New representative for Stratford District
We have appointed Peter Bolton of Wellesbourne as our local correspondent for Stratford District. Peter, a retired history teacher and architectural historian, has lived in Warwickshire for nearly 40 years and has walked some 4,000 miles of local paths in every district of the county and every parish of the Stratford-on-Avon District. Peter will be…
Read MoreCommon land provides massive common good
‘In these austere times, we should invest in our unique resource of common land.’ So said our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, at an international symposium on the role of commons at Sheffield Hallam University on 16 September. ‘Commons are a remarkable survival from pre-medieval times, unenclosed and undisturbed through history. They also have immense public…
Read More
Finding Common Ground
We have published Finding Common Ground, the first-ever guide to how to recognise and take account of local-community interests in common land. The work was commissioned by Natural England, the government’s adviser on the natural environment. Read it here. Says Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary (who wrote the report with Nicola Hodgson, its case officer):…
Read More
New activist for South Derbyshire
We have appointed Barry Thomas, of Melbourne, south of Derby, as our local correspondent for South Derbyshire. Barry will be our eyes and ears in this area, keeping a close watch on the state of the paths and reporting any problems to Derbyshire County Council, the highway authority. Barry is a retired Derby teacher, where…
Read MoreAdd your campaign for open spaces and paths to the Piece-by-piece website
The Guardian has launched its Piece-by-piece campaign. The aim is to publicise threatened places and spaces and to enable local activists to exchange information and advice, and to build a powerful alliance against developments which threaten our natural environment and people’s enjoyment of it. Click to add your campaign to Piece-by-piece.
Read More
We condemn plan to flog off part of unique Crystal Palace Park
The London Development Agency’s plan to flog off part of Crystal Palace Park, in the London Borough of Bromley, has been approved, following a public inquiry last summer. The plans from the LDA form part of an ambitious regeneration scheme for the park, with disposal of parts of the park for private housing helping to…
Read MoreThanet open spaces win reprieve from sale
Thanet District Council in Kent has resolved not to sell off the Chine at the Western Undercliff in Ramsgate, and to reconsider the other proposed asset disposals. The Chine is an immensely important site, for public enjoyment and for wildlife. We are thrilled that Thanet District Council has recognised its public value and resolved to…
Read More
Closure of Waterfoot path
An inspector acting for the environment secretary has ruled that Rawtenstall public footpath number 237 should be closed, to enable Lancashire County Council to build a new Waterfoot Primary School. There were nine objections, from the Open Spaces Society, Rossendale Ramblers and others, to Lancashire County Council’s plan to stop up the path, and a…
Read MorePlans for Picket Mead Common rejected
Swansea Council’s South West Area Planning Committee has rejected an application from Carrington Moore Estates, in which the former Welsh rugby captain Andy Moore has an interest, which threatened Picket Mead Common at Newton.(2) The planning application was for five detached dwellings and associated works at Picket Mead House, Murton Lane. The officers recommended approval…
Read MorePublic inquiry opens into mountain-top wind factory
‘The unique landscape of Mynydd y Gwair should be treasured not trashed.’ So says the Open Spaces Society(1) as the public inquiry opens into RWE Npower Renewables’ application to build 19 wind turbines on the lovely mountain top of Mynydd y Gwair, eight miles north of Swansea. The inquiry started on Tuesday 20 July. We…
Read More