Senedd saves unrecorded public paths
We are delighted that the Senedd has repealed the 2026 cut-off date for public rights of way in Wales[1]. The Legislation (Procedure, Publication and Repeals) (Wales) Act 2025, which contains this provision[2], won royal assent on 10 July. The Welsh Government had included these repeal provisions in a consultation draft of the Bill in 2022,…
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We mark our 160th anniversary
On 19 July 1865, 160 years ago today, we were launched as the Commons Preservation Society. Since then, we have saved countless commons, green spaces, and public paths for all to enjoy. Our founders went on to form the National Trust in 1895, believing that the most effective way to save land was to own…
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Greta Wood in North Yorkshire restored as common land
We are delighted that Greta Wood, which is situated immediately to the south-west of Burton in Lonsdale, has been registered as common land. Planning inspector Claire Tregembo has granted the society’s application to register as common about 5.7 hectares of land known as Greta Wood. The site is mainly wooded and is uncultivated. In 1968…
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We celebrate Brent River Park on fiftieth anniversary
‘The Open Spaces Society warmly salutes the visionaries who founded the Brent River Park, and all who have made it the lovely space it is today.’ So said Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary, at the event, organised by the Brent River and Canal Society (BRCS), to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Brent River Park’s…
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Path fighters reopen way to hills
We are celebrating the newly-reopened path which leads from Cwmparc, Treorchy, in Rhondda Cynon Taf to the hills above. The popular public highway was illegally obstructed by locked gates, two metres high, in February. The community, with the society’s support, has campaigned vigorously ever since, naming their crusade ‘Gate-gate’. On Friday 13 June, the landowners…
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Why are we waiting?
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, urges the government to act for access. Every Labour government since the second-world war has taken major steps, with landmark legislation, to improve public access to the countryside. Nearly a year since its election, what will this government do? Environment ministers seem genuinely sympathetic. There is talk of a green…
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Let’s make ‘a night under the stars’ a reality
Following the judgment of the Supreme Court in Darwall v Dartmoor National Park Authority, we are calling on English and Welsh governments to legalise wild (backpack) camping on all open country. The court found that the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 confers, on those entering on foot or horseback, a right to wild camp on the…
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Come to our members’ day this September
To celebrate our 160th birthday, and the new access-structures and trees on our land at Parliament Piece in Kenilworth, we invite members to join us there on Saturday 13 September, 11.00-16.00. Come for coffee, talks, and lunch, a visit to the historic Abbey Barn, and an afternoon walk around the historic Parliament Piece led by…
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Plymouth City Council reverses decision to build on Wilmot Gardens
We are delighted that the high court has quashed Plymouth City Council’s decision to build five houses on Wilmot Gardens, a popular open space in Crownhill. The society gave financial support to local campaigners fighting to save this space. Unusually, when faced with court action from Frank Hartkopf, on behalf of local people, the council…
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West Northamptonshire Council told to reopen blocked paths
We have scored an important legal victory against West Northamptonshire Council which has tried unlawfully to close parts of three public footpaths at Staverton, two miles west of Daventry. The footpaths had been illegally obstructed by gates and fences at Wellbrook Lodge. Instead of carrying out its statutory duty to secure their removal[1] , the…
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