Hi Tim

A couple of answers -

i) there was no ballot of landowners concerning the uses of Alices Meadow.
It is currently managed by the Fencott & Murcott Parish Council under the
terms of a "covenant" between them and the (then) Wheatley Friends of the
Earth group.

The parish council derives an income from the field by tendering out the
grazing rights for the field. The current trienniel grazing licence period
runs until 7th April 2007.

I have asked the chairman of the parish council for sight of this covenant,
but they have declined to let me have a copy. I am now considering making an
application under the freedom of information act to see this covenant and
other documentaion relating to their management of the field.

There are a number of questions about the status of this agreement. Firstly
when was it signed? Before or after the field was sold off? Secondly, the
field was bought and sold in the name of William Joseph Weston: So if the
FOE were never the owners of the field would they be competant to enter into
any covenant with the parish council in the first place? Thirdly, as the
covenant was not mentioned at all in the conveyances which partitioned the
fieldwould it be binding on the 3000+ successors in title to the field? The
conveyance certainly gives the impression that ALL rights (with the
exception of a mutual right of way) including grazing rights, were conveyed
with each plot.

ii) The RSPB nature reserve, might owe it's existance in part to the success
of the Alices's Meadow campaign, but it covers a completely separate piece
of land, occupying a large portion of the south of Otmoor.

iii) There is no register of members. As might be expected a lot of people
involved in the sale/purchase of Alice's Meadow have moved since - including
William Joseph Weston. He may still keep details of all the parties to whom
it was sold, but I have not yet been able to contact him. That is in fact
one of the puposes of this group, to try and make connections between those
of us who participated in what was a singularly successful example of
environmental action involving the general public.

BTW: Please do not get the impression that I am "anti" the parish council.
It makes a lot of sense for Alices Meadow to be managed by local people, and
for that to be done in such a way as to to produce a revenue stream that
makes it self sustaining, and which benefits that community. In fact it is
probably the only practical solution to managing a field that is notionally
owned by several thousand individuals. I just think that the legal basis on
which it is being done is pretty shakey and I would like to see something
more robust in place.

There is a bit more information on www.alicesmeadow.org.uk .

Paul Brettle

----- Original Message -----
From: "enofan2000" <tim.beesley@...>
To: <alicesmeadow-landowners@...>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 3:27 PM
Subject: [alicesmeadow-landowners] A few Questions...


> I'm pleased to 'meet' you all.
>
> I was turning out old papers last week and came across the deeds etc
> that I got when I bought a plot of AM land back in '83. It brought
> back some fond memories of times past and sent me all dewy-eyed with
> nostalgia over a number of things.
>
> So, what did happen to the field in question? Is it, as I understand
> from searches so far, a bird reserve? How did a decision to use it
> for that get reached? Was there a ballot of owners? I'm quite happy
> with its chosen use if that was the case, but I am curious as to how
> the purpose was decided upon, as, after the sale went through, I
> heard nothing more about it, other than to attend, what I remember
> as a celebratory fete.
>
> I did move house a couple of times in that period of my life, so
> it's quite likely that there were further mailings after that, that
> I did not receive.
>
> Can anyone fill me in on history of events to date?
>
> Is a register of owners being kept? Or is the owner now the RSPB? Or
> there again, is the site only leased to them?
>
> I like the idea about the name being put onto the OS map of the
> area. Is there a way of the matter being pursued? Perhaps a
> discussion with the local MP / Council would reinforce the request?
> It seems a valid request to me. There are, after all the 3000 owners
> (at least) who may want to find that particular field, plus locals
> who know it as that, and in addition, anyone who has a historical
> interest for research purposes.
>
> Tim Beesley
>
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> Yahoo! Groups Links
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