Latest News

Land swap on Cornish common is dropped

July 2, 2015

Mr Robert Weedon has withdrawn his plan to swap common land at Pendarves Woods Common, a mile south-west of Camborne in Cornwall.  We had objected. Works had been constructed unlawfully on the common over a period since 2008.  In March, Mr Weedon applied to the Secretary of State for Environment to swap the area of common…

Read More

New book to celebrate our commons

March 30, 2015

We have published a new book, Common Land, to celebrate the ancient common land of England and Wales. It is written by our chairman Graham Bathe. Says Graham: ‘Most of us are familiar with commons. We may have played on them when young and visit them with our own children. Commons are woven into our…

Read More

Unfair land swap on Cornish common

March 27, 2015

We have objected to plans to swap common land at Pendarves Woods Common, a mile south-west of Camborne in Cornwall. Earlier this year Mr Robert Weedon applied to the Secretary of State for Environment for retrospective consent for works on common land: part of a sand-school, parking areas and track, fuel pumps and tank, and…

Read More

We object to abuse of St John’s Lye common, Woking

March 24, 2015

We have responded angrily to Woking Borough Council’s consultation about car-parking on St John’s Lye Common, south-west Woking, Surrey. Local residents had complained about the inadequate parking after the opening of the new St John’s memorial hall and the council proposed to provide car-parking spaces on the common. The options are for the extension onto…

Read More

Panshanger Park event on 31 March

February 25, 2015

On 31 March 2014, the opening day of Panshanger Country Park East in Hertfordshire, over one hundred Friends of Panshanger Park and local walkers set off on the friends’ People’s Walk, from Hertingfordbury into the long overdue country park.  Since then the eastern end of the park has been much welcomed and enjoyed by thousands of people.  However…

Read More

Thames Path to be consigned to a rat run in Maidenhead

February 13, 2015

We are angry that the Thames Path National Trail is to follow Maidenhead’s Ray Mead Road rat run. On Wednesday 11 February Windsor and Maidenhead Borough’s planning committee approved the creation of a short footpath along Ray Mead Road instead of a riverside route for the Thames Path National Trail. The council had applied to…

Read More

Retrospective application for works on Cornish common

February 6, 2015

We have objected to a retrospective application for works on Pendarves Woods Common, a mile south-west of Camborne in Cornwall. The application from Mr Robert Weedon is for part of a sand-school, parking areas and track, fuel pumps and tank, and post-and-rail fencing. The works were constructed over a period since 2008. Before anyone can…

Read More

New call for Thames Path riverside route

January 6, 2015

We have objected to a planning application from Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council to create a short footpath along Ray Mead Road, Maidenhead, instead of a riverside route for the Thames Path National Trail. The council has applied to create a footway along Ray Mead Road, extending an existing footpath by about 17 metres with…

Read More

Commons and the Law training workshop from the Chilterns Commons Project

November 27, 2014

‘Commons are the jewels of the Chilterns,’ declares Nicola Hodgson, our case officer, who is today giving presentations at a workshop at Naphill, Bucks, on the range of legislation which affects common land. The training workshop, Commons and the Law, is part of the Chilterns Commons Project and is for all those involved with the…

Read More

Private-parking plan rejected on Surrey common

July 29, 2014

The Planning Inspectorate has rejected plans by the Shere Manor Estate to create parking spaces on Hurtwood Common near Holmbury St Mary in Surrey. This was to be in connection with the housing development proposed for the former Hollybush Tavern. The development had been granted planning permission in January 2013 but, because the works were…

Read More