No Case For Radical Overhaul of Rural Access in Wales

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The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) has told Welsh Government that there is no evidence to justify a radical legislative overhaul of access to Wales’ countryside. The NGO made its comments in response to the Welsh Government Consultation Improving opportunities to access the outdoors for responsible recreation.The NGO called unrestricted access to the countryside, which was one of the options put forward for discussion, “unwarranted and unjustifiable”. The NGO reminded the Welsh Government that the existing access network in Wales is massively underutilised by the public.

In the view of the Welsh Government everyone should have the chance to experience parks, woodlands, mountains and the coast through a range of activities. Welsh Government, which has a public commitment to increasing opportunities for public access to land and water, considers that outdoor recreation makes a valuable contribution to Wales, creating health, environmental, social and economic benefits.

The consultation presented for discussion a number of possible strategies to shake up recreational access to the countryside, freshwater and the coast. One option, which is arguably the most radical, suggested introducing a right of responsible access to all land.

The NGO felt that those who live within or visit Wales already have an immense, varied and high quality access infrastructure at their disposal, which allows them to enjoy responsible recreation from mountain peaks down to the coast.

The NGO said the evidence showed little benefit would result from opening up more of the countryside as Wales’ extensive access infrastructure is currently underutilised by the public. The increase in the rights of access to rural Wales witnessed during the last decade have not encouraged Welsh residents to get involved in outdoor recreation. Participation remains resolutely static at around 27 per cent of the Welsh public.

The NGO proposed in its response that the best way forward in order to improve access to the outdoors was for Welsh Government to promote Wales’ existing access infrastructure. But where sensible and sensitive enhancement and extension was shown to be needed this should be organised at local level, especially through the greater use of voluntary agreements.

The NGO felt further specialist activity venues should be built, such as the hugely popular Natural Resources Wales Coed Y Brenin mountain biking centre in Snowdonia. A network of similar world-class outdoor venues created across Wales would attract the eye of the world to Wales.

The NGO thought this the best, most cost-effective, least disruptive and legislatively simplest solution to improving opportunities to access the outdoors for responsible recreation and urged Welsh Government to adopt its proposals.

The NGO response explained that unrestricted access would have a negative impact on gamekeeping and gameshooting. It was likely to disturb wildlife, bring more Health &, Safety issues to shoot days, interfere with legal predator control and equipment, disrupt game rearing activities (the summer peak of the game rearing season coincides with the holiday season), and result in greater criminal damage and crime on shoots.

Unrestricted access might also create an environment where gamekeepers felt more exposed to the risk of increased physical threats and intimidation when going about their lawful daily work. For some keepers the introduction of unrestricted access would result in job losses.

The NGO wondered if some commentators might see the adoption of unrestricted access to the countryside as being the first stirrings of political land reform. In a country seeking inward investment, the NGO thought Wales might be perceived as becoming a risky place to invest and to do business.

In Wales, among the access opportunities available to the public for recreation are: 20,505 miles of public rights of way (4,700 miles of which have been improved since 2008), 360,000 hectares of open country – mountain, moor, heath and down, 100,000 hectares of Welsh Government forests and 1,200 miles of National Cycle Network.

David Pooler, NGO’s North Wales Chairman, said: “The NGO is all for people getting out into the fresh air to take their recreation. It is, of course, good for our economy, the soul and, quite literally, the heart, too. But Wales already enjoys a vast rural access network, which is hugely underutilised. The Welsh Government needs to promote that before it introduces legislation to create more access to the countryside. That makes no sense at all. It should spend the money where it’ll do most good.

“We also told Welsh Government that unrestricted access is not the way to proceed. It is unwarranted and unjustifiable. It will result in greater conflict, not less, and undoubtedly impact on gamekeeping and gameshooting, which research shows is vitally important to the health of Wales’ countryside. The Welsh countryside is resilient, but even that resilience has its limits. Unrestricted access to it would be to go one step too far.”

Notes to Editors

The National Gamekeepers' Organisation represents the gamekeepers of England and Wales. It defends and promotes gamekeeping, gamekeepers and ensures high standards throughout the profession. It was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that their profession was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. The NGO has around 15,000 members.