Common Land and Village Greens
- As a Commons Registration Authority under the Commons Registration Act, 1965 – Central Bedfordshire Council is responsible for maintaining the registers of Common Land and Town or Village Greens which members of the public can inspect free of charge. Under the 1965 Act, all existing commons and town or village greens had to be registered. The commons registers, which also include subsequent registrations, are maintained by the registration authority and contain information about the land, the owner and any rights of common.
This currently includes updating the registers when ownership of common rights change, or where rights are apportioned (although the circumstances in which we can amend the registers are limited). We amend the registers when we are notified by the Land Registry of changes in ownership of land and we can amend the registers in some instances to show changes in address. The Commons Act 2006 received Royal Assent on the 19 July 2006 and will repeal the 1965 Act at a later date. The new Act will give Commons Registration Authorities new responsibilities.
The Countryside Access Service undertakes for Central Bedfordshire Council the following statutory duties:
- Maintaining the registers of common land and town and village greens.
- Processing applications to register new land.
- Processing applications to amend the registers
Other Local Authorities Common Land and Village Green Links
External Links
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Website provides detailed information about Common Land and Village Greens.
For further information please contact Chris Heard on 0300 300 6249 or email at Chris.Heard@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk