The purpose of the Bill is to restore land in the ownership of the Council in and at the vicinity of the Greenham and Crookham Commons as common land open to the public. The Bill makes provision for the conservation of the natural beauty of the land, grants public access over the land in perpetuity and restores and extends rights of common over the land. Clause 2 deals with interpretation. The land shown coloured black, hatched black or cross-hatched black on the map is excluded from the Common.
Special provision is made in relation to the land shown shaded grey on the map.
Clause 4 extends existing rights of Common so that they are exercisable over the whole of the Common and extinguishes any rights of Common over the land excluded from the Common by clause 3 . Clause 5 enables certain persons who previously had rights of common over the Common which have been extinguished to apply to the Council to restore those rights in respect of the Common on payment of the amount of compensation given in respect of the extinguishment of the rights. Applications must be made within one year. Where no application to restore a right of common is made within that period, the Council may vest the right in any person owning the freehold of a residential property situated in the area adjoining the Common shown stippled on the deposited map. Clause 6 enables the Council to designate additional open space over which the public will have access.