Land restored as common at Lower Banns, Cornwall 

We welcome Cornwall Council’s decision to grant an application to register as common 0.26 hectares of woodland at Lower Banns, Mount Hawke, two miles south of St Agnes in Cornwall. The land comprises two parcels of land. One is situated on the north side of Banns Road and the other immediately opposite on the south…

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New government: new access? 

‘The new government must plan to provide better access for people, for their recreation and enjoyment, and for their health and well-being.’  This was the message from our general secretary Kate Ashbrook, speaking on 27 April at the 92nd anniversary event to commemorate the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass in 1932.  The event, organised by the…

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New village green at One Tree Hill

We are celebrating the decision by Surrey County Council to register One Tree Hill at Long Ditton as a village green, thereby protecting it for ever. The land comprises about 10 hectares of mixed woodland, open grassland, and scrub intersected by numerous paths. About seven years ago, Elmbridge Borough Council’s consultants, Ove Arup and Partners,…

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Unlawful gates to go

Update – June 2024: We’re pleased to confirm that the gates have now been removed. You can read our latest update here.  In October 2022 the British Horse Society served two notices on North Yorkshire Council, under section 130A of the Highways Act 1980, for the removal of two pairs of large, ornamental gates. These…

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We reject power grab for electric bikes

We have criticised government plans to double electric bikes’ power ratings. Responding to a consultation by the Department for Transport,[1] we say that the proposals to enable higher-powered electrically-assisted pedal bicycles (EAPCs) on Britain’s highways are inappropriate and potentially harmful to users of the public rights of way network in England and Wales. Says our…

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Forty fighting years

Today (2 April) Kate Ashbrook celebrates the fortieth anniversary of her appointment as our general secretary. She is the longest-serving chief executive officer among bodies dedicated to the amenities and freedom of the countryside.  In her time in office—an attic in Henley-on-Thames—she has worked for and welcomed remarkable changes in the safeguarding of commons, greens,…

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