Natural England publishes final plans for creation of national coastal path
Natural England has published its plans to ensure the creation of an all-England coastal path, following government approval of the scheme.
The creation of the scheme follows the implementation of the 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Act which gave Natural England a statutory duty to improve access to the English coast through the creation of a continuous long-distance walking route around the coast and a margin of accessible land alongside it. It follows a three-month consultation process, the results of which were published at the same time as the details of the scheme.
The scheme outlines how the route will be aligned; what approach will be taken on estuaries; how the 4m wide trail will be accommodated alongside other land uses; and the sort of areas (such as beaches, dunes and headlands) that are likely to be treated as “spreading room” where people can rest, relax and enjoy a picnic en route.
The plans also detail the concept of “walking the course” – in which landowners and other stakeholders are invited to discuss where the route and spreading room should be – which Natural England describes as being “central” to the consultative approach being taken by the agency to creating the national path.
Poul Christensen, Chair of Natural England, said: “The publication of this Scheme is an important step in making clear, secure and consistent coastal access a reality for England. The Scheme explains the procedures and criteria we will use to align the route and associated ‘spreading room’, and the ways in which access will be managed to minimise conflicts with other land uses. It is the blueprint that will be used at each leg of the journey, as we develop an all-England coast path stretch by stretch around the country.
“This country has one of the finest coastlines in the world but access to it is currently a lottery, with many sections lacking a secure, satisfactory path. We can now begin the work on the ground to address this and sort out, once and for all the piecemeal, stop-go nature of coastal access. In all senses, the Scheme we are announcing today is a historic step towards better and clearer access along our coast.”
The formal approval State means that work will now begin on implementing the first stages of the coastal path, including a new path along a stretch of coast at Weymouth, Dorset in time for the 2012 Olympics, while implementation is due to start in 2011 in Cumbria, East Riding, Kent, Norfolk and Somerset.
A copy of the final scheme can be downloaded here
The results of Natural England's consultation process can be read here
