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29
Jun 2023
MP and campaigners oppose registering Stray as common land
The debate over the Stray's official designation has been rekindled following an intervention by Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.
He became involved in the controversy after 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.
Mr Jones wrote to the general secretary of the OSS seeking more information about the application. He said:
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 in January 2023, OSS case officer Hugh Craddock said:
Frances Kerner, the OSS’ commons re-registration officer who made the application, added:
'Unnecessary and alarming'
But Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association (SDA), said the application was unnecessary as the Stray already enjoyed three layers of protection: it is Crown land; it was granted in 1778 to the people of Harrogate “forever hereafter” under the Enclosures Act of 1770; and it is safeguarded by the Harrogate Stray Act 1985.
Writing to the commons registration officer at North Yorkshire Council, she said:
A drone image of West Park Stray. Picture: David Simister
Ms d’Arcy Thompson also pointed to the fact that some parts of the Stray are not connected with the main 200-acre expanse, such as land in the Woodlands area and the grass verges, or “slips”, along Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Knaresborough Road. She said if the Stray was designated common land, some people could theoretically be barred from crossing those verges, effectively denying them access to their own property.
She also feared that the OSS may be working from the wrong maps – a concern first raised by the late Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam.
She said:
'It would strengthen protection'
In its reply to Mr Jones, the OSS said that, using a mechanism provided by Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, its policy is now to apply to register as common land all exempted land in North Yorkshire, including the Stray. It said:
It added:
But Mr Jones said:
Ms d’Arcy Thompson also remains unswayed. She said:
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