Breadcrumbs
Second stage of mapping registered common land and open country gets underway in South East – 29 July 2002
This marks the second stage of the Countryside Agency’s work to identify all registered common land and open country - mountain, moor, heath and down - across England under the Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000. It is part of a process that will provide people with the right to walk over 4,000 square miles of English countryside. The south east is the first of eight areas to reach this stage.
In the first stage the Countryside Agency published a draft map which identified these land types, and consulted the public on it between November 2001 and February 2002, resulting in over 2,800 comments. The Countryside Agency has carefully considered each one of these comments and the provisional map published today reflects any amendments made in light of them.
Pam Warhurst, Countryside Agency deputy chair, said: “With the publication of this provisional map the Countryside Agency has got the second stage of this mapping process well under way. We’re really pleased with the constructive participation of a wide variety of people on a broad range of issues during our consultation and have reviewed every comment with the utmost care. Our consultation allowed us to gain some extremely valuable knowledge from people who know the countryside we are mapping intimately and we’re very grateful for this input. We will write to everyone who has commented on the draft map to tell them of our decision on the land they were interested in.
“Anyone who’d like to see the provisional map for the south east and a report on our consultation can view them on our website, by visiting local authority offices and libraries in the south east or Countryside Agency offices. Maps will also be sent to parish councils, for their local area. To find out the most convenient place to view the provisional map, people should call the Countryside Agency’s access mapping helpline on 0845 100 3298.”
People with a legal interest in the land - such as land owners, tenants and holders of common rights, sporting rights or a licence or agreement - have three months from today (until midnight on 29 October 2002) to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, who are acting on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if they think land shown as registered common land or open country has been incorrectly identified on the provisional map.
An appeal must be made, electronically or on paper, on a form obtained from the Planning Inspectorate via its website - www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/access - or by writing to Access Team, Planning Inspectorate, Room 215, Regus House, 1 Friary, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6EA..
Notes to editors:
For further information contact the Countryside Agency press office on 020 7340 2909/7/6 or out of hours 07973 942 892.
The south east of England covers Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex and outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames and Sutton.
Pam Warhurst is also chair of the National Countryside Access Forum which advises the Countryside Agency on the development of procedures and policy to implement the access legislation. It has representatives from a wide range of groups and is a useful way of finding consensus and resolving differences between interests. It meets in public.
The provisional map can be viewed on the Countryside Agency’s website from 10:00 hrs on Monday 29 July 2002. A list of venues where maps are on display for the public to view is available on request.
The Countryside Agency expects conclusive maps to be issued 6-12 months after the provisional maps are issued. The new rights and responsibilities will come into force after conclusive maps are issued and when the Secretary of State gives the go ahead.
The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising government and taking action on issues affecting the social, economic and environmental well being of the English countryside.
