Town and village greens
Last updated: 03 December 2012 10:30 UKPortsmouth City Council is the Registration Authority for the Portsmouth Area, including Cosham, Drayton, Farlington, and Paulsgrove
The City Council compiles, maintains, and if appropriate amends, the registers of Town and Village Greens. Land is not a town or village green unless it is registered. Registration of land as a town or village green gives rise to rights for those who live in the same locality as the land to indulge in sports and other pastimes (and not only the activities which justified the registration of the land as a green). The register is held by Legal Services, to view or request a copy please telephone 02392688788.
What is a Town or Village Green?
There are 3 types of town / village greens: such areas may come to be regarded as
- statutory greens,
- customary greens – i.e. those based on historic use developed by custom long before any living memory of any other use, and
- prescriptive greens – i.e. those based on long user (20 years).
Section 15 of the Commons Act 2006 sets out the criteria for the registration of land as a new village green. This section came into force on 6th April 2007.
Land may be regarded as having become a town or village green where it can be shown that a significant number of the inhabitants of any locality, or of any neighbourhood within a locality, have indulged as of right in lawful sports and pastimes on the land for a period of at least 20 years;
- And they continue to do so at the time of the application for registration; or
- Where the use of the land as a town or village green ceased after the commencement of section 15 (6th April 2007) and the application for registration is made within the period of two years beginning with the date such use ceased; or
- Where the use ceased before 6th April 2007 and the application for registration is made within the period of five years beginning when the use ceased.
The owner of land can also voluntarily register land as a village green.
Information on making an application for registration of land as a town or village green can be obtained from DEFRA and Open Spaces Society.
We are able to provide you with guidance notes and an application form should you so wish.
You can also contact Legal Services and ask to speak to the Council’s Administrator and Registrar of Village Greens, on 023 9268 8788 for further information on registering a Town or Village Green.
If you wish to submit a completed application form then it should be sent to Legal Services, Administrator and Registrar of Village Greens, Mezzanine Floor, Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth PO1 2PX
Please note we only have an administrative function to deal with registrations. We can inform you as to procedures. We cannot give you legal advice about the registration of town and village greens, in general or in any particular case.
If you require legal advice or interpretation of the law you must seek your own independent advice.
