Public access to green space must be priority for new government
‘Public access to good-quality green spaces must be a priority for the new government.’ So declared our chairman Phil Wadey at the society’s annual general meeting held on the day of the general election. ‘We stand ready with suggestions for the government to improve access to, and enjoyment of, green spaces and paths in town…
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An extract from Open Space Magazine: reflecting on forty years
In the latest edition of Open Space magazine, Kate Ashbrook reflects on 40 years in her post as the general secretary of the Open Spaces Society. Forty years on When I joined the Open Spaces Society as its general secretary 40 years ago, our world was very different, says Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary. We…
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Our ten-point plan for the new government
We’ve published our ten-point plan for the new government. Says our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook: ‘In these tough times, during a cost-of-living and climate crisis, open spaces and paths for health and well-being, close to people’s homes, have never been more important.’ Public access 1. Early consultation on how to improve access for all The…
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Time for a new manifesto for public access
‘It is time for a new manifesto for public access in town and country,’ said Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary. Kate was giving the keynote speech at the event to mark the 91st anniversary of the mass trespass on Kinder Scout on 24 April 1932. The celebrations were held at Hayfield village hall, Derbyshire, at…
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Lost in the detail?
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, criticises the Westminster government for its lack of action on public access. At the end of February we still awaited action on access in the environmental land management scheme (ELMS). Defra officials are now seeking our views, but it doesn’t feel like the outcome will amount to much. In December,…
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Government’s lost chance to achieve levelling up
We have lamented the government’s failure to equalise the provision of green spaces for all. Responding to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the society sets out its priorities for government in a five-point plan. The society wants to see: 1 an improvement in the process…
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Government promise on green space and water: how will it happen?
The government, in its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) published on 31 January, has pledged that ‘the public will benefit from a new commitment to access green space or water within a 15-minute walk from their home, such as woodlands, wetlands, parks and rivers’. We welcome the words but are concerned about the lack of detail,…
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Environmental Improvement Plan 2023
The Government’s long-awaited Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) for England was published on 31 January. It claims to set out a five-year delivery plan to restore nature and improve the environmental quality of the air, waters, and land. It includes a new commitment that everyone should live within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue…
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Pavements are for pedestrians
We are working with Living Streets and the Ramblers to persuade the House of Lords to adopt our amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB) to keep pavements free for the public. During the pandemic, the Business and Planning Act 2020 was introduced temporarily to streamline the procedure for allowing eating, drinking, and…
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Public 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…
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