Contemporary context
Town and village greens form an integral part of many local communities. The Commons Registration Act 1965 first defined what constituted a town or village green. In 2000 Parliament considered the Countryside Rights of Way Bill which proposed extending this legal definition.
One of the ways in which land may become a town or village green is by an Act of Parliament that allots lands for the exercise or recreation of local people.
Parliament considered another change in 2006 when the Commons Bill prescribed a specific period of grace for the registration of a town or village green after access had been prevented by a private landowner.
Further reforms were introduced in the Commons (Registration of Town or Village Greens) (Interim Arrangements) (England) Regulations 2007 which were debated in Parliament and came into force on 6 April 2007.
Page last updated September 2016.