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We have praised Henley-on-Thames Town Council for setting an example to others.
The society sent a message to the mayor, Councillor Mrs Elizabeth Hodgkin, to read out during the dedication of Gillott’s Field as a town green, at a town picnic on Sunday 25 April. The town council owns Gillott’s Field, a beauty-spot on the south side of Henley, and last year agreed voluntarily to register it as a green to save it from development.
We advised the town council on its campaign.
Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary, wrote to the mayor:
The Open Spaces Society congratulates Henley-on-Thames Town Council on its public-spirited action in dedicating Gillott’s Field as a town green. It has set an example to other local authorities up and down the country.
Although we are based here in Henley, the Open Spaces Society covers the whole of England and Wales. We encourage councils to follow Henley’s lead and to consider voluntary dedication of their open spaces as town or village greens, to protect them from development and to secure the rights of the community for quiet recreation there.
The people of Henley can now enjoy the beautiful Gillott’s Field, by right, in the knowledge that it is safe for evermore. Thank you, Henley Council!