Commons UK
| Map | |
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| Location | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 54° 42' 8.48" N, 3° 16' 35.67" W |
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of UK community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism to grow the commons.
Commons are often associated with natural resources like the oceans and forests — areas that belong to everyone. But commons are not just resources. They are not simply Wikipedia pages or the city grounds used for urban gardening. They comprise of a resource, a community, and a set of social protocols. The three are an integrated, interdependent whole.
News
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The plan to clean up England and Wales’ water industry ignores the sector’s biggest problem, theconversation.com (Jan 28, 2026) - New tools for growing the commons, part 4: what life in a commons town might be like, Dave Darby, growingcommons.substack.com (Jan 25, 2026)
- Direct Access To Power, Alternative Editorial (Mar 23, 2025)
- "Laying the foundations for the hopeful, creative, just transition that we know is in our hearts". Civic Square mapping eco-possibilities for the West Midlands, Daily Alternative (Dec 03, 2024)
- “We live in a mere shadow of the world we could have”. Dil Green—building commons by means of housing and local trading, in Stroud and Liverpool—has a pathway, Daily Alternative (Nov 03, 2024)
- Arriving at commoning: it's everywhere, but how can we get it right?, growingcommons.substack.com (Apr 19, 2026)
- Foraging commons in action, growingcommons.substack.com (Apr 08, 2026)
- A housing commons for the Basque country - starting with bicycles and cars!, growingcommons.substack.com (Mar 29, 2026)
- A commoners' manifesto: 24 articles on how commons can change the world, Dave Darby, growingcommons.substack.com (Feb 15, 2026)
- Where Stewardship Starts, A Conversation with TreesForDev, Aude Peronne, audeperonne.substack.com (Jan 29, 2026)
Networks and support initiatives
[edit | edit source]- Low-Impact Living Initiative, provides information, opinion and advice on 250+ self-provisioning and commons topics. LowimpactTV, on youtube.com. links checked 13:14, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
- Mutual Credit Services, Building the Credit Commons
Video
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New Forest commoner
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A New Forest commoner (also known as a New Forester, Commoner or Forester) is a person who owns common land with recognized historical rights in the New Forest area of Southern England. The term is used both for a practitioner of the heritage agricultural vocation of commoning, and also a cultural minority native to the area. They are closely associated with the New Forest pony. In 2020, there were about 700 New Forest commoners.
Areas of common land in and around the New Forest are linked to established historical rights, some dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. These include rights of pasture, mast, marl, turbary, sheep-grazing, and fuelwood. The landowners entitled to these rights – often families who have held common land for generations – are known as commoners. Only they have the legal authority to exercise the rights attached to their holdings.
The contribution of New Forest commoners to maintaining the area's ecology and landscape, as well as their historic role as a living tradition and heritage cultural minority, has been recognised by the Government of the United Kingdom, and the New Forest National Park Authority has acknowledged its commitment to protecting and supporting the community and the practice.
Resources
[edit | edit source]- Use-credit obligations - introduction. Information from Dil Green of Mutual Credit Services and Chris Cook of Island Power on lowimpact.org
- Housing commons - introduction. Information from Dil Green of Mutual Credit Services on lowimpact.org
News archive
[edit | edit source]- "Laying the foundations for the hopeful, creative, just transition that we know is in our hearts". Civic Square mapping eco-possibilities for the West Midlands, Daily Alternative (Dec 03, 2024)
- “We live in a mere shadow of the world we could have”. Dil Green—building commons by means of housing and local trading, in Stroud and Liverpool—has a pathway, Daily Alternative (Nov 03, 2024)
- Solving the housing crisis via the commons, By Dil Green, resilience.org (Aug 23, 2024)
- Stroud Housing Commons: latest developments, lowimpact.org (May 08, 2024)
2017-2023
- The Stroud Commons aims to shift housing, energy, land, food, water, transport, social care & the means of exchange into community ownership, The Daily Alternative (Jul 08, 2023)
- Stroud Commons part 1: We’re putting our house into the ‘commons’. Follow our progress and replicate it in your community, lowimpact.org (Jan 08, 2023)
- Reflections on building the ‘Commons’ economy, lowimpact.org (Jul 17, 2022)
- Universal Basic Everything by @TessyBritton...medium.com May 30, 2020.
- Plunder of the commons: compensate the commoners! Sep 13, 2019...openDemocracy
- Building a new social commons, May 2, 2017...NEF
External links
- Shared Assets, Land Explorer, a project from Shared Assets, helping you find information on land in the UK
local information can be found, or shared, via our many UK location pages
| Authors | |
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| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Philralph (2024–2026). "Commons UK". Appropedia. Retrieved June 15, 2026. |