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We have objected to the government’s plans to make it even more difficult to register land as a town or village green in England, following the harsh restrictions already imposed by the Growth and Infrastructure Act earlier this year.
The society has responded to a consultation by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in which the departments propose to introduce new restrictions on the opportunity to register land as a town or village green.
The Green, Pucklechurch, South Gloucestershire which would probably not have been registered as a village green under the Growth & Infrastructure Act 2013
The Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 outlaws applications to register land as a green in England when that land is threatened with development. The government now proposes to extend this restriction to land which is subject to a Local Development Order, a Neighbourhood Development Order and Transport and Works Act Orders (ie for infrastructure projects).
The Open Spaces Society has objected to these extensions. Our case officer, Nicola Hodgson, says: ‘These restrictions will prohibit valid applications to register land as a green, thereby depriving the community of its rights of recreation there, and putting the land at risk of development.
‘The consultation paper refers to the benefits and cost savings to businesses and the commons registration authorities, but there is no reference to the adverse effect on the community. The tenuous concept of localism will be completely destroyed.
‘These proposals are purely about saving money and putting development first—regardless of the cost to the environment and to communities. As a result, local people will lose their valued open spaces.
‘We have called on the government to abandon these further damaging changes to the law of town and village greens,’ Nicola concludes.
The consultation has now closed.