Last chance to save Dorset village green
We are supporting our member the Society for the Protection of Markham and Little Francis at a hearing in the Supreme Court on Wednesday (15 January 2014). The local society will seek to persuade the court to uphold the registration of the village green on the outskirts of Weymouth, Dorset. This is the last chance…
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Planning inspector refuses consent for solar farm in rural Somerset
A planning inspector has refused consent for a solar farm at Doulting, east of Shepton Mallet, in the heart of rural Somerset. Mendip District Council refused permission in January 2013 but the applicant, AEE Renewables, appealed to the Planning Inspectorate. The decision by inspector Karen Ridge LLB was published on 19 December. The application was…
Read MoreBrendon Commons to have the first commons council
The Brendon Commons, in the Devon part of the Exmoor National Park, are to have the first-ever commons council under the Commons Act 2006. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has decreed that the Brendon Commons Council will come into being on 1 April 2014. The Secretary of State for Environment,…
Read MoreCharlton Common saved: developers withdraw road-proposal
Redrow Homes has withdrawn its proposal to build a 6.4-metre-wide road with a three-metre-wide pedestrian and cycle lane across Charlton Common in South Gloucestershire. The application was in connection with adjoining development. The public inquiry, due to start on 26 November, has been cancelled. The inquiry opened in April and was immediately adjourned. The room…
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Common land reclaimed at St Just, Cornwall
More than 100 hectares of common land at Carn Kenidjack, north of St Just in Penwith, Cornwall, have been reclaimed as registered common land, using legislation which is being pioneered in Cornwall (part 1 of the Commons Act 2006). Following a public inquiry in September, planning inspector Martin Elliott ruled that the land should be…
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Brendon Commons, Exmoor, set to become first commons council under new law
We have backed a proposal to create a commons council for the Brendon Commons in the Exmoor National Park. This would be the first-ever commons council under the Commons Act 2006. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is consulting on whether to establish the commons council and will only do so…
Read MoreWe object to ice-cream van on Bristol Downs
We have objected to an application from Bristol City Council to site an ice-cream van on common land at Clifton Down, Bristol. The council has applied for consent for works on common land, under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006, to construct an asphalt surface, on the corner of Observatory Road and Suspension Bridge…
Read MorePublic paths signposted in memory of Gloucestershire benefactor
The society and Gloucestershire Ramblers, working with the Gloucestershire County Council public rights of way team, are delighted that the county council is now making use of a 50-year-old fund for signposting footpaths around Cheltenham. The fund was established in 1959, on the death of Herbert Lucas Bradbury, a far-sighted Cheltenham benefactor. Mr Bradbury left…
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We slate plan to close Cornish rail-crossing
We have objected strongly to Cornwall Council’s order to close a vital footpath across the railway line near Penzance, Cornwall. This pedestrian crossing at the Mexico Inn, Long Rock, provides an important short-cut for walkers. The alternative route is nearly a kilometre long. Cornwall Council is persisting with its plan to close the crossing, despite…
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South Bristol link road’s damage to commons and paths
We have objected to the proposed South Bristol Link Road, because of the damage it will cause to Highridge Common, south-west of Bristol, and to the public-path network. Our local correspondent for Bristol, Chris Bloor, has submitted a robust objection to Bristol and North Somerset Councils who are promoting the scheme. Says Chris: ‘We are…
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