Village Greens: Town and Village Green Cases

The society has been instrumental in campaigning for the protection of land registered as a town/village green (TVG). We continue to offer support and assistance to members and to lobby government in England and Wales on related policy and legislation issues.

Whitchurch Green, Bristol

Some recent cases:

  • Assisting members including parish and town councils in Buckinghamshire and Kent to use the process under section 15(8) Commons Act 2006  to protect open space for public use by voluntarily registering it as TVG.
  • Guiding members in North Somerset, Lancashire, Dorset, West Susses and Swansea through the evidence based process under section 15 (2) Commons Act 2006 to protect open space for use by the public by registering land as TVG.
  • Assisting parish council members on the implications of section 29 Commons Act 1876 and section 12 Inclosure Act 1857 in protecting land registered as TVG where threatened by enclosure/encroachment or unlawful activities on the land.
  • Assisting and supporting members in Surrey, Bristol and Buckinghamshire in preparing to attend a non-statutory inquiry for a TVG application, including explaining the inspector’s directions for the hearing, disclosure bundles, statements and inquiry process. Please see our public inquiry guidance for details.
  • Explaining the implications to a member in Newcastle-under Lyme about the publication of a landowner statement, which challenges the use of land and brings to an end the right of locals to use the land. There is only one year from the date of such a statement to make a TVG application to protect the land and the rights that the public have established through long usage. There are difficulties when the local registration authority does not deal with any TVG application in a reasonable time, as is required by the Commons Act regulations.

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