News - Banstead Commons Conservators

Joint Action Meeting with Surrey Police to tackle the issue of off-road bikes on Banstead Downs

Banstead Commons Conservators would like to invite local residents to a joint action meeting to tackle the issue of off-road bikes on Banstead Downs We will be joined by Inspector Jon Vale and Sergeant Andy Prowse from Surrey Police with Support from Councillor Lisa Webster as well as senior managers of Banstead Downs Golf Club and Walton Heath Golf Club We are very grateful to Banstead Downs Golf Club for hosting this important meeting on...

Benches outside The Sportsman Public House

We’ve recently received a number of enquiries regarding the removal of the benches on the grassed area next to The Sportsman Public House To help clarify the situation, we’ve put together a few Frequently Asked Questions below Q: I remember there were benches on the grassed area near The Sportsman Why have they been removed A: The placement of benches on registered Common Land has always required a licence from Banstead Commons...

Caterpillar season on Banstead Commons

At this time of year, the Commons are teeming with life Spring and Summer are the months when caterpillars are most active Oak trees for example support over 300 different species of caterpillar Each organism has its own special role to play in a healthy ecosystem Visitors of our Chalk Downland sites are currently observing the mass emergence of the Spindle Ermine moth caterpillars These amazing little caterpillars will strip a Spindle tree of...

Conservation work at Withybed Corner

Banstead Commons Conservators are hosting their Volunteer Work Parties in the wooded areas of Withybed Corner during the months of April, May and July The work force will be sensitively removing Cherry Laurel from the understorey of the woodland with the aim to remove non-native invasive plants from the habitat Cherry Laurel is an invasive plant and its dense canopy and rapid growth outcompetes native species, greatly reducing biodiversity...

Love Dogs, Love Nature Forum

We are a nation of dog lovers with the Dogs Trust estimating that there are as many as 13 million dogs in the UK The Love Dogs, Love Nature Project, facilitated by Surrey Hills Natural Landscapes, has recently been set up to provide joined up education, advice and to develop constructive ideas on how to best manage the relationship between dogs and our natural environment Our staff attended their recent event on Thursday 27 March, with Dr...

BCC Licensing scheme for Professional Dog Walkers is launched!

Banstead Commons Conservators launched their Professional Dog Walking Licence Scheme this month From the 1 April, all commercial dog walkers who are paid and insured animal care workers are required to be licenced if they take dogs in their care onto Banstead Commons  The scheme has been introduced in response to an unprecedented increase in commercial dog walking activities on the Commons putting visitors and wildlife at risk Our...

Merry Christmas

Dear Supporter, As we approach the end of 2024, we wanted to thank you for your ongoing support to Banstead Commons It has been wonderful to see our support grow even further this year and we would like to use this opportunity to share some of the highlights that have made it so special Volunteers We now have more volunteers and work parties than ever This has enabled us to better protect and preserve our habitats that require...

BCC to license Professional Dog Walkers

Banstead Commons Conservators are implementing a professional dog walking licence scheme on Banstead Commons from 1 April, 2025 From this date, all professional dog walkers operating their business on any of our four sites (Banstead Heath, Banstead Downs, Park Downs and Burgh Heath) must be licensed to walk on them Dog walking companies who have not registered their operations once this is in effect, will be in breach of our bye laws and...

Nature Detective Day Competition Winners!

Congratulations to our competition winners who correctly guessed the age of our Oak tree at our Nature Detective Days this summer In return for their efforts, the eight winners all won their own slice of a tree with a certificate of authentication that gave details of the location where the tree fell on Banstead Commons earlier this year It was lovely to see our young Nature Detectives again when they collected their prize in...

Practical Volunteer Update – October

30 September, 2024 Dear Volunteer, I hope this email finds you well What terrible wet weather we’ve had over recent days, the temperature has also dropped, winter coats will be out soon Whilst Autumn and Winter are meant to be the seasons when we can carry out most of the habitat improvement work on the Commons, sometimes the weather can scupper our plans, especially when using agricultural machinery Thankfully, weather...

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