Walkers 'should have access to coastline'

Last updated at 13:35 19 June 2007


Walkers should have access to the English coastline, the Government has said.

Environment Secretary David Miliband said he wants to open up the whole of the coastal area to the public.

The problem is that at present parts of the coast

are out of bounds and ramblers find their routes blocked, forcing them to make long detours

inland.

Ministers favour a strip allowing access along the full length of the coast as well as to headlands, coves and beaches so that a continuos route will always be available as close to the coast as possible.

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coastline

Mr Miliband said: "We are an island nation. The coast is our birth right 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.

"Improving public access will enrich people's enjoyment and understanding of the varied seaside landscapes and environments around the country."

A consultation of the shake-up will ask for views

on four options:

• Use existing rights of way legislation to create a footpath all round the coast;

• Extend open access using the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to give access to types of land which are considered coastal - for example, beach, dunes, cliffs, among others;

• Voluntary agreements with landowners using existing mechanisms, such as those for agri-environment schemes;

• New legislation to allow Natural England to designate a coastal corridor providing a continuous route along which people can enjoy access to the coast.

Damian Cleghorn, public policy officer at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said:

"The Government need to think carefully before moving forward with this policy.

"A corridor of public access could have a damaging impact on sensitive environmental areas, creating 'tourist hotspots', which threaten the biodiversity of the coastline.

"Ruling out compensation for landowners is punitive given that security and safety problems are likely to result in the fall of property values.

"In order to make any new proposals a success, landowners must be involved in any discussions relating to the fixing of a route.

"Consideration needs to be given to better enforcement of legislation that is already in place, rather than introducing yet more legislation, which may just serve to further confuse land managers and the public."

Chair of Natural England Sir Martin Doughty said: "We are advising the Government to use legislation to give us flexible new powers to align a suitable strip of access land around the English coast that people will be able to enjoy with confidence and certainty.

"Natural England would concentrate on sections of coast where access on foot is currently missing, defective or insecure.

"The work would create a clear access corridor of varying width around the coast, with cliff-top walks complemented by 'spreading room' en route, such as beaches, dunes, headlands and viewpoints.

"We are also looking to achieve significant environmental improvement around the coast, building on the excellent work to date of Environmental Stewardship and its predecessor schemes.

"We are particularly interested in rolling back the line of intensive agriculture from the cliff edge over time."

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