Village Greens

Town and Village Greens

The term ‘Village Green’ here is used in the limited sense of a green which was registered under the Commons Registration Act 1965 or the Commons Act 2006, and does not necessarily apply to areas that might be thought of as greens.

A village green is land on which the local inhabitants have a customary right to indulge in ‘lawful sports and pastimes’. They may therefore be used for riding horses (Lancashire v Hunt (1894) 10 TLR 310), subject to any byelaws and the respecting of other inhabitants’ rights to indulge in their lawful sports and pastimes.

Restrictions

The right to ride on a village green can be excluded by byelaw made under s.15 Open Spaces Act 1906 by the parish council (or district council in an area where there is no parish council).

Recording a Town or Village Green

A landowner can simply apply to register land as a Town or Village Green, using the required form.

Otherwise, any person can apply to record a Town or Village Green based on evidence of use of the land by the inhabitants for a period of over twenty years.

Information on registering village greens can be obtained by joining the Open Spaces Society.

The form for registering a town or village green (by a landowner or others) comes in two versions: Form CA9 (for pioneer areas, including Hertfordshire) and Form 44 (from non-pioneer areas).

Example

Woodcock Hill off Barnet Lane, Elstree, was registered as a Village Green on 8 Jul 08, based on evidence of use.