Please feel free to share this page with anyone in your local area who you think may be interested in responding. Thank you.

Who has developed the survey?    

• Friends of the Lake District  -  a registered charity dedicated to protecting and enhancing the landscape of Cumbria.  Highlighting the importance of green space forms a vital part of its work and it was the lead partner in the Heritage Lottery funded Our Green Space project: www.ourgreenspace.org.uk
• Cumbria County Council – the Commons Registration Authority for Cumbria.  It maintains the Town and Village Greens Register and it decides on any new town or village green applications. Online mapping tool http://maps.cumbria.gov.uk/eggp/
  

What is the survey about?

It is a survey about various aspects of town and village greens including their use, value, any issues, management and ownership.  We are interested to hear anything positive about your town or village greens or any difficulties there may be.  Registered Town and Village Greens are one of the county’s most precious historic assets and so Friends of the Lake District is undertaking this research to identify whether help is needed to protect or better manage these unique community spaces.

Who should complete the survey?

Local community members.  Anyone with an interest in their local Registered Village Greens or the public green spaces where they live.  A similar survey has already been distributed to Parish Councils but individual council members are still welcome to complete this survey

Why should you complete the survey?

To help us establish if support is needed for communities to better manage, enjoy or protect their town or village greens.

How will the survey be used?

If the survey findings show that there is a need for more support for communities around town and village greens, then Friends of the Lake District may develop various grant applications to try to fund such support.

What are town and village greens?

Town and village greens derive from customary law as areas of land where local people enjoy “lawful sports and pastimes” (such as organized or informal games, picnics and fetes).  A green can be in private ownership but many are owned or maintained by town and parish councils.  Section 15 of 2006 Commons Act explains that land can be registered as a green if it has been used by local people for recreation “as of right” (ie. without permission, force or secrecy) for at least 20 years.  Registered greens have legal protection under 1857 Inclosure Act (section 12) and 1876 Commons Act (section 29), so it is not possible to develop a green, damage it or prevent access. 

Please feel free to share this page with anyone in your local area who you think may be interested in responding.  Thank you.