The Government will today publish draft legislation on coastal access, and the eyes of many outdoor organisations will be on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary of State Hilary Benn to see if he keeps the Labour party’s pledge to open up the coastline.
England's coast: only 70 per cent has access
The Marine Bill covers, among other things, marine conservation and the planning process for both the seas and coast around Britain. But most importantly for outdoor groups, it should contain proposals for an access corridor around the whole of the English coast, a follow-on from the provisions of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act, which introduced a limited right-to-roam on English and Welsh open land.
The British Mountaineering Council said it welcomed the long awaited publication of the draft bill and said it would scrutinise its contents before making a response.
A spokesman said: “The BMC believes that the Government should designate a coastal access corridor along the entire coast of England, in favour of multi-user access for informal responsible recreation. This option should also include measures to improve and conserve biodiversity along the English coast and should be dynamic, responsive and allow for adaptation as our coastline changes.
“Along with many leading recreational and conservation organisations, which together represent over four million people, the BMC has campaigned to see a permanent right of access to our coast, extending from the mean low water mark to a point inland. This corridor includes areas such as beaches, foreshore and cliffs. Within the corridor, the public should be made aware of their new rights and responsibilities.”
Landowners along the coast have reacted with alarm at the prospect of public access. 70 per cent of England’s coast has access of some kind, but this is fragmented, with obstacles preventing walkers, cyclists, horse riders and climbers enjoying the country’s coastline fully.
The hope is that the Marine Bill and any subsequent act will remedy this.
The Country Land & Business Association, which represents landowners including hundreds of coastal owners and businesses, is lobbying against what it considers the injustices it expects in the bill, mainly the lack of compensation for the grant of access rights. In Cornwall for instance, it told the Sunday Times this week, there are dozens of residences and businesses for whom the bill could, it claims, mean catastrophe.
John Mortimer, the CLA’s south-west regional director told the newspaper: “Besides the private homes that will be affected, there are hoteliers, caravan parks and letting agencies that own private beaches or market themselves as exclusive.
“If they can no longer guarantee privacy, their properties will be blighted.”
And then there are the wilder claims of coastal businessmen. Peter Behrens, who owns land in Mount’s Bay, on the south coast of Cornwall, claimed: “We’re not against access as such.
“Everyone should be allowed to go to the seaside. But this law would suburbanise the coast and turn it into an M25, with signs saying where you can and cannot go. It would homogenise our coastal idiosyncrasies and spoil the experience for everybody.”
However, as Dave Turnbull, chief executive of the BMC points out: “The British coastline is internationally renowned for rock climbing. There are more climbing routes on the cliffs of Land’s End then the whole of the eastern and western seaboards of the USA put together. The BMC hopes the Marine Bill will bring greater permanence and clarity in helping people access the coastline.”
Scotland, France, Denmark, Portugal and Sweden, already have the legal right to free access to the coast. The Welsh Assembly Government is currently working on a coastal path which would cover the whole of the nation’s shoreline.
Brian Wright
08 April 2008The Ramblers' Association may be hugely disappointed that Benn has opted for the Section 3 Order approach, as this could take years to implement. There are many exceptions and exclusions, including Royal and MoD land, and more could follow during the Parliamentary consultation. I thought that the RA was a little too close to the Labour Party, due to the election of Labour MPs and supporters as national and area Presidents for many years. However, perhaps the national RA wasn't close enough. As a charity it has to state that it is non-party political, despite the close ties. If RA was free from the constraints of charity law, its various branches, which have varied political alliances, would be freer to influence all members Parliament in England and Wales, to eventually achieve the Scottish model. Many non Labour MPs would support the coastal route proposals, which could be revived if RA is more politically honest with itself. This may be a step on the way, an incremental leap perhaps. However, Benn's proposals look like a massive fudge, which like the Common Land Forum proposals in the 1980s could be watered down further. RA needs to rethink its current strategy as its loyalty appears to have been taken for granted by the Party. Many RA members are independents, liberals, conservatives and nationalists, and we need to empower their voices too. Will the RA criticise the government openly and demand the revival of the Miliband coast corridor proposal? Brian Wright
Bill Hampton
10 April 2008As I understand it last year the access coalition called for a code of practice to define the coastal zone. Is this not included in the Marine Bill? Will there be one Section 3 Order for the whole coast of England, or lots of Orders for different kinds of land cliffs and beaches? How can I comment on the proposals? I am surprised that the Ramblers haven't commented here. Nothing on their website news section since last Thursday. It all seems a bit up in the air at the moment.
