Westfield Common is an area of land in Westfield,

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

that is registered

common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

Attributes

Westfield Common has boundaries that have been little reduced since 1719. The common has been recognised by the local authority with a preliminary assessment by

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

as a regionally important Site of Nature Conservation (SNCI). as it supports nationally scarce plants in the

chamomile Chamomile (American English) or camomile (British English; see spelling differences) ( or ) is the common name for several plants of the family Asteraceae. Two of the species, ''Matricaria recutita'' and ''Anthemis nobilis'', are commonly us ...

family and in aquatic species for example populations of great crested newts in two ponds. It has species-rich areas of: wet woodland, drains and ponds. The Common gives its name to a residents association called the Westfield Common Residents Association (WCRA) open to all users of the common in the local authority.

Commons registration

Under the

First Wilson ministry First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

Commons Registration Act 1965 The Commons Registration Act 1965 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom enacted in 1965 that concerns the registration of rights to common land, town greens, and village greens in England and Wales. The legislation under the Harold Wils ...

(CRA), a task and duty was given to top level local authorities to log and register all

Common Land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

within

England & Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Engli ...

to ensure continued protection for public benefit and to mitigate the effects of 19th century

inclosure Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...

resulting in perennial court claims of ownership by the

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

and other landowners to pieces of

, even where used as such by the common people of a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

. The common was registered with registration number is CL 121 at

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party has ...

. Under the CRA section 9, having unclear ownership, most of which was possessed in common by its users, the land became subject to the protection of the local authority (

Woking Borough Council Woking Borough Council is the local authority for the borough of Woking in the county of Surrey, England. The council consists of 30 councillors, three for each of the 10 wards in the town. It is currently controlled by the Liberal Democrat Part ...

). There are no pinpointed common rights such as taking of grass, berries or grazing recorded in the official register.

Management Plan

A comprehensive management plan to improve the ecology and social benefits of the common has been developed by Surrey Wildlife Trust and formally adopted by Woking Borough Council.

Gallery

File:Westfield Common - geograph.org.uk - 1757960.jpg, View of part of Westfield Common. There is a small Football Pitch where locals play File:Right of Way across Westfield Common.jpg, Path leading to Moor Lane File:Westfield Common Play Area, near Balfour Avenue - geograph.org.uk - 1757931.jpg, Westfield Common Play Area File:Pond on Westfield Common - geograph.org.uk - 1757994.jpg, One of the Ponds on Westfield Common File:Westfield Common - geograph.org.uk - 1047554.jpg, Animals on Westfield Common

References

{{Woking Woking Parks and open spaces in Surrey Common land in England