Archive for October 2023
Coffey kowtows to landowners and destroys public-path consensus
We are dismayed that the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, has destroyed the 2010 consensus for the future of public paths. This consensus was forged by a stakeholder working group (SWG) set up to advise government. It is composed of experienced members reflecting the interests of users, local authorities, and landowners. Dr Coffey has cherry-picked from…
Read MoreWe slate commercial exploitation of London’s commons
Commons and open spaces in London and across the country are under increased threat from commercial exploitation following a public inquiry decision [1] allowing a massive music festival event. The Open Spaces Society deplores the decision by an inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to permit the…
Read MoreSaving Blackwell parkland
A campaign is on to register Darlington’s 18-hectare historic parkland as a town green. Our members Michael and Angela Green of the Parkland Heritage Network tell the story. The historic Blackwell parkland, on the south side of Darlington, is the last of the town’s Georgian pleasure parks, dating back to the 1700s. It first appeared…
Read MoreToughening up
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, writes of the need to get tough in these times of austerity. In September I spoke to the Gower Society, as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations. The society played an important role in securing Gower as the first area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in 1956. And on its…
Read MoreAmenity groups deplore destruction of New Road Common, Kendal
The Open Spaces Society and Friends of the Lake District have deplored the decision of a planning inspector to allow flood-defence works on New Road Common in the heart of Kendal in Cumbria (now Westmorland and Furness). The application, made by the Environment Agency, followed hard on the heels of a damaging application for neighbouring…
Read More