A Common Purpose: A Guide to Community Engagement for those Contemplating Management on Common Land

Common land, one of the oldest institutions in England and Wales, includes some of our countryside’s finest assets. There are 7,000 commons in England, covering nearly 400,000 hectares. Common land has been fundamental to traditional rural existence for centuries, and remains vital to agriculture and the rural economy of many areas. Over half of all commons are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest because of the many rare and unusual habitats and species they support. 

Common land is rich with archaeological information that has often been lost elsewhere. For many local communities access to common land has been a key part of daily life for centuries, providing fresh air, a sense of belonging and identity, and room to stretch on untamed and open access land which is usually very different from the surrounding landscape. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 established for the first time a right of access on foot to almost all common land which did not already have access rights (on foot or horseback). Common land is valued for all these interests and more. Management, often by commoners grazing their stock, has kept commons special for centuries. However, as rural economies change, many commons are not receiving enough management to maintain their various interests. Because so many people value them highly, they can be fertile ground for disagreement when there are proposals to review management. Such disagreement is further fuelled by the separation these days of many communities from familiarity with the practice and need for land management. 

This guide aims to reduce the potential for controversy, by setting out a process for planning management of common land that takes proper account of the views of all interested parties. If you are trying to bring a common into better management, or if you just care about its future, this guide will help engage with others so that everyone can work towards a common purpose. 

Author(s): Christopher Short, Elizabeth Hayes, Paul Selman and Amanda Wragg, CCRI, University of Gloucestershire (2012)