Widely considered to be our greatest asset, the 275 acres of open country which constitute the Heath is highly valued by residents and by our many visitors. As well as informal activities such as walking, a variety of sports and kite flying, it provides opportunities for organised events including charity races, firework displays, funfairs and festivals.
The Blackheath Society aims to represent the views of its members regarding the events which should be supported and we have conducted professional surveys of public opinion about the OnBlackheath music festival.
In general, we support a variety of events, catering to a wide range of interests, always assuming that the integrity of the Heath will be respected and protected.
We exercise our responsibility to protect and enhance the Heath by campaigning to reduce roads in favour of cycle and footpaths, by supporting the development of wild flower boarders to discourage illegal parking, and the maintenance of the ponds.
We established the Hub in the centre of the Heath to commemorate the Olympics and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2012 and we celebrated our own 80th anniversary by erecting a series of storyboards detailing major events, flowers and fauna around the Heath.
The legal status of the Heath is complex. North of the A2 it is owned by the Queen and managed by Greenwich, and to the South by the Earl of Dartmouth and managed by Lewisham. But all the Heath is held in trust for public benefit under the Metropolitan Commons Act.
The Blackheath Society is an active voting member of the Blackheath Joint Working Party, set up by the two boroughs to co-ordinate the planning and management of all issues relating to The Heath. A joint policy for the approval of events was agreed in 2017.
