Natural England

Early Christmas cheer for walkers in Dorset as the new right of access begins - 14 December 2004

Dorset is part of the third region in England to have areas of mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land mapped as open access land and open to the public under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. Dorset has around 11,000 hectares of access land.  

Ornithologist and natural history television presenter Bill Oddie will formally mark the opening during a ceremony and festive lunch at the Heatherland Centre, Ferndown, near Bournemouth at 12 noon.

He will then set off with other local ramblers across nearby Parley Common, an area of heath newly mapped as access land, to find out more about its natural history and wildlife and, importantly, to work up a festive appetite. 

The launch follows the first, landmark, opening of the lower north west and south east areas in September, when ramblers, campaigners and others celebrated the historic new right with ceremonies in the Forest of Bowland and the Peak District.

Rural affairs minister Alun Michael said: “This is another very special day for everyone who loves the countryside.  

“Southern England has a wealth of wonderful open countryside which everyone has the right to enjoy.

“The CRoW Act gives everyone the opportunity to do just that but I hope people make the most of it bearing in mind that it is important to respect the needs of land managers.”

Special guest Bill Oddie, added: “At last, no more straddling barbed wire, limbo-ing under electric fences or being shot at by game keepers, all of which I have experienced in pursuit of wildlife. 

“It is wonderful to have access to so many new places, but with freedom comes responsibility. Responsible roaming, that's what it's all about. Indeed, there will still be places we should keep away from but now it's for the right reasons.”

Councillor Derek Burt, leader of East Dorset District Council, hosts of the event, said: " We have in East Dorset a high proportion of lowland heath within the urban areas of our district. 

“Open access will encourage the public to use these areas of open space and heathland and will help us promote healthy living, enjoyment and appreciation of the district's environment.

"We are delighted and honoured to be asked to host this launch and we believe that these new access rights to the countryside will allow us to still further develop our established countryside partnerships with other local organisations, groups and individuals particularly in the areas of education, heathland restoration, fire management and access for all.”

Nick Barrett, chief executive of the Ramblers’ Association, added: “December 14 is another historic day in the campaign to open up our wonderful countryside. For many, the joy of walking is about getting off the beaten track. Everybody in this country now has a right to do just that and I hope people will take the opportunity to discover these beautiful areas for themselves."

"That future generations will have this unprecedented access to open country is testament to the extraordinary dedication of many thousands of ordinary people, some of whom have campaigned for it all their lives. They would be the first to recognise that with rights come responsibilities. I am confident the respect and love walkers have for the countryside will prove that this is a wise, fair and beneficial piece of legislation."

Notes for Editors

For more details or directions to the site, contact Mel Capper, Countryside Agency on 07786 388158.  

• For mapping purposes, Central Southern England comprises South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath, north east Somerset, Somerset (excluding west Somerset and Taunton Deane), Wiltshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
• Central Southern England has 68,000 hectares of access land.   Dorset has about 11,000 hectares, Poole around 600 hectares and Bournemouth around 120 hectares.   Of the 11,000 hectares about   6,500 are within the Dorset area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.   
• The open access mapping programme, carried out by the Countryside Agency, has divided England into eight mapping areas. Over the next 12 months, the new rights will begin in the remaining regions in England on a rolling programme, a process set to be completed by the end of next year.   

What does the new right include?

• The new right includes most open-air recreational activities carried out on foot, including walking, sightseeing, bird-watching, climbing and running. 
• The new right enables 'open access', which means that people will be able to wander freely across 'access land' and won't have to stick to paths.  

What does the new right NOT include?

• The new right does not include riding a horse or bicycle, or driving a vehicle, or certain other activities such as camping - but where these activities already take place (e.g. an existing bridleway), they are unaffected. 
• The new right is subject to special rules about the control of dogs. 
• Access may sometimes be restricted for reasons such as land or livestock management or nature conservation. 
• There are a few places where the public cannot go, even if they are within mapped areas of access land - these 'excepted' areas include golf courses, buildings, gardens, quarries and arable land.  

How much land will be new access land? 

• It's estimated that 1,000,000 hectares (eight per cent of land in England, 4,000 square miles) of the total land area of England (12,042,428 hectares/50,356 square miles) will be mapped, of which about 800,000 hectares/3,200 square miles is 'new' access land, to which there are no existing statutory rights of access. Some other landowners are using new powers in the CRoW Act to make their land available in the same way in perpetuity. The Forestry Commission, for example, will be dedicating over 180,000 hectares /700 square miles as access land.  

How is this land being mapped in England?

