Common Land/Town and Village Greens

Hartlepool Borough Council is the registration authority for common land and town and village greens in Hartlepool.

As a Commons Registration Authority we are responsible for maintaining the registers of common land and town and village greens, this includes the registration of 'new' village greens.

DEFRA have produced a number of guides for people thinking about making an application to register land as common land or as a town or village green.  The Open Spaces Society also offers guidance and assistance for residents looking to make an application to register land as town or village green.  Their website can be reached by pasting their web address into your search facility on your browser.  www.oss.org.uk

There are no current applications for registering town and village greens. 

Common Land 

Common land is usually either in local council ownership or owned by private individuals or the National Trust.  This is generally open, unfenced and remote; particularly in the upland areas of England and Wales.  Occasionally there are some lowland areas of common, particularly South East England that are important for recreational uses.

Currently, you usually have the right to roam on it.  This means you can use it for certain activities like walking and climbing.

Some common land has dfferent rights, so you may be able to use it for other activities, eg horse riding.

You can't:

• camp on common land without the owners permission
• light a fire or have a barbacue
• hold a festival or other event without permission
• drive across it without permission unless you have the right to access the property

For more information on Common Land, Town and Village Greens and Open Access Land access the Government Website - GOV.UK