We back Dereham Town Council’s action to protect Norfolk common
We have congratulated Dereham Town Council in Norfolk for its robust action in defence of the lovely Badley Moor Common. The council has written to the landowner, Mr Anema, asking him to open up the blocked access to the common. The gate leading to the common has been locked for more than three years and…
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Firle Estate – tax free and for what?
The Firle Estate, near Lewes in East Sussex contains some of the most iconic walking landscape in the country, including the Firle Beacon stretch of the South Downs Way. So it might not surprise you to learn that the Estate has obtained exemption from inheritance tax (2) on nearly all the estate (3) in return…
Read MoreDestructive mineral plan for Trent Valley
We have objected strongly to plans for mineral extraction in the Shelford Valley on the Trent in Nottinghamshire. The society is backing Save Shelford Valley in its opposition to this development. The plan is to take minerals from land embraced by a meander of the River Trent. This would be extremely destructive of open countryside,…
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Campaigners condemn common-land swap for motorsport development
We have joined the Brecon Beacons Park Society and Gwent Wildlife Trust in condemning the Heads of the Valleys Development Company’s proposed land swap to enable it to build the Circuit of Wales motorsports development. We are among those who have sent strong objections to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS). Because the development would take more than…
Read MoreBeauty-spot sun factory is rejected
We are delighted that plans for 29,000 solar panels on open fields at Forty Green, near Bledlow in Bucks, have been rejected by Wycombe District Councillors. The panels, with a substation and a variety of buildings, would have smothered 45 acres at the foot of the Chiltern escarpment. The campaign against the proposal was led…
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We oppose plan to close vital Cornish rail-crossing
We are backing objectors to the proposed closure of a vital footpath across the railway line near Penzance, Cornwall. This pedestrian crossing at the Mexico Inn, Long Rock, provides an important short-cut for walkers. The alternative route is nearly a kilometre long. A public inquiry opens today (21 October) at the Marazion Community Centre, into…
Read MorePath to Ramsgate Harbour confirmed
The society is delighted that a new public highway has been recorded at Ramsgate harbour in Kent. The route runs between Madeira Walk and the lower esplanade at the harbour via a flight of steps and a tunnel. The society’s local correspondent for Thanet, Gordon Sencicle, backed the claim. Because there was an objection, the…
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Urbanisation of unspoilt Herefordshire countryside
We have objected to further plans by Bolderstone Innovative Energy Ltd to create new access to the Reeves Hill wind turbines on the prominent Herefordshire hilltop, close to the border with Powys. The four wind-turbines were given planning permission in 2012 but there are still outstanding issues to resolve. The proposed new access road is…
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Government website advises landowners to break the law
The government website which advises landowners of their responsibilities for public rights of way on their land tells them to break the law. Says our general secretary Kate Ashbrook: ‘The website advises landowners that it’s OK to plough cross-field paths provided people can easily walk around the edge of the field. The relevant legislation (Highways…
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Riverside path at Purfleet re-opens after nearly 20 years
After nearly 20 years of obstruction, the riverside path at Purfleet, which leads to Grays, has re-opened following action by keen Thames-side walker and Open Spaces Society member Chris Smith. Chris was pleased to have the support of the OSS and the Ramblers. The path was obstructed in the 1990s near Purfleet Station by a…
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