Many commons still exist as green spaces that can be enjoyed
by the public. The common land we have today was all registered
under the Commons Registration Act 1965. England has over 7,000
registered commons, covering 4% of the country.
Commons are not owned by the public. Most are owned by private
individuals or by organisations like the National Trust. Some
of them still have a small number of commoners with registered
rights.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 created new rights
of access to common land. All common land over one acre that
falls within the scope of the Act will be shown on Ordnance
Survey maps.
