GCW v. Newbury District Council

Documents concerning the case that ensued following issue of a High Court Writ by GCW protestors against Newbury District Council, 19 Nov 1997. Greenham Common land had been sold by the MoD on 24 Mar 1997 to 'Greenham Common Community Trust', to be used jointly by the Trust and NDC as an 'Enterprise Centre'. The women maintained that, according to section 194 of the Law of Property Act, 1925, NDC had illegally authorised such development. The protestors argued that Commoners' rights could only be extinguished by having their names struck off the Register of Commoners at Berkshire County Council. Since this had not been done, Commoners' rights remained intact. Justice Popplewell ruled her argument 'legally insignificant', giving the vesting deed (see 5/GCW/A/15) priority. File contains correspondence, notes, court papers (mostly copies made during process of appeal against the findings of Judge Popplewell), copies of relevant correspondence, maps [mostly photocopies, occasionally annotated] and legislation, copies of extracts from Berkshire County Council Register of Commoners and affidavits.

Duplicates from GCW/A/16 (court proceedings and witness statements used as evidence in the later case) have been weeded. Maps of Newbury and Aldermaston have been weeded for duplicates and combined with those of 5/GCW/A/15 (OS)