Englefield Green village green is saved
We are celebrating the decision by Helen Slade of the Planning Inspectorate, on behalf of the environment secretary, to refuse consent for works on Englefield Green village green in Surrey. The land is widely used by local people, and the inspector confirmed that the public have the right to enjoy the green for air and…
Read MoreBeechcroft Manor open space saved from development
We are delighted that land at Beechcroft Manor, Weybridge in Surrey, has been saved. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government rejected the planning appeal by Linthaven Ltd, following a public inquiry last February. Linthaven appealed against Elmbridge Borough Council’s refusal to give consent for a block of three houses, with access drive…
Read MorePath claimed at Brook, Surrey
A public footpath will be added to the official map of rights of way, thanks to the efforts of our local correspondent, Ralph Holmes. Ralph, who covers Waverley Borough in Surrey claimed a footpath on the Rockwood Estate, Brook, near Witley. The path runs from near West Lodge on Haslemere Road (the A286) to Parsonage…
Read MoreTen-point plan for candidates
We have published our ten-point plan for candidates in the general election, and have asked them to sign up to it. To see the names of those who have said they support it, in whole or part, click here. Action plan 1. A right of appeal, and a requirement to provide suitable alternative land, before public…
Read MoreNew package to rescue lost ways
We have welcomed the package of proposals to government from the Stakeholder Working Group on Unrecorded Public Rights of Way. The group, consisting of representatives of user groups, landowners and local authorities, was brought together by Natural England to find a solution to recording historic paths many of which have become lost. Its report, Stepping…
Read MoreWaverley viaduct
Our local correspondent for Carlisle, Ken West, is urging people to sign up to the petition to Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council, calling on them to purchase Waverley Viaduct and enable it to be restored and maintained as a historic feature and for use by walkers and cyclists. For further information contact Ken.
Read MoreFields of vision – a literary study-day
Sign up to an informal study-day devoted to the lives and writings of Richard Jefferies and Edward Thomas, on Saturday 8 May 2010 at Liddington in Wiltshire. The day ends with a visit to St James’s church at Eastbury in West Berkshire, with a window engraved by Laurence whistler, commemorating Edward and Helen Thomas. For…
Read MoreHigh Court win for Warneford Meadow campaigners
A High Court judge has ruled that the 20-acre Warneford Meadow in east Oxford can be registered as a town green. Judge Waksman QC rejected the application for judicial review from the landowner, the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Trust. The trust challenged Oxfordshire County Council’s decision in April 2009 to register the land…
Read MoreNew green in Highworth
Local campaigners have won a new village green at Barra Close, Highworth near Swindon. However, approximately 5,000 square feet of the land had been fenced off during a neighbour dispute, and this part of the land still has to be registered as village green. This week the fences were removed and now local campaigners are…
Read MoreThe loss of Petticoat Lane
We are dismayed that Petticoat Lane in Newport, Isle of Wight, will be destroyed by Sainsbury’s development. The society backed local objectors in their campaign to save the path. The Isle of Wight Council endorsed the path-change and a public inquiry was held in January. The public inquiry inspector, Peter Millman, has ruled that the…
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