Shropshire beauty-spot under siege
The society has objected to proposed development on the slopes of the dramatic Caer Caradoc, near Church Stretton in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The plans, from Morris Property, are for 85 dwellings and 16 holiday units, sprawled over fields immediately to the south-west of Caer Caradoc and east of Church Stretton.…
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We fight development on Norfolk common
We have objected to a planning application by the Woodlands Caravan Park to extend the caravan park on registered common land at Upper Sheringham in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Woodlands Caravan Park has used the common for this purpose for many years without obtaining the required consent from the Secretary of…
Read MoreThreat to Charlton Common
Redrow Homes South West wants to build a wide access road across Charlton Common in South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol. The developers have applied to the Secretary of State for Environment for consent for works on common land, and we have objected. The plan is to realign and widen the existing access road, Charlton Lane,…
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Norfolk campaigner wins our prestigious Eversley Award
Ian Witham, of Edingthorpe, ten miles south-east of Cromer in Norfolk, is the third-ever winner of our rarely-presented Eversley Award for Outstanding Personal Endeavour. The award is named after Lord Eversley, the distinguished founder of the society in 1865, and for many years its president and chairman. It is presented occasionally by the trustees to…
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Cotswold path saved from closure
We have saved a 250-metre public footpath at Oddington from closure. Oddington is two miles east of Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire. The owner of Brans Cottage which adjoins the path applied to the highway authority, Gloucestershire County Council, to close the path. We were the sole objector. The extinguishment order was referred to the Planning Inspectorate…
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Meopham’s ‘model’ path-campaign group
‘Meopham and District Footpaths Group is a model for local action groups throughout the country.’ So said our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, at the Meopham Footpath Group’s fiftieth anniversary celebrations today (Saturday 18 August). ‘For the last 50 years the group has combined campaigning for its local paths with an excellent walks programme. The Open…
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The Canyons are saved
We are delighted that the popular Canyons, near Pontypool in Torfaen, have been saved from devastation. The Minister for Housing and Local Government in Wales, Julie James, has refused an appeal from Peakman Ltd for the extraction of aggregates and construction of an access road. This would have required the removal of part of Mynydd…
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We oppose land swap in Rhondda village
We have objected to plans to swap part of the village green, at Chapel Street, Blaencwm, to allow development. Glaister Russell Developments Ltd has applied to the Environment Minister for permission to deregister 238 square metres of the green and to provide land in exchange, under section 16 of the Commons Act 2006. Says Jay…
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Saving an important route in Cwmcarn Forest, Caerphilly
Some months ago, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) made it known that as part of the plans to counteract the spread of Phytophthora ramorum (Larch disease) it would be felling all the larch trees in Cwmcarn Forest and closing the Forest Drive. Cwmcarn is alone in Wales in having a drive as well as cycling trails,…
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New green at Long Ditton, Surrey
We are delighted that Elmbridge Borough Council in Surrey has voluntarily registered Stokes Field, Long Ditton, as a village green. This follows a long campaign by the society. Comprising about eight hectares of mixed woodland, open grassland and scrub intersected by numerous paths, the land is also a Local Nature Reserve. After Elmbridge Council’s consultants…
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