Unfinished business for national parks is complete at last
Today (1 August) 188 square miles, an area larger than the Isle of Wight, are embraced by the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks following a long campaign by amenity groups. The Open Spaces Society, Britain’s oldest national conservation body, welcomes the inclusion of these fine landscapes in the two national parks. The Lake…
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We call for more broadleaves, and more discussion, on Dartmoor’s forest estate
We have called for greater replacement of conifer trees with native broadleaves in the Dartmoor forests, clearance of trees from ancient monuments, and an open debate about the future of the forest estate. We were responding to the Forestry Commission’s consultation on its Dartmoor Forest Plan, 2016-2026. We deeply regret that we were not informed…
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Herefordshire path-defender wins Open Spaces Society’s national award
Peter Newman, formerly of Kington, Herefordshire, is the first-ever winner of our prestigious Eversley Award for Outstanding Personal Endeavour. Peter won the award for his 25 years of work on public paths with offenders on Community Payback. Peter collaborated with the Herefordshire Probation Service and Herefordshire Council to install about 800 stiles and gates, waymarks…
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Claim our commons now, call from our vice-president
‘We have less than five years in which to claim our commons. The Open Spaces Society is leading the campaign to ensure that all common land is registered and available for the public to enjoy’ so declared our vice-president, Paul Clayden, at the society’s annual general meeting in London on Thursday (7 July). Throughout its…
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Phenomenal volunteer effort has saved two Welsh gems
We have congratulated the Elenydd Wilderness Hostels Trust on its phenomenal volunteer effort. Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, spoke at the trust’s tenth anniversary lunch in Tregaron on Saturday (2 July). Said Kate: ‘Not only have the trust’s activists saved two hostels in the remote heart of Wales from closure and sale, but they have…
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Dereham, Norfolk, becomes a Walkers Are Welcome town.
We have congratulated the people of Dereham in Norfolk on achieving the status of a Walkers Are Welcome town. Dereham has joined the family of over 100 towns in England, Scotland and Wales which give an overt welcome to walkers and display the Walkers Are Welcome logo, showing that businesses are pleased to see walkers…
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Space invaders
Public funding is being cut and our green spaces exploited to fill the gap. Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, considers the threat to our open spaces and national parks. In London, communities fight motor racing in Battersea Park, and festivals on Acton Green, Clapham Common and Finsbury Park—among countless battles. But we have a new…
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Abbey Road Open Space at Steyning is a village green
West Sussex County Council has agreed to register four and a half acres of open space at Abbey Road, Steyning, as a village green. The Friends of Abbey Road Open Space applied to register the land as a green on 23 July 2015, on the grounds that local people had used the land for 20…
Read MoreThreat to Clerkenwell Green, Islington
We have objected to Islington Council’s plans to mutilate Clerkenwell Green, by replacing the historic, underground, public conveniences with a café. The open space has traditionally been used for public assemblies. The toilets, designed by George Jennings, are of considerable historic interest. The Open Spaces Society was founded 151 years ago initially to fight for…
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Moorside Fields, Lancaster are a village green
The High Court has ruled that Moorside Fields in south Lancaster are a village green. This means that they will be protected from development and can be enjoyed by the community by right for informal recreation. Local resident Janine Bebbington, acting for the Moorside Fields Community Group, applied to register five fields as a green…
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