grough editor
10 April 2008Although the Ramblers’ Association hasn’t been in touch directly with grough, it did issue a statement last Thursday. We detail it below. The Ramblers’ Association welcomes the new draft Marine Bill as it contains key proposals to allow much greater access to the coast by foot. Kate Ashbrook, RA chairman, said: “These long-awaited and much needed proposals are warmly welcome. Improving the legal right to freely access our coastline and beaches will deliver huge benefits. Safe passage of this draft legislation is essential to ensure that this generation can, for the first time, walk around the English coast without hindrance.” The proposals are based upon recommendations by Natural England for a coastal corridor that will enable the general public to walk in a continuous line all the way round the coast, an impossible feat at present. Currently access to the coast is patchy at best and many walking routes are diverted inland either because of coastal erosion or development. However, research commissioned by the Ramblers’ Association shows that 94% of those polled wanted better access to the coast. The Ramblers’ Association has campaigned for greater coastal access since it was formed and believes that anything less than national legislation would merely continue the present situation where the availability and quality of access along the coast varies considerably. The Ramblers’ Association wants the new open-access coast to be broad allowing the public to enjoy the sense of freedom being at the coast brings while at the same time protecting privacy and enhancing biodiversity. The rights of access need to be flexible and capable of being realigned due to the effects of coastal erosion. The Ramblers’ Association will continue working to influence it’s safe passage through both Houses of Parliament and into law.
Bill Hampton
11 April 2008The RA and other groups explored the various provisions in Defra's consultation last year, including the Section 3 Order option, which they stated would be "subject to mapping with all the cost, uncertainty and disappointment of that process." The coalition announced that they favoured "Something else......Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales should be given a statutory duty to define a broad coastal swathe within which there will be a presumption in favour of access rights for all types of user..." The RA's press release of 2nd April now appears to favour the Section 3 approach which Benn has opted for. Did Miliband lead us up the garden path, to boost his own popularity with the left?
Bill Hampton
21 April 2008Still no news from the Ramblers about their failure to secure the code of conduct. How can ordinary members and groups get organised for the Parliamentary consultations if we aren't told what the official policy is? We can't leave everything to Central Office to decide. Most of the currently inaccessible coast is covered by small rural RA groups. We need direction, leadership and practical support. Do we swallow Benn's fudge or start campaigning for the broad coast corridor promised by Miliband? I tried phoning RA Central Office many times but even when you do get through, the reception staff say they don't know anything and the Chief Executive or other senior staff aren't available. There is no information about the trustees on the website so I don't know who to contact. If other members are trying to get information, I dare say they are as mystified as me.
Gordon
22 April 2008I found this site from a reference in the Hampshire Chronicle, after I made a search about Floella Benjamin, the new RA President. What a marvelous ambassador she will be for our cause. As a group committee member which covers a wide section of coast I think it would be better if all this speculation was halted, until RA Central Office issues a clear statement. They must know what they are doing in London, as they are close to Parliament, but perhaps there are some gentle negotiations going on behind the scenes? Gordon Brown had to back down a bit on the 10p tax thing, so maybe Labour backbenchers will flex their muscles with Hilary Benn! Lets try to back up the RA HQ with some tough letter writing to our MPs in coastal areas especially. Though perhaps all MPs should get stuck in, as they will all surely remember going to the seaside as kids.
Brian Wright
23 April 2008I like your optimism Gordon. I will be involved in the Parliamentary consultations as an individual rambler, though I would have preferred to work collectively within the RA, as a member of its Board. There is still no confirmation on the RA website that Floella was actually elected as RA President, which is odd. RA Central Office is always on the lookout for a good photo opportunity, and so they should be. Labour backbenchers are too worried about their constituents in urban areas to worry too much about buckets and spade expeditions in safe Conservative seats around the English coastal retired zone. This is part of the problem. If ramblers in general don't vote on the issue, and most activist ramblers are retired after all, and if the young ramblers don't get angry and motivated to write to their MPs, the coast corridor might take another 70 years to achieve. Why doesn't the RA hold Miliband to his word, put some access candidates up against Conservative MPs and councillors, to get a splash of publicity? Oh yes, the charity stumbling block! In 1985, the RA published a Jubilee celebration of 50 years of the RA, which proposed just this approach. RA candidates standing in elections. My advice is to ditch the compromises of charity status and get serious about access politics. No point in resting on the laurels of access land, which is not a populist subject. The coast and private beaches especially, now that is something worth fighting for. Surely, the RA will regroup, if it caves in to Benn's fudge, what next? Path rationalisation could rear its ugly head again, and the elderly RA might not be able to stand up to this onslaught yet again. Brian Wright RA trustee candidate 2008
Guest
25 April 2008My favorite coast path challenge is a local private nudist beach. Try not to look to the left or right, head down.