• Under the act the Countryside Agency must map all areas of open country (land which appears to them to consist wholly or predominantly of mountain, moor, heath and down) and registered common land. 
• The Agency produces maps area by area (see map attached). The process involves three stages: draft maps with a three-month public consultation period; provisional maps, which take account of comments on the draft map (people with a legal interest in the mapped land have the right to appeal against the showing of their land on the provisional maps through the Planning Inspectorate); and conclusive maps, the final version.  

A number of organisations have been involved in helping make the right to open access land enshrined in the CroW Act a reality. Below, key partners described what the new right meant to them at the time of the first opening in September.

Stuart Burgess chairman, Countryside Agency:
"It's great that this new right makes the countryside more accessible for everyone and gives the public more freedom and choice of where they can go. This region will have more than 68,000 hectares of access land and we want to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy this countryside while giving them confidence in their new rights and responsibilities and respect for those who depend on it. By the end of 2005 we will have mapped an estimated 3,200 square miles of new access land. We could never have done it alone and it was only achieved by working closely with land managers and the public. We will continue this work to ensure all regions in England are ready for the new rights to begin by the end of next year."

Sir Martin Doughty, chair, English Nature:
"The CRoW Act provides an outstanding opportunity for walkers to explore England's fantastic wildlife habitats. For example, Old Winchester Hill, a spotlight reserve, supports superb downland with seven species of orchid, large populations of characteristic butterfly species including chalk-hill blue, dark green fritillary and Adonis blue, and an Iron Age hill fort. Experience on National Nature Reserves has shown that, with appropriate management on the ground, people can explore special areas without compromising nature conservation. We are working to ensure that land owners are given the support they need to enable public access and England's wildlife to flourish alongside each other." 

Martin Fitton, chief executive, Association of National Park Authorities:
"As a family of National Parks, we celebrate the fact that in our heavily populated island, we are creating new opportunities for all to enjoy, discover and explore our most tranquil open spaces. For many years the public has enjoyed access to large areas of mountains, moor and heath in our National Parks. The public's new access rights to open countryside will provide more areas to explore in these outstanding landscapes and it is with real excitement that we welcome the start of these new rights." 

Vanessa Lawrence, director general, Ordnance Survey:
"Ordnance Survey is delighted to be supporting the implementation of the new access opportunities in a very practical way, by carrying out major revisions to every OS Explorer Map in England and Wales. These 1:25,000 scale maps have been chosen for this task because their detail makes them absolutely ideal for outdoor activities. On the revised maps, we are bringing together both new access land and existing access areas in a clear and unified way. The result is that both ramblers and landowners using the maps will be clear about the areas being opened up, and misunderstandings and confusion can be avoided."

Councillor Alan Melton, chairman of the Local Government Association's Rural Commission:
"The Countryside and Rights of Way Act enables more people to benefit from access to the countryside. The LGA has consistently supported open access and local authorities are already playing a major part in making it happen. Nearly all the land in mapping areas 1-5 is covered in plans devised by access authorities - who have responded positively to the Government's call for action. Local government is well placed to secure the social, economic and environmental benefits of greater access and is looking to central government to increase and sustain its funding for the national grant aid scheme."

Jo Burgon, head of access and recreation, The National Trust:
"This is an historic moment in the long 'journey' to provide this type of access to our environmentally rich landscapes. The public's strong attachment to the countryside is demonstrated with 80 per cent of them viewing a visit to the country as a tonic to the stresses of our everyday lives. With a new Countryside Code and important measures to ensure land management and access interests can co-exist together the Trust welcomes this watershed in our rights to enjoy the countryside."

Tim Bennett, president, National Farmers Union (NFU):
"We welcome visitors to come and enjoy the countryside and at the same time see for themselves what a fantastic job farmers and growers are doing in managing 75% of all UK land and producing two-thirds of all food eaten in Britain. All we ask for is responsible access, where visitors follow signs, keep their dogs under control and take their litter home with them. It must also be remembered that as well as being a beautiful place to visit, the countryside is a workplace, home to farm animals and haven for wildlife. Please help us look after it."

Mark Hudson, president, Country Land and Business Association (CLA):
"The new challenge is to all to ensure that those enjoying their access rights are responsible too. We urge people to remember that this is not a general right to roam: it is access to mapped areas of land which may be temporarily closed for safety and land management reasons. Visitors can help care for the countryside by respecting the Countryside Code and by supporting local shops and businesses. But the most important thing that people can do is to check the access website, check the new maps and check the local information points to see where they can go."