National walking charity overjoyed at Benn's conference announcement on coastal access
27 September 2007
The Ramblers’ Association (RA) has warmly welcomed the announcement by Hilary
Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that the
government will legislate for a legal right of access to the English coast. The
announcement was made at the Labour Party Conference today (27 September 2007).
The RA, the national walking charity, has been at the forefront of a campaign to
open up access to the coast, which is supported by 94% of the population*.
Visiting the coast is an enormously popular activity, yet one third of our
coastline is inaccessible and many walking routes are diverted inland, either
because of coastal erosion or development.
Natural England – the government’s advisory body on biodiversity, recreation and
wildlife – presented wide-ranging proposals to DEFRA. At the heart of these
recommendations is a coastal corridor that will enable the public to walk all
the way around the English coast; an impossible feat at present. The RA, the
national walking charity, is supporting Natural England’s recommendations and
believes that a coastal corridor will enhance coastal landscapes and wildlife as
well as improving access for the public, away from a mere path.
Kate Ashbrook, chairman of the RA, said: “This is wonderful news. A coastal
corridor will bring many blessings especially the enlarged freedom to wander off
the path to enjoy the views. This legislation will encourage people to visit and
enjoy the coast and spend money there, bringing much needed income to poorer
coastal communities. And what could be more healthy for today’s obesity-prone
society than a walk along the coast with the wind in your face?”
Celebrity gardener and columnist Monty Don, who is supporting the RA’s coastal
access campaign said: “I am a confirmed land lover and regard the sea as an
alien place. My holidays have been spent by the sea and it is the British
coastline, with its incredible variety, that is the true joy of the seaside. It
is a pleasure and we should all share its riches.”
Speaking at the Labour Party Conference Hilary Benn said: “Thanks to what we’ve
done over the past ten years, we now have cleaner rivers and beaches, purer
water to drink, healthier air to breathe, and a countryside that is open to each
and every one of us to enjoy. And I can confirm today that we now intend to
legislate so that each of us has, for the first time in our history, the right
to walk around our coastline from the white cliffs of the South Coast to the
wild cliffs of Northumberland. And we’ll do this because access for all is a
Labour value, and it should apply as much to our coast as it does to education
or our health service.” Ends
For further information please contact the RA’s Press Office on 0207 339
8531/8532
* An ICM poll commissioned by the RA shows that 94% of the population want a
legal right to walk along the coast in England and Wales.
.