Commoning

We believe that as well as being a distinctive part of our cultural heritage, the exercise of common rights is the most efficient and cost‐effective means of maintaining the special qualities of the landscape of the unenclosed Forest, to which the commoners’ stock also impart a character that is unique and vibrant.

We support:

• Commoning and the promotion of public understanding of the tradition and its modern relevance to the Forest.
• Initiatives by public authorities to sustain the use of common rights.
• Initiatives to retain existing Commoners’ holdings and back‐up land for the long‐term benefit of the Forest.
• The provision of affordable housing for occupancy by commoners in the long‐term.
• Returning former lawns lost within statutory Inclosures to the open forest.
• Restoring grazing to land within the wider New Forest that has been fenced and otherwise detached from the open Forest.

We oppose:

• The loss of active or potential commoning holdings or back‐up grazing land.
• The loss of publicly owned housing stock suitable for occupancy by commoners in the long‐term.

We will keep under review initiatives that we can instigate or directly contribute towards in order to sustain Commoning.