Open Access The CRoW Way: Was It Value For Your Money?

From today (Monday), the last two remaining areas of England will open to walkers under the CRoW Act (that gave statutory access to walk on mapped areas of moutain, moor, heath, down and common land). The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents landowners and land managers, is critical of the CRoW Act's £83.5 million cost to the tax payer. The CLA says that there is no evidence that the CRoW Act is benefiting the rural economy and it advocates that if the Government wants to consider future access provision, the Government should adopt a non-statutory approach that is based on demand and not ideology.

CLA President Mark Hudson said: "Let me make it clear - the CLA and its members want visitors to the countryside - more visitors are vital to the rural economy in terms of  tourism and also in connecting people from urban areas with food and farming. What we criticise, is the way in which the Government has gone about delivering these new access rights through the CRoW Act. In business, if you built a product for which there was little demand and then threw money into marketing campaigns trying to create demand, you wouldn't last very long. The more efficient and effective way is to create a product for which there is proven demand and then deliver that product by the most efficient means."

Prior to the CRoW Act, there was in excess of 1 million hectares of voluntary access provided at no or little cost to the tax payer. Defra's original appraisals estimated that 1.6m ha of land would be mapped under CRoW in England and Wales but the actual result is in the region of 1.26m ha mapped. However, the Countryside Agency estimates that only about 798,000 ha is actually new access land  - and this is further reduced due to it being subject to temporary restrictions and closures or being 'excepted land' (ie you can't walk on it). In the mapping Areas 1 to 4 in England, for example, there are 40,000 ha owned by the Ministry of Defence that is not open to the public because it is excepted land.

Mark Hudson continued: "There are many cases that prove that voluntary access provides a better visitor experience, contributes to the rural economy and doesn't tax the public purse. For example, a CLA Cornwell member who owns five beaches provides car parking, permissive paths and access to four out of the five beaches all for free. He keeps the fifth beach private so that a higher charge can be made for the rental of holiday property with a private beach. The additional charge provides a necessary income for the member to invest in the maintenance of the old properties and land, which otherwise would fall into disrepair.  He conducted a survey of visitors – the majority of whom were happy with these arrangements.

"By contrast, the provision of statutory access under CRoW has not taken into account the demand, need, and safety of the visitor or the use of the land. We urge that, when considering future access provision, the Government stops and thinks of an alternative, more efficient and effective approach that will benefit visitors, the rural economy and the landscape itself."

31 October 2005