Breadcrumbs
Next stage of coastal access research begins - 21 February 2006
Work to improve people’s access to the English coast moved on to the next phase today (Tuesday 21 February) with the announcement of the four study areas chosen to make up the fact-finding stage of the project.
After initial studies, carried out by the Countryside Agency, the Natural England* partners have now selected four further study areas to cover different types of coastline: areas with good or poor access provision; different levels of tourism; and proximity to large population areas. Work will take place in these areas during March and April this year:
- Suffolk Coast: Lowestoft to Cattawade on the River Stour;
- Southern Cumbrian Coast and Morecambe Bay: Whitehaven to Fleetwood;
- County Durham and Hartlepool Coast: Seaham to the River Tees, south of Hartlepool;
- North Devon, Exmoor and West Somerset Coast: Instow near Barnstaple to the River Parrett, south of Burnham on Sea.
Ros Love, of the Countryside Agency, said: “We want to improve opportunities for people to appreciate and enjoy more of England’s 4000 kms of coastline. Our fact finding work will help us create proposals for improving access while helping our diverse coastal wildlife thrive and protecting the sensitive landscape of our coastline”.
The Countryside Agency will report to Defra on the outcome of this work in May, in preparation for the launch of a public consultation in October 2006.
More information is available via the ‘Coasts’ section on www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk
-ends-
Notes to editors
For more information on the coastal access project in England, please call Matthew Heard or Beth Rose in the Countryside Agency press office on 07900 608 168 or 01242 533306.
* The Natural England partnership: the Countryside Agency; English Nature; and the Rural Development Service, were asked by Defra to undertake fact-finding work on the current coastal situation and the types of access that would be most useful for the public and beneficial to wildlife and the coastal landscape. Initial studies took place in 2005 near Brighton, Durham, the Essex estuaries, Lincolnshire, North Cornwall and Sefton.
The ‘Access to the English Coast’ project will be a flagship project for Natural England following its formal creation in October 2006.
The Government's Rural Manifesto 2005 states that: ‘Improving access to coastal areas will be an early priority for the Labour third term’.
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 which 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.
