We slate government for lack of action on public access
‘The Open Spaces Society is often critical of the government’s approach to open access opportunities.’ So said our chairman, Phil Wadey, in his keynote speech our AGM on 6 July. He continued: ‘Back in January, the government announced an environmental improvement plan for England which aspired to having every household no more than “a 15-minutes’…
Read MoreEnvironment minister breaks government pledge to save historic paths
We have condemned the Environment Secretary’s decision to break the government’s undertaking last year to ditch the 2026 deadline for recording lost paths in England. Thérèse Coffey has now decided not to revoke the deadline but to extend it for five years. The deadline means that on 1 January 2031, public rights over thousands of…
Read MorePublic money for what?
We are deeply dismayed by the Prospectus, published on 26 January by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which sets out the various actions for which farmers and land managers will be paid under the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). Defra claims that there is something there for everyone, but sadly, this…
Read MoreOEP assessment: government falling short
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has published its assessment of government progress on the 25-year environment plan, concluding that this progress has fallen short of expectations. There have been some improvements in air quality in recent years and people’s engagement with nature is also up markedly. Although welcome these are likely to in part…
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