Ministers back legally-binding access to coastal areas

20 June 2007

Ministers want to press ahead with ambitious, £50M plans to provide access to the full length of England’s coastline, arguing it would encourage more than 6M visits, generating £117M for local economies.
The Government has launched a consultation on implementing Natural England’s proposals for new legislation to create a legally-binding coastal access corridor.
Environment secretary, David Miliband, said: ‘The coast is our birthright and everyone should be able to enjoy it. I want families to have safe and secure access to walk, climb, rock scramble, paddle and play all along our coastline.
‘The coast is also vitally important for nature conservation and wildlife, and for tourism, so our vision for greater freedom and rights for people will take into account the need to safeguard habitats and heritage sites.’
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said new legislation would allow 2,000-2,500km of new coastal access to be provided, and the existing lengths made useable and safe within 10 years.
Defining a broad access corridor would allow coastal paths to be re-aligned following erosion, and all paths would be required to be built and maintained ‘to a high standard’.
But DEFRA admits that the lack of definitive maps could create ‘uncertainty’ about where access applied.
Alan Feist, chair of the County Surveyors’ Society countryside working group, commented: ‘There has been little discussion so far with local authorities about this.
‘The CSS has a number of questions. Would a description of the access corridor rather than a map be legally enforceable? What happens if landowners oppose the “rolling back” of paths following cliff erosion? Can liability for accidents be reduced while requiring public authorities to maintain paths?’
Feist hoped that planned regional road show meetings would provide some answers.

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Ministers back legally-binding access to coastal areas

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