Inspector refuses Adwalton-Common development bid
We welcome the government’s refusal to deregister part of Adwalton Common at Drighlington, five miles south-west of Leeds. An application was made to the Planning Inspectorate in April 2024 to remove 178 square metres of land from the register of common land. This is adjacent to West Street. The application was made with the apparent…
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Public-path guillotine set for repeal in Wales
We are delighted that the Welsh Government will introduce provisions before the Senedd to repeal the 2026 cut-off date for public rights of way. Speaking in the Senedd on 3 March [1], Julie James, Counsel General and Minister for Delivery, said that the Government would bring forward amendments to the Legislation (Procedure, Publication and Repeals) (Wales)…
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Don’t trash Swansea’s Kilvey Hill
We have condemned Swansea planners’ recommendation to approve the Skyline’s development on Kilvey Hill. On Tuesday (4 March) the planning committee will decide the fate of this unique area. The development would comprise, among other structures, gondola stations and chairlift infrastructure for 22 cable cars, a restaurant and bar, a vast area of high-speed luge…
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Commons swap at Brow Moor refused
We have welcomed the decision of an inspector to refuse an exchange of common land in Brontë country at Brow Moor, Haworth, Bradford. Dennis Gillson and Son Ltd (Gillsons) applied to deregister 1.25 hectares of common land on Brow Moor, and replace it with 2.7 hectares about 2 kilometres further south. The application was made…
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All growth, no green?
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, considers the implications of the government’s apparent obsession with growth. In the late 1940s, when the country was on its knees after the second world war, the Labour government nevertheless found room for vital legislation beyond the economic emergency: the National Health Service Act 1946, the Town and Country Planning…
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Tim Crowther, 1934-2024
Our former chairman has died aged 90. Tim was a trustee from 2004 to 2016, and chairman from 2011 to 2014. Tim lived in Weybridge, Surrey, for 60 years. He had a degree in estate management from Wye College and, among other jobs, he was estate manager at Bisham Abbey. He then became editor of…
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Secret access uncovered
The Open Spaces Society has welcomed the decision of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) not to appeal an order of the first-tier tribunal that it must disclose to the public heritage management plans (HMPs) for country estates benefiting from inheritance tax relief. An application was made by Kieran Foster to HMRC for the HMPs…
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Our five-point plan for 2025
In our recent new-year message we were pleased to set out our top five campaign aims for 2025. We’re calling for: Lost commons to be registerable throughout England. Currently they can only be registered in Cumbria and North Yorkshire, yet landowners can apply to deregister commons throughout England, which is grossly unfair. A mandate on…
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Public-path guillotine to be lifted
We are delighted at the government’s Boxing Day announcement that it intends to abolish the 2031 cut-off for recording public paths[1]. Says Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary: ‘This news is extremely welcome, as thousands of unrecorded paths will be saved from extinction. We are delighted that the government is now demonstrating its commitment to our…
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Bring on Wales’s new national park
We strongly support the new national park in north-east Wales. The society believes that the national park designation will benefit the splendid, varied landscape of this region, its wildlife and culture, and will help to promote responsible public access and enjoyment. However, it has also called for the Welsh government to make sufficient funds available…
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