Banstead Commons
Banstead Commons consist of four separate areas of common land in the north of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead, namely Banstead Heath, Banstead Downs, Park Downs and Burgh Heath. The Commons are managed by the Banstead Commons Conservators who have a statutory duty to ensure safe and free access of the public to the commons and to protect the commons from damage and trespass. This was originally intended, as much as anything, to protect the Commons from their owners although in this more enlightened age we hope that threats from this direction are unlikely.
As well as providing important recreational areas, the open spaces of the commons are important wildlife habitats. Banstead Downs and Park Downs are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), an important aspect of their attraction to a large number of users. Banstead Heath is classified as a Site of Nature Conservation Importance and an Area of Great Landscape Value. In an age of increasing urbanization this imparts certain responsibilities to manage with maintenance of the wildlife value in mind.
