Access to woods, coastal areas and watersides

Government plans for improved access to 'open' countryside should also include more access to woods, coastal areas and watersides, according to the Countryside Agency. But, responding to government's request for advice on the need to include these three land types in its proposed legislation, the Countryside Agency recommends a different approach for each.

Meeting in Cheltenham, the Countryside Agency's board concluded that the new access legislation should:
- create a new statutory right of access to foreshore and associated coastal land like beaches, dunes and coastal marshes - but not to cliff faces;
- enable landowners to grant permanent new access rights over their own land - and encourage this by directing the forestry Commission to grant such rights over the woods in its control, and other landowning government departments to follow suit;
- enable much more vigorous, targeted creation of rights of way along stretches of waterside such as river banks and lake shores; and - put public access to canal towpaths on a secure and permanent footing for the future.

Speaking after the meeting, Countryside Agency chairman Ewen Cameron said: "All of these types of land - coast, woods and watersides - are very popular with the public. And we know from our own research that 80% of the population wants to see improved public rights over them." Mr Cameron said: "We do not believe that imposing statutory access rights over all of this land would be workable or reasonable. But for each type, there is much to be done in bringing the supply of public access closer to demand and securing existing recreational use. We have designed our recommendations with great care to fit the needs and circumstances of each of these land types. Legislation has a key role to play in delivering this improved access, safeguarding other interests in the land, minimising conflict between users and protecting wildlife and heritage features."

The Government is committed to giving the public statutory access rights over mountain, moor, heath, down and common, subject to reasonable local controls and responsible behaviour. In its Framework for Action on access to the countryside in March 1999, it asked the Countryside Agency, the forestry Commission and the Countryside Council for Wales to report to it on access to 'other' types of open countryside, such as cliffs, foreshore and woodland, so that it can consider the case for extending access to these areas too. The Countryside Agency has worked closely with the other two agencies and with the Environment Agency and English Nature in analysing the options for change.