Archive for August 2026
Our path claim enables cyclists to use Itchenor ferry, West Sussex
Thanks to our local correspondent Chris Smith, the ancient way between Bosham and the Itchenor ferry, west of Chichester in West Sussex, has been added to the official map of public rights of way, enabling cyclists to gain access to and from the ferry. For many years the ferry across Chichester Harbour between Bosham and Itchenor has carried pedestrians and cyclists. It is a popular journey. But the route between…
Read MoreWe win back common land in Hertfordshire
We are delighted that land in Hertfordshire has been registered as common, giving it protection, and the public rights of access there. The land failed to be registered as common land when the registers were first opened under the Commons Registration Act 1965 (the 1965 Act) for a three-year period. Hertfordshire County Council has granted two of the society’s applications for land just…
Read More150th anniversary of landmark act
Yesterday, 11 August 2026, was the 150th anniversary of the Commons Act 1876, the Act which spelt the death knell for the parliamentary inclosure of common land in England and Wales. Our society, then the Commons Preservation Society, played a part in its enactment. Our president, Lord Eversley, with vice-presidents James Bryce MP, Charles Dilke MP, Henry Fawcett MP, and other supporters, won amendments to strengthen the Bill against inclosures, and in the interest of agricultural…
Read MoreWe threaten legal action to reopen blocked paths in Herefordshire
We are delighted that its threat of legal action has caused Herefordshire Council to reopen obstructed and overgrown paths in Abbey Dore parish, in south Herefordshire. Our local correspondent, Dave Howerski, has reported issues to the council, as highway authority, over the past year. This produced no resolution, so he served eight legal notices on the council, four of them under section 56 of the Highways Act 1980 stating that the highways…
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