North York Moors National Park authority approves York Potash application
We are dismayed that the North York Moors National Park Authority has approved the York Potash application. The decision was made at a special planning meeting on 30 June, and was extremely close: eight votes to seven. We backed the Campaign for National Parks (CNP) in fighting the project. Ruth Bradshaw, CNP’s policy and campaigns…
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Land at Breaky Bottom open to the public
After a long battle by Action for Access and the Open Spaces Society, walkers can now use some of the Access Land (1) at Breaky Bottom, near Lewes. A new stile has been erected. The grid reference is TQ404054 (2). Our local correspondent Chris Smith says “The new access land is a great place to…
Read MoreWind turbines rejected on Rooley Moor, Rochdale
Rochdale Borough Council has refused planning permission to Coronation Power Ltd for 12 wind turbines and other infrastructure on Rooley Moor. The council rejected the application on a number of grounds. It considered that the development would be inappropriate in the green belt and it would have a detrimental impact on the wild and tranquil…
Read MoreWe support fight against massive potash mine in North York Moors National Park
The Open Spaces Society has joined with 28 other environment and amenity organisations, including the Campaign for National Parks (CNP), in strongly urging the North Yorks Moors National Park Authority to refuse an application for a massive potash mine inside the North York Moors National Park. CNP, with our support, has sent the following open…
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Good news for fighters against Reeves Hill wind turbines
We are delighted that the planning permission has expired for four wind-turbines on the prominent Herefordshire summit of Reeves Hill, close to the Powys border. The landowner, Sir Simon Gourlay made a start to the development on the very last day of his permission. Now Herefordshire Council says his last-minute information was not good enough…
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The Big Pathwatch
This summer, with funding from the Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust, the Ramblers are launching a survey of all the public paths in England and Wales as shown on Ordnance Survey maps. The Big Pathwatch will launch on Monday 13 July and the Ramblers will be providing a handy new, free app for your phone so…
Read MoreWe fight enclosure of Stevenage common
We have objected to a plan by Stevenage Borough Council to fence off part of Norton Green Common on the south-west side of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, immediately to the west of the A1(M). The council has applied to the Planning Inspectorate for consent to erect works on common land under section 38 of the Commons…
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How to defend the commons
We are delighted to help with a new, online course—Defending the Commons: Strategies for Action. The course will be run by the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) at Gloucestershire University and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico. It is the second in a series of online short courses focusing on different aspects of global…
Read MoreOSS signs up to Access to Justice statement
The UK’s four umbrella conservation groups – Wildife & Countryside Link, Scottish Environment Link, Wales Environment Link and Northern Ireland Environment Link – will present a statement to the Aarhus Convention* on 16 June calling for better access to environmental justice. The Open Spaces Society has been pleased to sign in support of this statement.…
Read MoreOur 150th Anniversary
2015 marks 150 years of the Open Spaces Society – Britain’s oldest national conservation body – and we invite you to help us celebrate this special year. Follow our 150th anniversary tweet-of-the-day. Every day we are posting a tweet and message on Facebook with the hashtag #saveopenspaces150 to celebrate an achievement in our 150-year history.…
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