Public access to one of Britain’s most popular beaches has been secured for the time being thanks to a campaign by a group of Whitstable residents, supported by the Ramblers’ Association, to prevent the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company (WOFC) from gaining Parliamentary consent to expand their operation and develop the beach for commercial gain.
The Whitstable Beach Campaign has been fighting the WOFC to prevent them blocking public access to the beach for several years. Their most recent attempt to do so by persuading Parliament to pass a Private Bill allowing them to continue developing the beachfront and eliminating public access has failed.
An Act of Parliament established the WOFC in 1793, permitting the company to dredge for oysters but not to undertake any other commercial activities. While the company holds the freehold to the beach there is one footpath providing legal public access. The company has recently begun operating commercial activities that are outside the act and has applied for planning permission to build a café and beach huts, putting access to the beachfront under threat.
Justin Cooke, access campaigner at the Ramblers’ Association said; “The battle is far from over as development continues, but it is heartening that local pressure has stopped the company from approaching Parliament to sanction their new commercial operation. Many people believe access to beaches is legally permitted, but there is no legal right of access to the coast and poor protection from development”.
He added: “This company is blatantly breaking the law. Unless we act now, simple pleasures like walking on the beach and swimming in the sea will become a thing of the past in many places.”
Although many people take it for granted, there is no legal right of access to the coast and little to prevent development. The Ramblers' Association has been arguing for many years that more needs to be done to safeguard the public’s right to walk our coastline and beaches, and has highlighted the South West Coast Path, where walkers generate some £300 million for the local economy annually, as an example of the way public access to the coast can benefit everyone.
The full list of groups petitioning against the Bill is: The Whitstable Society, The Whitstable Yacht Club, The Whitstable Improvement Trust, The Whitstable Beach Campaign, John Ellis and Sally Hamilton, Residents of Whitstable, The Ramblers’ Association and The Kent Area of the Ramblers’ Association.
