Commons and Village Greens

The law relating to commons and village greens is not a relic of the past. It developed during the 20th Century with the registration process under the Commons Registration Act 1965, and will develop further following the bringing into force of the access provisions in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the Commons Act 2006.

Commons

Issues arise as to the extent of rights of common and as to their transfer. Also, even after Bakewell Management -v- Brandwood [2004] 2 AC 519, issues can arise as to rights of access across common land. Members of Chambers advise on all aspects of the law of commons.

Village Greens

A claim for registration of land, which has allegedly been used by local people for informal recreation, gives rise to many contentious issues. Involvement of members of these Chambers in cases such
as R v Oxfordshire CC ex parte Sunningwell PC [2001] 1 AC 335, R v Sunderland CC ex parte Beresford [2003] 3 WLR 1306 and R (Laing Homes Limited) v Buckinghamshire County Council [2004] JPL and Oxfordshire County Council -v- Oxford City Council [2006] 2 WLR 1235 has equipped them well to offer advice and representation in cases within this specialist area of the law.