Archive for December 2024
Public-path guillotine to be lifted
We are delighted at the government’s Boxing Day announcement that it intends to abolish the 2031 cut-off for recording public paths[1]. Says Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary: ‘This news is extremely welcome, as thousands of unrecorded paths will be saved from extinction. We are delighted that the government is now demonstrating its commitment to our…
Read MoreBring on Wales’s new national park
We strongly support the new national park in north-east Wales. The society believes that the national park designation will benefit the splendid, varied landscape of this region, its wildlife and culture, and will help to promote responsible public access and enjoyment. However, it has also called for the Welsh government to make sufficient funds available…
Read MoreCall for new ‘People’s Charter’ on 75th anniversary of revolutionary national parks and access law
Today (16 December 2024), on the 75th anniversary of royal assent of the revolutionary National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, the organisations which collectively promoted that law, call for a new vision from government. Hailed as a People’s Charter, the 1949 act was to enable all citizens, no matter their background, to…
Read MoreGovernment’s new planning policies give green spaces the cold shoulder
We have expressed our fears for the future of open spaces in the government’s revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published today (12 December 2024). Says Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary: ‘We called for legal protection and long-term maintenance of urban green space; standards for the amount of green space in development, and a duty on…
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