Registering a green space gives it legal protection so that it cannot be developed and must remain for use for sports and pastimes.

At present, communities can apply to register green spaces they have used for 20 years for sports and recreation as town and village greens which will give them full protection. These spaces are often at the heart of community life and are valuable not only for recreation, but as open green spaces for wildlife, informal meetings, children to play.

Cumbria currently has the highest number of town and village greens of any county in England, and they are very diverse in character, ranging from traditional village greens in the centre of a group of houses, to open grazing land in the countryside or land on the edge of the village with free access for local people.

The Government is planning to introduce a new set of character tests which would severely restrict the types of green spaces which could be registered. For example, any land with woodland, or which was partially enclosed would become ineligible. Without legal protection these green areas would have no protection from development and no guarantee of public access or use for recreation.

Jan Darrall, Policy Officer for Friends of the Lake District said: "The Government's proposals would severely restrict the types of green space which communities can protect, despite proving that they have been used by the community for over 20 years. What makes these spaces important is their diversity and character. Communities really value these spaces, and recent studies have shown that being able to look at a green space is worth £300 a year for each person*". - see note below.

Defra's consultation on the registration of new town and village greens ends on 17 October. Please respond to the Government's proposals by then. The consultation is available online here.

Read Friends of the Lake District's response to the consultation here.

*Statistic from UK National Ecosystem Assessment, 2011