Our new path-protagonist for Guildford
We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Colin Sandford as our new local correspondent for the Borough of Guildford in Surrey. Colin, who lives in Effingham, has a lifelong interest in horse-riding and this inspired his interest in countryside access. Colin will be our eyes and ears in this area, keeping a close…
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High court allows privatisation of public park
We are dismayed that the High Court has ruled that part of Crystal Palace Park in the London Borough of Bromley can be sacrificed for commercial development. His Honour Mr Justice Keith has rejected an appeal from the Crystal Palace Community Association against the London Development Agency’s Crystal Palace Park Masterplan. This includes the sale…
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Lin Ostrom, commons champion (1933-2012)
We are deeply saddened at the death of international commons champion and Nobel prizewinner Elinor (Lin) Ostrom on 12 June. Lin was the first and only woman to win the Nobel prize for economics. This was in 2009 for her ground-breaking work on commons. She challenged the popular notion, ‘Tragedy of the commons’, that depletion…
Read MoreCommons Training Day
We will be running a training day with Footprint Ecology on Wednesday 27 June which is designed to help land managers and others with an interest in commons to understand their rights and responsibilities and how to go about preparing for, and taking forward, management planning and works on common land. It will be run…
Read MoreProtect the common land at Mumbles Pier
Swansea Council has granted planning consent to Amusement Equipment Ltd (Ameco) for the demolition of the existing storage shed and construction of a site office for Mumbles Pier. We objected to this because not only would the development suburbanise this attractive coastal area, but it was on registered common land and any works here would…
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Wealden woodland saved from private car-park plans
Wealden District Council has thrown out plans to build a private, gated car-park on the summit of Crowborough Common in East Sussex. On 31 May nine members of the planning committee voted against Crowborough Beacon Golf Club’s proposals. The Open Spaces Society, Save Our Common and the Ramblers’ High Weald Walkers Group were among the…
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Give more recognition to Wales’s unique common land
The society is concerned that the Welsh Government’s Green Paper, Sustaining a Living Wales, pays insufficient regard to the nation’s superb common land and landscape, and people’s ability to enjoy it. The society has submitted a robust response to the consultation paper, calling for greater recognition of these important features. Says David Bateman, our spokesman…
Read MorePlanning protection for commons and greens in Wales
In our response to the consultation Planning for Sustainability, we have called on the Welsh Government to give extra protection to commons and village greens during the planning process. We propose a compulsory question on the planning-application form, to ask whether the application will affect any common or village green. If the answer is yes,…
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Waveney wind-developers back down
Stamford Renewables Ltd has withdrawn its appeal against Waveney District Council’s refusal of planning permission for three wind-turbines and associated paraphernalia in the lovely Waveney valley in Suffolk. The development, at Laurels Farm, Barsham, near Beccles would have been an eyesore in the lovely valley, and destroyed part of High Common on either side of…
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Yeadon Banks green space is safe for ever
We are delighted that the Supreme Court has refused to allow Leeds Group plc to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s ruling that Yeadon Banks, Leeds, should be registered as a green. This means that the registration of Yeadon Banks is confirmed, and the 2.2-hectare site is safe from development. We backed the applicant for…
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