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A threat to deregister common land in Peaslake, Surrey, has been withdrawn after we led opposition to the proposal.
Rangers Cottage, Ewhurst Road, Peaslake. Photo: Google Street View
Application had been made to the council by the proprietors of Ranger’s Cottage, Ewhurst Road, Peaslake (which is six miles south-east of Guildford in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) to remove from the register of commons a strip of common land (part of Hurtwood Common) forming a passageway to the north of the house leading from the road to Ridge Hill[1]. The passage was left open when part of the common was enclosed long ago for domestic use, but a wicket gate now closes off the end nearer Ewhurst Road.
Hugh Craddock, one of our case officers, said: ‘We are glad that this threat to the passageway has been withdrawn, but disappointed that the council’s planning and regulatory committee on 22 February declined to insist that the application should be seen through to a refusal, as we expected.’
Hugh added: ‘The application should not have been made. It is plain that the passageway was never part of the curtilage of Ranger’s House, and indeed, the applicants decided to amend their application to exclude land, purportedly part of their curtilage, which was leased to the parish council. We now expect the applicants to remove the wicket gate which gives the false impression that the passageway is not part of the common.
[1] The application was made under paragraph 6 of Schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006 and notified on 23 July 2021. The applicants were required to show that on and since 8 May 1968, the passageway was covered by a building or was within the curtilage of a building.