A generous bequest from Leslie Menzler
Our former local correspondent for Warwickshire, Leslie Menzler, died in 2014 aged 93 with no surviving family. He has left us a generous legacy. John Hall, our Coventry local correspondent writes of Leslie: Little is known about his early life but old family photos show Les living in Surrey with siblings and servants. His father,…
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Thwaite common fencing plan rejected
We are delighted that the Planning Inspectorate has rejected an application for fencing of Thwaite Common, near Erpingham, six miles south of Cromer. A year ago the Thwaite Common Management Committee, supported by North Norfolk District Council and Norfolk Wildlife Trust, applied to erect temporary fencing on three parts of the common, to enable the…
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Multi-million pound Firle Footpath ploughed up for the third time
For the third time, the Firle Estate has ploughed up a path that it gets a huge subsidy to keep open, despite promises to the Open Spaces Society given three months ago that it would be opened. The path, which runs south from the Barley Mow Pub at Selmeston, is one of the reasons that…
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Kington’s pioneer path-scheme comes to an end
After 25 years the pioneering Kington Footpath Scheme in Herefordshire has come to an end. The scheme was invented and run by Peter Newman, our trustee and north-west Herefordshire local correspondent, with Herefordshire Council and the Hereford Probation Service. Offenders on Community Payback worked with Peter and the council to install about 800 stiles and…
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Getting the buzz
The society has long opposed fencing on commons, and we are pleased that an alternative is being developed. Last November we joined a group of commons practitioners on a visit to Epping Forest, to learn about the use of invisible fencing to contain stock. Epping Forest is a 12-mile-long stretch of ancient woodland straddling the…
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Plan to sacrifice Lyde Green common withdrawn
We are delighted that NORFT Ltd has withdrawn its controversial plan to sacrifice Lyde Green Common near Pucklechurch, north-east of Bristol, and replace it with inferior land some distance away. NORFT, the owner of the common, had applied to the Planning Inspectorate to deregister and exchange Lyde Green. The Open Spaces Society, Emersons Green Town…
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New freedom to roam on Cissbury’s downland
Worthing Borough Council has dedicated its land at Mount Carvey and Tenants Hill for public access and enjoyment. It is close to the ancient Cissbury Ring, on the top of the downs above Worthing in the South Downs National Park in West Sussex. The decision follows a six-year campaign led by the Worthing Downlanders (formerly…
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Restore Fawley’s Walnut Tree pub for walkers
We have backed an application to Wycombe District Council to rebuild and restore the Walnut Tree pub at Fawley in Bucks. The site is at the hub of a number of public rights of way in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is passed by countless walkers, riders and cyclists. The pub closed…
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Threat to Cornish bridleway
We have objected to an application to station 91 residential-park dwellings on land close to a public bridleway and common land, at Quintrell Downs, Colan, north Cornwall. The new residents would have to drive along the bridleway to gain access to the A392 road to the north. We oppose the development because it will generate…
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Safe crossings for Poole pedestrians
We have helped secure four crossings over the busy Shore Road at Poole, to enable walkers to get safely from the beachfront to the harbourside, using a popular footpath. These were achieved by our local correspondents Harry and Aimee Alexander who pursued the campaign for ten years. Says Harry: ‘After more than a decade of…
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