Shooting groups gain right of appeal to Coastal Access Bill

Fowlers have been assured that saltmarsh will be exempt from the Coastal Access Bill.

By Barnaby Dracup

Monday, 15 June 2009

After months of lobbying by shooting groups the government has announced there will be a right of appeal written into the controversial Marine and Coastal Access Bill.

The amendment means coastal landowners will now be able to appeal against the right to roam being imposed on their land.

Shooting groups have said that, though the move is to be welcomed, it does not go far enough.

The Country Land & Business Association’s Sarah Slade explained what this development means for shooters:
“This right to appeal still does not enable holders of shooting rights to appeal against the line of the route, but shooters will be able to apply to restrict or exclude the new right of access and will be able to appeal if that request is not granted.”

However, BASC’s Conor O’Gorman pointed out the government has clarified one area of particular concern for wildfowlers:
“Coastal access will not include saltmarsh and mudflats apart from exceptional circumstances. Following lobbying this was clarified by the government during the Lords’ debate and BASC will ensure that this is the case when the coastal access roll-out actually begins.”

The Countryside Alliance’s James Legge added that further amendments to the Bill are needed to secure the rights of shooters and wildfowlers:
“The government has accepted our arguments that owners of sporting rights should continue to benefit from a right to an independent appeals process where they seek restrictions on access to coastal land under the 2000 Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act. However, the different approach being taken between the existing CRoW Act and the current Bill remains totally unacceptable. Despite repeatedly being challenged to justify this situation the government has failed to provide any arguments that stand up to scrutiny.”

Simon Breasley of Thyme Consultants has helped numerous wildfowling clubs during the consultation process.

He told Shooting Times magazine the need for a right of appeal has been demonstrated clearly by the CRoW Act, where there have been approximately 3,000 appeals to date, of which two-thirds have been successful.

He said: “The potential for concern regarding access designations and mapping along the complicated strip of land around our coast will be considerably more acute than it is for our open upland areas.”