep it busy here in Henley-on-Thames,’ said the society’s case officer, Nicola Hodgson, speaking at a lunch organised by the Henley & Peppard Branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL). Founded in 1865, the society celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Nicola told the RBL how the…
Read MoreLake District park authority rejects second attempt to develop White Moss common
We are delighted that the Lake District National Park Authority has once again rejected plans for the development of White Moss, on the A591 between Rydal Water and Grasmere in Cumbria. Jim Lowther, brother of the eighth Earl of Lonsdale who is custodian of the family’s estate, had applied to develop common land at White…
Read MoreLand at Breaky Bottom open to the public after OSS action
Action by the society’s Local Correspondent, Chris Smith, has resulted in more land at Breaky Bottom Vineyard, Sussex being opened to the public. The society objected to an order which would have continued the restriction. As a result part of the land has been made available for public access. The public access area is shown…
Read MoreThe postwar revolution that altered the English countryside
On 11 May, BBC East marked VE Day: First Days of Peace with a programme on the postwar revolution that altered the English countryside into a landscape that could not only feed the nation but also be seen as a place of leisure. Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, spoke to Ben Robinson and you can…
Read MoreAccessing Nature funding programme
This summer SITA Trust will launch its new Accessing Nature programme which will fund capital works to increase and improve opportunities for access to the great outdoors. They will be accepting England-wide applications for a range of projects including, but not limited to: providing access to nature reserves and wildlife areas, creating community pond-dipping areas…
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