Land restored to Trewellard Common, Cornwall
We are pleased that unenclosed land adjacent to Trewellard Common has been recognised as common land. Planning Inspector Paul Freer has granted the society’s application to register as common about 0.7 hectares of land situated south-east of the village of Trewellard. The land comprises brambles and bracken. It is about seven miles north-west of Penzance. …
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We call for Wilmot Gardens, Plymouth, to be made a town green
We are delighted that Plymouth City Councillors have rejected the proposed development of Wilmot Gardens, Crownhill, and now call on the council to register it as a town green. After a long debate at the planning committee meeting on 24 July, members voted by 10 to 2 to reject the application for five houses,…
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We call on Plymouth Council to reject development on unique Wilmot Gardens
We are deeply concerned that on 24 July Plymouth City Councillors are being recommended to approve the development of Wilmot Gardens, Crownhill. The case officer, Mr Macauley Potter, is recommending approval with conditions of five houses on Wilmot Gardens, a 0.3-acre much-loved open space. The 32-page report is here. There are 49 objections. The council’s…
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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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Dartmoor land restored as common
We are delighted that another, extensive, piece of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon has been registered as common land. Planning Inspector Mark Yates has granted the society’s application to register as common about 12 square kilometres known as Walkhampton Common. The land, which is immediately south-west of Princetown, is grazed and uncultivated. In 1968,…
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Call for Gloucestershire councils to promote new greens
We have written to county and district councillors, and town and parish councils throughout Gloucestershire promoting the voluntary registration of open spaces as town and village greens (TVG) to benefit the public. In his letter Chas Townley, the society’s local correspondent for Gloucestershire, says that ‘registration of open space as TVG means that it is…
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Last chance for Dartmoor backpack-camping rights
The final hearing on the Dartmoor backpack camping case is tomorrow (8 October) in the supreme court. The case, between landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall and the Dartmoor National Park Authority, has previously been heard in the high court and the court of appeal. Now it goes to the supreme court for final determination. The…
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Byway-blockage epidemic in Wiltshire
The society has been pressing Wiltshire Council to secure the removal of obstructions on byways in Wiltshire. The council has finally acted—but only in one case, ordering a farmer to remove a set of illegal gates across a byway in the Wylye Valley. That followed a statutory notice from us requiring the council to have…
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Two Cornish lost commons restored
We welcome two decisions by the Planning Inspectorate to grant applications to register common land in Cornwall. These are about three hectares at Burngullow Common (6.4 kilometres north-west of St Austell), and about five hectares at West Looe Downs at West Looe. The application for Burngullow Common was made by Tomas Hill on behalf of…
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Open Spaces Society to intervene in supreme court in Dartmoor backpack-camping case
We are delighted to have been granted permission to intervene in the Dartmoor backpack-camping case. The society intervened in support of the Dartmoor National Park Authority in the Court of Appeal and was relieved when the court ruled that the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 gave the public the right to camp on nearly all the Dartmoor…
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