We celebrate Brent River Park on fiftieth anniversary

‘The Open Spaces Society warmly salutes the visionaries who founded the Brent River Park, and all who have made it the lovely space it is today.’  So said Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary, at the event, organised by the Brent River and Canal Society (BRCS), to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Brent River Park’s…

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Path fighters reopen way to hills

We are celebrating the newly-reopened path which leads from Cwmparc, Treorchy, in Rhondda Cynon Taf to the hills above.  The popular public highway was illegally obstructed by locked gates, two metres high, in February. The community, with the society’s support, has campaigned vigorously ever since, naming their crusade ‘Gate-gate’. On Friday 13 June, the landowners…

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Why are we waiting?

Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, urges the government to act for access. Every Labour government since the second-world war has taken major steps, with landmark legislation, to improve public access to the countryside. Nearly a year since its election, what will this government do? Environment ministers seem genuinely sympathetic. There is talk of a green…

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Let’s make ‘a night under the stars’ a reality

Following the judgment of the Supreme Court in Darwall v Dartmoor National Park Authority, we are calling on English and Welsh governments to legalise wild (backpack) camping on all open country.    The court found that the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 confers, on those entering on foot or horseback, a right to wild camp on the…

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Come to our members’ day this September

To celebrate our 160th birthday, and the new access-structures and trees on our land at Parliament Piece in Kenilworth, we invite members to join us there on Saturday 13 September, 11.00-16.00.  Come for coffee, talks, and lunch, a visit to the historic Abbey Barn, and an afternoon walk around the historic Parliament Piece led by…

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We help to secure new common land at Yateley, Hampshire

We have welcomed a decision to take new land into Yateley Common at Cottage Farm.  Paul Freer, BA (Hons) LLM PhD MRTPI, a Planning Inspectorate inspector, granted the application of Falcon Propco4 Ltd (the owner of Blackbushe aerodrome) to deregister just over 14 hectares of aerodrome common land, and designate about the same area of…

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West Northamptonshire Council told to reopen blocked paths

We have scored an important legal victory against West Northamptonshire Council which has tried unlawfully to close parts of three public footpaths at Staverton, two miles west of Daventry.   The footpaths had been illegally obstructed by gates and fences at Wellbrook Lodge.  Instead of carrying out its statutory duty to secure their removal[1] , the…

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Dartmoor land restored as common

We are delighted that another, extensive, piece of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon has been registered as common land.  Planning Inspector Mark Yates has granted the society’s application to register as common about 12 square kilometres known as Walkhampton Common.  The land, which is immediately south-west of Princetown, is grazed and uncultivated.  In 1968,…

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