Important green spaces (but not the 150 acres I've fenced off)

[RainbowRainyDays]

William says green spaces are so important for people's mental health.

How does this chime with the 150 acres of land around his latest forever home that's been accessible by the public for the benefit of their wellbeing, but now they have no access to?

Many people have loved the open space they wandered in over many years, only to find it now shut off. I'd be sad and upset if part of my local area was suddenly inaccessible. I expect locals' mental health has been affected.

The Windsors have access to any number of houses that could have been the forever home, but no, they wanted this one.

Which also needed lots of work done on it apparently, as does every other new abode.

Go out in green space, but not the green space I've decided I want.

Prince William: Greenery is so good for our minds and bodies https://share.google/Kdq6YfnuV8V0d923d

There was a thread about the Wildlife centre a few months ago. The security cordon has changed in line with legislation around security needs.

If the Windsor estate wasn't owned by the crown it would probably be housing estates by now. These particular green spaces are protected because they are owned by the crown. They haven't closed the whole estate just a tiny part and locals seem generally happy. It's a non story really.

"What are the children affected doing in the meantime? Early years are so important!"

The centre only closed down when the season ended.
It is normally closed through the winter months.
So in the meantime the children are doing what they would normally be doing at this time of year i.e. other things.
The centre is being relocated so provision will continue.

This article is in the main specifically about people who live adjacent to the space in question. "Tina, who lives on the opposite side of Forest Lodge" The other couple mentioned have a garden backing on to the land and they currently have a key to access it.

They all live within the half mile distance and so are able to use the new system that enables them to access the land.

The article doesn't mention that.

Only people outside the immediate area will be impacted and then only on this specific part of the huge estate.

It's a non story being manipulated by people with an axe to grind.

Fully aware, thanks.

I do hope they’ve found another site for the environmental centre that they’ve closed.

I'd forgotten the 150 acres had the children's playpark!

It also had existing tenants who were made to vacate their homes.

Oh, plenty of other houses to rent, who cares about people who've potentially been turfed out of their forever homes.

🙄🤔😠

Well, that does sometimes happen if you are renting. The landlord wants the property back, and gives the tenant notice.

That's nothing unusual or limited to the Crown Estate

Edited because double posted for some reason!

They were renting. All landlords make decisions that require renters to move. There is a lot that can be criticised about the interaction between the institution and the country but this is sound and fury.

If the renters were upset I'm pretty sure The Mail would be plastered with sad face articles. They knew when they rented what the terms were.

@RainbowRainyDays you didn't answer @Vitriolinsanity 's question

"Are you one of the people who is now unable to walk this space OP?"

Yes it does happen, and when it does and someone loses their home there's generally sympathy for the tenant.

So much so that the law (for lesser mortals than the RF anyway) is changing so landlords can't just turf people out using Section 21. Because it's recognised that people's homes are important to them.

No, I'm not, what does that matter?

Are people not allowed to have opinions on things that don't personally affect them?

Mumsnet would be very quiet if that were the case. In fact, the entire country would be very quiet.

Yes, the law is changing and it will be interesting to see the impact on the housing situation.

I have skin in the game here, because I inherited a flat and have rented it for a few years while my older daughter finishes at uni, at which point she will have the use of it. It isn't in the UK, DD is a dual citizen. So this won't affect me, but i can see the landlord's perspective as well as the tenant (having been a tenant myself until.my mid 30s).

In the meantime my tenant has had 5+ years in a well maintained and located flat, at about 75% of the market rate - and been very happy with the deal. It has helped him to have somewhere nice but relatively cheap to live while he finished his studies and started his career. I have had a reliable tenant who looks after the place, and the rent covers the bills and allows me to support various family members in that country with their education, when they were out of work etc.

The alternative would have been to sell the flat and pay off a lot of my mortgage here, or keep the proceeds as a deposit for DD.

This is exactly right. I wonder if they are going to pay out of their own money to get that children's play area rebuilt somewhere else, as Kate is so into kids playing outside?

On the same Sandringham Estate Andrew is moving to, so they were that disgusted at having him near them!

It’s always do as I say and not do as I do OP I agree. I don’t mind William but I agree it’s unfair when they have so much property and land.

Ever been to Great Windsor Park, OP? Or even to Windsor?

Of course you can have an opinion, but on here we have seen the opinion of people who are actually local and affected by this change, and don’t see it as a big deal. They also understand the ins and outs of how Windsor Great Park works. As opposed to sticking on their judgy pants and not really appreciating the practicalities of the situation

Really? I own a farm, can I do whatever I want with my land? Build on it?

No, I thought not. Elite entitlement.

But they aren't building on it.

Do you allow open access to all your land? Or limit it to legal rights of way?

On here, we've seen the opinion of one person from Windsor who says everyone living in Windsor is cool with it.

In the papers there's the opinions of some people in Windsor who aren't.

Opinions are mixed. People not bothered, people mildly bothered but shrugging shoulders, people upset.

Yes.

Unsurprising number of sycophants on this thread. Two things:

-yes there is other land that can be used by the public, but a children's environmental educational centre within the new exclusion zone has had to close down. This makes William and Kate look like massive hypocrites given how often they go on about early years/education/access to nature

-they could have lived in one of many houses on the Windsor estate which would have resulted in no additional land being fenced off

they could have lived in one of many houses on the Windsor estate which would have resulted in no additional land being fenced off

Exactly. Why not do that instead of evicting tenants from their homes, closing off land that some people had a decades long connection with, and making a kids environment hub close.

William has no less a sense of entitlement than anyone else in his family.