Lambeth Council rejects Sky One TV’s domes on Clapham Common
Lambeth’s planning committee last night (11 September) rejected the application for a domed development on Clapham Common for Sky One TV’s ‘Got to Dance’. The domes were erected before the planning application was even considered by Lambeth Council. The councillors’ rejection was contrary to the officers’ recommendation of approval. The domes, with fencing, portacabins and…
Read More
Government’s rural statement underplays vital role of paths and spaces
‘The government should invest in public paths and green spaces to achieve its aim of improving the rural economy,’ says our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook commenting on the government’s Rural Statement published today (12 September). ‘By underplaying the role of these vital assets government misses a massive trick.’ ‘There is a brief mention in the…
Read More
Plan to move footpaths at Helmshore School
We have objected to plans from Lancashire County Council to move newly-claimed footpaths which cross an open field at Helmshore School, Haslingden. The paths were claimed by the Helmshore Community Action Group, members of the Open Spaces Society, and added to the official path-map last November. The routes have been illegally blocked by fencing and…
Read MoreGo-ahead for development beside Swansea common
We are disappointed that Carrington Moore Estates, in which the former Welsh rugby captain Andy Moore has an interest, has obtained planning consent for development adjoining Picket Mead Common at Newton, Swansea. The battle has raged over many years, but finally Carrington won its appeal to Welsh Ministers against Swansea Council’s refusal of planning consent. The…
Read More
New edition of A Common Purpose out now
We are delighted that A Common Purpose, a guide to seeking agreement on England’s common land, has been published in a revised edition on the Foundation for Common Land’s website. This follows endorsement by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ National Common Land Stakeholder Group which consists of all the principal organisations with…
Read More
Objectionable developments on Clapham Common
We have objected to plans to use part of Clapham Common, Lambeth, for filming Sky One’s ‘Got to Dance’. The society was founded in 1865 initially to protect the London commons from development, and we consider that this current proposal needs special common-land consent as well as planning permission. We are particularly angry that the development…
Read MoreMuch-loved Dorking footpath to be moved
A beautiful footpath near Dorking, in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is to be moved. The decision was made by a planning inspector, Mr Michael Aldous, following a public inquiry last July. The Open Spaces Society was represented as an objector by its local member Michèle Kohler. The footpath, number 111, ran…
Read More
‘No-fence’ solution for Litcham Common
We are delighted that the removal of roadside fencing across Litcham Common, seven miles north-east of Swaffham in Norfolk, has begun. With help from the Open Spaces Society, Litcham Common Management Committee persuaded Norfolk County Council to install two cattle-grids on Dunham Road, where it crosses the common boundary. This means that fencing alongside the…
Read MoreThreat to Charlton Common
Redrow Homes South West wants to build a wide access road across Charlton Common in South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol. The developers have applied to the Secretary of State for Environment for consent for works on common land, and we have objected. The plan is to realign and widen the existing access road, Charlton Lane,…
Read MoreNo land swap at Mynydd Lliw Common
An application for the exchange of common land has been rejected by the Welsh Government. DKT Planning Associates applied on behalf of Mrs Elizabeth Jones and Mr Ieuan Mainwaring to swap 1,200 square metres on the north-east side of Mynydd Lliw Common, Grovesend, Swansea, which is close to residential properties for a similar-sized area some…
Read More