Threat of closure of cobbled highway in Hebden Bridge
The owner of Hebble House, formerly the Hole in the Wall pub, in Hebden Bridge, Calderdale, wants to stop up part of an ancient, cobbled highway known as Old Gate and use it for private parking. The application has been made to the council under section 116 of the Highways Act 1980. If the council…
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We back Whitstable campaign group’s call local green space
We have backed our member, the Whitstable Beach Campaign, in its call for Whitstable Beach in Kent to be designated as a Local Green Space in Canterbury City Council’s Local Plan. Very few such spaces have yet been designated under the government’s National Planning Policy Framework, but we believe that Whitstable Beach fulfils the criteria…
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Whitby village-green plan goes to Supreme Court
The Open Spaces Society and members of Helredale Neighbourhood Council (HNC) in Whitby, North Yorkshire, are delighted that the application to register Helredale playing fields as a village green will be heard in the Supreme Court. The news came last month that the applicants had won leave to appeal. The application for a green was…
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What future for Helredale’s open space?
The future of the playing field at Helredale, Whitby, North Yorkshire, is in the balance. Following a disappointing ruling in the court of appeal in October, Helredale Neighbourhood Council (HNC) is hoping to obtain permission to appeal to the supreme court. Read more about it here.
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Open space commendation goes to Calderdale’s inspiring individual
We have given a special, individual commendation to Jade Smith of Mytholmroyd, Calderdale, for her work on the restoration and improvement of Mytholmroyd’s Memorial Garden. The award was presented on Saturday 1 December as part of Upper Calder Valley’s annual ‘Valley of Lights’ celebration. Jean Macdonald, our vice-chairman, said: ‘We introduced this award last year…
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Community champion praised for inspirational efforts
The singular determination of a Yorkshire woman to inspire her local community and return a memorial garden to its former glory has been celebrated in the inaugural Open Space Award. Judges have awarded Jade Smith a commendation for her extraordinary contribution to Royd Regeneration, a community-driven project in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire. Royd Regeneration was one…
Read MoreWind-factory threat to Bowland beauty-spot
Community Windpower is trying for a third time to build wind turbines on an exposed hillside in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Lancashire. Part of the site, Claughton and Whit Moors between Caton and Hornby, is registered common land. The company is preparing to submit a third planning application to…
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West Yorkshire green space saved in appeal court
We are delighted that the Court of Appeal today overturned a High Court judgment, so that Clayton Fields at Birkby, Huddersfield, will now be registered as a village green. The 6.5 acres of sloping, partly-wooded, green space was first registered as a green in 1997, under the Commons Registration Act 1965. The registration was overturned…
Read MoreLinking the Lakes and Dales National Parks
We have joined a consortium with the Campaign for National Parks, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Lake District and many others in support of plans to extend the boundaries of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks. This will ensure that the magnificent countryside, much of it common land, between the…
Read MoreCourt win for Yeadon Banks town green
We are delighted that the case for registering Yeadon Banks as a town green has prevailed in the Court of Appeal. The five-acre Yeadon Banks is a much-loved open space on the outskirts of Leeds. On Friday (2 December) the Appeal Court rejected the arguments on behalf of the landowner, Leeds Group plc, that the…
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