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25
Jul 2023
Civic society objects to Harrogate Stray common land proposal
Harrogate Civic Society has objected to plans to designate the Stray as common land.
The Open Spaces Society applied to register Harrogate’s 200-acre expanse as common land, a move which has been met with opposition by some in the town.
Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, and the Stray Defence Association have already objected to the proposal.
Now, the town’s civic society has become the latest to declare its opposition to the plan.
In a letter to North Yorkshire Council, Henry Pankhurst, of the Harrogate Civic Society, said registering the Stray as common land would lead to “confusion” as it is already covered by the Harrogate Stray Act 1985.
He said:
Read more:
- MP and campaigners oppose registering Stray as common land
- Watch: Lime tree on Stray in Harrogate being felled
Mr Pankhurst added that the public had been consulted on changes to the Stray Act in 2016/17 and “made it clear that the act should not be changed”.
The move comes after the Open Spaces Society tabled a bid to register the Stray as common land back in January.
Founded in 1865 as the Commons Preservation Society, the OSS is Britain’s oldest national conservation body. Its past victories include the preservation of Hampstead Heath, Wimbledon Common and Epping Forest.
When the Commons Registration Act 1965 came into force, the Stray was exempted from inclusion in the common land register, but following the passing of the Commons Act 2006, the OSS has been trying to register such exempted land and wants to bring the Stray “back into the fold”.
When the application was made earlier this year, OSS case officer Hugh Craddock said:
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