Sea change for the coast
The Draft Marine Bill has been published and includes provisions for extending access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to the coast and the introduction of a coastal trail.
- Draft Marine Bill published. Defra Marine Bill page
- Lord Smith of Finsbury calls for coastal access corridor.
Speech to the Ramblers Annual General Meeting - Walkers welcome brave proposals for coastal access.
Press release 21 February 2007 - Improving the coast for landscapes, wildlife and people.
Read the full statement (79Kb PDF) - Outdoor Organisations Call For Coast For Most.
Press release 14 February 2007
Public want right to walk on coast
An ICM poll released by the RA shows that more than 87% of the population believe they have a legal right to walk along the coast in England and Wales. But there is no general legal right of access to our beaches, foreshore or cliffs. In the same poll more than 94% said they want that legal right. Britain is blessed with a beautiful, diverse coastline but much of the current access to the coast is by permission only. In many areas in England, access to the coast is denied. The RA believes there must be a clear legal right of access along the whole of the English and Welsh coastline, with sensible restrictions to take account of private and commercial coastal developments as well as to protect wildlife.
England and Wales have 4,400km/2,733 miles of coastline as well as estuaries. About half the foreshore – the land between mean high and low watermarks – is owned by the Crown. At high tide there is a public right of navigation over the foreshore. Once the tide goes out the public rights disappear with it. So, shockingly, an evening stroll on many English or Welsh beaches technically counts as trespass. The RA wants to change this.
Many national trails and regional routes rely on permissive access. These include the South West Coast Path where 10% of the route is not legally secure. And 25% of the Durham coast path has the same status. Permissive access can be closed, permanently, without notice. In 2000 the RA secured a legal right of access to mapped open country – mountain, moor, heath, down and common land - under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (the right to roam). This marked the culmination of a 70-year campaign by the national charity. The Act allows access to be extended to coastal areas. The RA is calling on the government to use that legislation to secure and protect access to the coast for future generations.