We help to stop quarry extension on West Yorkshire common
Consent has been refused for the enclosure and quarrying of 1.25 hectares of common land near Haworth in the Bradford district of West Yorkshire. The application was made by The Mineral Planning Group, under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006 for consent for works on common land. Such consent is needed in addition to…
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Supreme Court overrides rights of local communities on village greens
We have expressed deep sympathy for our members, Janine Bebbington and the Moorside Fields Community Group in Lancaster, following the Supreme Court judgment(1) on 11 December rejecting the registration of the fields as a village green. See our summary of the judgment here. This will have a huge impact on the ability of local communities…
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We help to save Bowes Moor, County Durham, from enclosure
We are delighted that consent has been refused for nearly six kilometres of fencing on Bowes Moor common in County Durham1. The application was made under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006 for consent for works on common land. Such applications are determined by the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State…
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We save Shropshire footpath from diversion
We have saved 100 metres of a footpath at Berrington, about four miles south-east of Shrewsbury, from being moved. Shropshire Council promoted the proposal on behalf of the landowner. Because we objected to the formal order, it was referred to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Planning Inspectorate determined…
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We fight Henley Festival footpath closure
We have objected to plans by the Henley Festival for the temporary closure of the Thames Path National Trail in July 2020. Every year since 1998 the Festival has applied to Wokingham Borough Council, the highway authority, for the temporary closure of the path before, during and after the Festival—and the council has agreed. The…
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Welsh government must ensure new payments to farmers lead to better public access
We have called on the Welsh government to ensure that the payment of public money under the new Sustainable Land Management scheme will benefit the public who wish to gain access to Wales’s farmed land. The society has responded to the Welsh government’s consultation paper Sustainable Farming and our Land. The society wishes to see…
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We fight development on Hampshire common
We have objected to an application from Mr Christopher Ball to build three houses and an access road on Odiham Common in Hampshire. The land, at Potbridge, is registered common land. Any development on common land requires the consent of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in addition to any planning…
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We save Herefordshire path from diversion
Our local correspondent Peter Newman has saved a path at Hope-under-Dinmore, four miles south of Leominster in Herefordshire. Network Rail and Herefordshire Council wanted to replace a footpath, HD4, which crosses the Shrewsbury to Hereford railway line at grade, with a route to the north which passes under the railway and is used by vehicles.…
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Helipad on Northumberland common
We have objected to a planning application from the East Allenheads Estate which would damage part of Allendale Common in Northumberland. The application is for a helicopter-landing area with concrete hard-standing. The applicant claims that this is a retrospective application to re-surface an existing helicopter landing, but the Open Spaces Society and other objectors argue…
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We fight fencing plan on Ugthorpe Common
The society has objected to an application from the Mulgrave Estate for nearly a mile of new fencing on Ugthorpe Common near Whitby in the North York Moors National Park. This is in addition to a retrospective application to replace more than two miles of fencing on the common. The estate applied to the Secretary…
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