Land restored as common on Dartmoor 

We welcome the Planning Inspectorate’s decision to grant the society’s two applications to register as common three parcels of rough grassland near Blackdown Common, Mary Tavy, in the Dartmoor National Park. 

Two of the parcels are adjacent to each other, east and south of Willsworthy car park.  Together, these amount to about 33 hectares.  The third parcel of land, comprising about 1.4 hectares, is known as Black Lion Common and is situated midway between Horndon and Zoar, almost opposite Zoar methodist chapel. 

In 1968, along with other land, the three parcels were provisionally registered as common land.  Following objections, the provisional registrations relating to all three them were cancelled before any opportunity for public engagement.  

However, part 1 of the Commons Act 2006(3) reopened the opportunity to rescue lost commons which were excluded from registration in these circumstances.  Under paragraph 4 of schedule 2 to the 2006 Act the land became eligible for re-registration.  The applications made by the society showed that the land is waste land of a manor which means that it can be registered as common land. 

Says Frances Kerner, our commons re-registration officer: ‘I am delighted that the two parcels of land have been restored to Blackdown Common.  It is especially pleasing that Black Lion Common, which is not access land and is isolated from the rest of Blackdown Common, will be added to the register of common land.  In due course we shall have the right to walk here.’  

Dartmoor news coverage  

We were pleased by the recent news coverage of the newly registered parcels of land.

The BBC has reported on the protections now in place on the land, meaning the public will, in due course, be free to walk on and enjoy the land.

ITV also covered the registrations, giving a brief history of the registration process in doing so.

And we were especially heartened by this thoughtful, detailed coverage of the registration process by BNN.