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Public Access
The CLA Access Team is actively involved in the debate on the wide spectrum of public access issues, the CLA lobbies on behalf of the membership raising the concerns of landowners and rural business to all levels of government in England and Wales.
The CLA also offers an advisory service for members on public access issues, including Public Rights of Way, Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, Cross Compliance (GAEC8), voluntary access arrangements e.g. permissive paths, Higher Level Entry Scheme and Toll Rides.
Our lobbying efforts are based on the experience of the membership, if you have an issue or concern then contact a member of the CLA Access Team.
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Latest access news 07/12/07
CLA will Tell Minister that Coastal Corridor is Costly and Contentious
Current Natural England proposals for providing a route for walkers all the way round the English coast will trample over the rights of private property owners and have a potentially disastrous impact on some coastal based businesses.
That's the no-nonsense message Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, President of the CLA, the rural economy experts, will be taking to the minister responsible for coastal access, Jonathan Shaw, next week.The CLA is concerned that the current favourite proposal is to provide an access corridor around the whole coast – but the Association does not believe that the true consequences of this have been fully understood.
"Natural England is proposing to take private land – not just farmland, but any land – without compensation. That flies in the face of every other similar aspect of English law and amounts, in other words, to the nationalisation of land. We have a very serious problem with this idea of compulsory acquisition of rights without compensation - we say it is simply not acceptable to take a privately owned asset for the public good without paying for it."
The CLA President said that he would tell the minister that landowners were not trying to prevent people visiting the coast. CLA members, he said, understood the importance of coastal access in both economic and social terms, but the Association's view has always been that where there are difficulties, these should be resolved at a local level using local solutions.
"Assuming the current proposals come in on budget, coastal property owners will have provided this access free, but delivery will still cost the tax payer £50million and then leave local authorities with the bill for maintaining it. We say that the need or demand for new legislation simply does not exist – there is already plenty of law available to provide access where there currently is none."
The CLA will also highlight the potential problems for coastal farms where stocking and cropping regimes may have to be altered and for many coastal businesses which will also have to be reorganised in order accommodate these proposals.
"We can provide clear examples of the difficulties this proposal will cause coastal businesses and of the solutions private landowners can offer. We hope to persuade the minister that there genuinely is a better ways to approach this issue," he said.
» September 27th, 2007 «
"Who said spin was dead It appears as though the timetable of the Labour Party Conference is more important than the timetable for a public consultation process," said David Fursdon, president of the CLA.
"Have Hilary Benn and his colleagues at Defra even read the responses of the 753 individuals and organisations who have taken the time to respond to Defra's Coastal Access consultation It appears that the Secretary of State has already made up his mind which makes the consultation process a complete farce.
"No one's disputing that we need access to the coast. The question is identifying where there are problem areas and dealing with these rather than taking a broad brush approach otherwise this is like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
"Access for all might be a Labour value but I thought that this Labour Government was all about protecting the rights of individuals such as those businesses, farmers and landowners who stand to lose income and capital value as a result of this dogma.
"We dread to think how much an approach like this will cost unless of course the Government intends to ride roughshod over these legitimate business interests and refuse to pay them compensation that they would otherwise be due. An uninterrputed path around the English coast is not an easy task. Areas that are currently inaccessible are likely to be so for a good reason.
"This is clearly a case of 'smoke and mirrors'", concluded David Fursdon.
For more Access news click here
Andrew Shirley MRICS – National Access Adviser
A Chartered Surveyor with responsibility for CLA policy on public rights of way and access issues. Provides advice to members on issues arising from public access to the countryside. Also national adviser on arable policy issues including plant protection products and genetic modification.
Phone: 01335 347 739
Email andrew.shirley@cla.org.uk
Christopher Price – Chief Legal Adviser
A solicitor, advises on national and European public and administrative law issues including human rights, judicial review, planning and compulsory purchase, rating and council tax and various regulatory matters such as housing, food safety, animal welfare and firearms.
Phone: 020 7460 7953
FAX: 020 7235 4696
Email christopher.price@cla.org.uk
Sarah Andrews MRICS FAAV – Regional Surveyor - Wales
Covers Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Glamorgan, Monmouthshire, Powys (Brecon & Radnor)
Phone: 01267 238 202
Email sarah.andrews@cla.org.uk
WALES AUDIT OFFICE STUDY into 'Public Access to the Countryside' was published by Wales Audit Office on 2nd November 2006.
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