Fence allowed on Lancashire common—but only for ten years
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has allowed fencing on Champion Moss in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Lancashire but has limited the consent to ten years. The application was made by Mr Thomas Woodcock of Slaidburn for the erection of stock-proof fencing around 11 acres of…
Read MoreFootpaths at Cleeve, North Somerset, saved from alteration
Cleeve Parish Council, a member of the Open Spaces Society, and our local correspondent for North Somerset, John Ives, have succeeded in getting an Inspector to reject a proposal to move several footpaths at Main Road, Cleeve, two miles north-east of Congresbury. Originally the highway authority, North Somerset District Council, sought to overcome a longstanding…
Read More
Village green victory at Steyning, West Sussex
With the Friends of Memorial Playing Field at Steyning in the South Downs National Park, we are delighted that West Sussex County Council has resolved to extend village-green status to the whole of the Memorial Playing Field (MPF). The council took the decision on Tuesday 26 February, to register land adjoining the existing village green,…
Read More
Village green at West Beach, Newhaven, returns to court
The argument that West Beach at Newhaven, East Sussex, is a village green which should be reopened for public access is to be heard in the Court of Appeal starting tomorrow (26 February). Newhaven Town Council, which applied to register the land as a green in 2008, has appealed against the High Court ruling in…
Read MoreVital local park in Redbridge faces disposal threat
The London Borough of Redbridge is planning to grant a 35-year lease of Goodmayes Park Extension to the Singh Sabha Football Club. We have objected. The park is greatly enjoyed by local people for informal recreation, it is a vital green lung in an urban area. The park is treasured by them, it is an…
Read MoreLincoln’s plan to axe commons warden service
We are dismayed that Lincoln City Council plans to axe the commons warden service for the Lincoln Commons. The council is seeking the views of members of the Lincoln Commons Advisory Panel and the society, along with many other members of the panel, has written to object. The council claims that the closure of the…
Read More
Common land reclaimed at Zennor, Cornwall
Carn Galva Common, west of Zennor in west Cornwall, has been reclaimed as registered common land, using legislation which is being pioneered in Cornwall (part 1 of the Commons Act 2006). Following a public inquiry last month, planning inspector Mrs Helen Slade ruled that the land should be recorded on the commons register. Carn Galva Common…
Read MoreDismay at Swansea Council’s yes to turbines on Mynydd y Gwair
Swansea Council’s planning committee has approved an application for 16 wind-turbines on Mynydd y Gwair common. We were one of the many objectors. The planning committee approved the scheme from RWE npower renewables by 27 votes to 24. We argued that the turbines will destroy the magnificent stretch of unspoilt common land, eight miles north…
Read More
Open spaces need friends more than ever
‘Open spaces have never been more in need of friends.’ So declared Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary at a meeting of the London Green Spaces Friends Groups Network on Monday evening, 4 February, at City Hall, London. She was sharing her campaign experience of fighting threats to green spaces with friends groups from open spaces…
Read MoreSwansea Council to decide fate of Mynydd y Gwair Common
We have renewed our call to Swansea Council to reject the application for 16 wind turbines on Mynydd y Gwair common. The planning committee is to determine the application from RWE npower tomorrow (7 February). We objected strongly to the application because it will destroy the magnificent stretch of unspoilt common land, eight miles north…
Read More