Sugary Green, Dartmouth, saved
The outstanding natural beauty of Sugary Green (near Castle Cove, Dartmouth) and its breathtaking view of the mouth of the river Dart have been protected for ever. When a major development of the site, with infrastructure and parking, was proposed in 2009, local publisher Richard Webb formed The Friends of Sugary Green, an action group…
Read MoreShepherd’s Bush Common victory
As part of the planning permission for the vast new Westfield shopping centre, Hammersmith and Fulham Council had extracted from the developers generous contributions under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for other local regeneration improvements. These included a desirable refurbishment of the adjacent Shepherds Bush Common. This is an intensively-used…
Read MorePlans to extend the National Parks – your chance to respond
Friends of the Lake District want to make the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks bigger. Natural England is asking for your views on the proposed boundary extensions to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks now. Friends of the Lake District, the Campaign for National Parks and their key supporter group, which…
Read MoreLocalism Bill threatens open spaces
We have once again criticised the Localism Bill, the Government’s flagship measure for giving people power to run their local communities. The bill is due for a second reading in the House of Lords on Tuesday 7 June. Our case officer Nicola Hodgson, says: ‘We believe one of the bill’s most important aspects should be…
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Chiltern common saved from enclosure
We are relieved that the environment secretary has rejected plans by the Nettlebed and District Commons Conservators to erect more than two kilometres of fencing around Kingwood Common in the Oxfordshire Chilterns. The application for works on the common under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006 was heard at a public inquiry in April,…
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Successful voluntary registration for town green
Open Spaces Society member and vice-president, Tony Greaves, has reported on the successful voluntary registration of Barnoldswick Town Green in Pendle, Lancashire. The town green is an area of grass and trees in the small town of Barnoldswick (Barlick) and is a much-valued green space near the centre of the town which is well used…
Read MoreFarming lobbyists attack greens and public paths
We have slated as ‘crude and ill-informed’ proposals for village greens and public paths in the report of the Farming Regulation Task Force (the Macdonald Report), ‘Striking a balance: reducing burdens; increasing responsibility; earning recognition’. Says our case officer, Nicola Hodgson: ‘the proposals are crude because they are the work of an obviously vested interest…
Read MoreWelsh minister rejects wind turbine on common
The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing has refused consent to Awel Aman Tawe to erect a wind turbine, hard standing and access tracks on common land in south Wales. The threatened common is Cefn Gwrhyd Common in the community of Cwmllynfell in Neath Port Talbot. Although Awel Aman Tawe had obtained planning consent for…
Read MoreOutdoor enthusiasts speak up for forest access
Nine organisations, representing a broad range of people who care about and enjoy the great outdoors, have today (10 May) issued a statement to the chair of the Independent Panel on Forestry, Bishop of Liverpool James Jones, expressing their concerns and hopes for the future of public access to all our forests and woodland. The…
Read MoreOne quarter of new Assembly Members support our action plan for Wales
Fifteen of the 60 members of the National Assembly for Wales have supported, wholly or largely, the Open Spaces Society’s 12-point Action Plan for Wales. We sent the plan, through our members in Wales and from our headquarters, to all the candidates in the recent election, asking for their backing. The 15 Assembly Members are:…
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