The new right of access to the countryside will be completed across England on Monday 31 October 2005. The introduction of the new right, for which people have been campaigning for over 100 years, allows people to walk freely across mapped access la...
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Historic right of access is completed across England on 31 October 2005 (20th October 2005)

The new right of access to the countryside will be completed across England on Monday 31 October 2005. The introduction of the new right, for which people have been campaigning for over 100 years, allows people to walk freely across mapped access land without the need to stick to paths.

From 31 October people will have the chance to enjoy about 935,000 hectares (6,250 square miles) of mapped areas of mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land: much of which was previously off-limits. This equates to 7.0% of the total land in England or 1.6 million football pitches. 
 
Pam Warhurst, Countryside Agency Deputy Chair and Chair of the National Countryside Access Forum said: “This is an historic day.  People can have fun exploring more of England’s beautiful and varied landscapes. Of course with this new right comes new responsibilities, so it’s important to follow the Countryside Code.

“The Countryside Agency, and the Countryside Commission before it, has worked to increase opportunities for public enjoyment of the countryside for over 50 years and this new right of access is a major landmark in working towards this. By giving every member of the public more opportunities to get out and enjoy the countryside we can in time build a healthier, more environmentally aware society.”

The East and West are the final mapping regions to open in England, completing the roll out of the new right.

Rural Affairs Minister, Jim Knight, will join guests at a celebratory event at Milford Common, Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in Staffordshire.   Guided walks, kite-flying, Countryside Code activities for children and a wood-working presentation are just some of the activities on offer.

New editions of Ordnance Survey Explorer maps show all known access land. Ordnance Survey aims to publish new maps covering the whole of England and Wales by April next year.

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For media enquiries, please contact the Countryside Agency press office on:
Matthew Heard 01242 533476 or 07900 608168 
Beth Rose 01242 533306 or 07900 608 052.  

Photographs/graphics, a CD of images covering open country in England are available from the press office.

NOTES TO EDITORS: 
1. For further information on the new access rights, maps of access land or to download the Countryside Code, visit the website http://www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk/ or email openaccess@countryside.gov.uk

2. England’s total land area is 13,307,189 hectares: of this 935,000 hectares (6,250 square miles or 7% of total) has been mapped as open country or registered common land although some of this land will be excepted from the new right of access such as racecourses and aerodromes, defence and military byelaw land. Some land was already open for access on a permitted basis (eg National Trust land).  

3. About 750,000 hectares (5.6% of total) will be ‘new’ access land where there is no currently existing right of access. 303 (out of 353) councils in England have new access land in their area.  Those that don’t are mostly in major metropolitan areas.  

4. Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 provides a new statutory right of access on foot to ‘access land’ – open country and registered common land – in England and Wales.   The new right has been introduced on a region-by-region basis and Monday 31 October marks the completion across England.  The new rights extend to most open-air recreation activies carried out on foot, including walking, wildlife watching, climbing and running.  They do not include riding a horse or a bike, water sports, or camping – although, where these activities take place already, whether by right or permission, they will continue unaffected.

5. Land managers can find out more by visiting the website http://www.openaccess.gov.uk/ or by emailing openacceess@countryside.gov.uk or telephoning the Open Access Contact Centre on 0845 100 3298.

6. For mapping purposes, the West area covers Buckinghamshire, part of Derbyshire (excluding that part within the Peak District National Park), Gloucestershire (excluding south Gloucestershire), Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, part of Staffordshire (excluding that part within the Peak District National Park), Shropshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire.

7. For mapping purposes, the East covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, part of North Yorkshire (including York), East Riding of Yorkshire, Rutland, Suffolk and West Yorkshire (excluding Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees and that part within the Peak District National Park).  It also includes the London Boroughs of Barking, Barnet, Brent, Dagenham, Ealing, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.

8. Some 22,307 hectares of open country and registered common land in the West of England and  26,111 hectares in the East of England will be available for people to walk on.
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Following publication of the draft Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill in February, English Nature, the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency’s Landscape, Access and Recreation division are working towards integration as a single body: Natural England.  It will work for people, places and nature with responsibility for enhancing biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promoting access, recreation and public wellbeing, and contributing to the way natural resources are managed – so they can be enjoyed now and for future generations.

English Nature is the independent Government agency that champions the conservation of wildlife and geology throughout England.

The Rural Development Service is the largest deliverer of the England Rural Development Programme and a range of advisory and regulatory rural services.  With the administration of a multi-million pound grant budget for schemes that support land management, rural businesses and rural communities, the Rural Development Service is the single largest organisation working for the benefit of rural areas in England.  

The Countryside Agency’s Landscape, Access and Recreation division aims to help everyone respect, protect and enjoy the countryside – protecting natural landscapes; and encouraging access to, enjoyment of and sustainable management and use of the countryside.