18 hours ago
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Swimming and wild camping should be a right for all people to enjoy in the English countryside, Labour MPs have said.
They are calling for access to nature to be increased and legal rights to enjoy the countryside in a report from the all-party parliamentary group for outdoor recreation and access to nature.
The group is led by the Labour MPs Andy MacNae, Phil Brickell and Polly Billington and has been set up to explore how to improve people’s connections with nature and enjoyment of England’s rivers, woodlands and fields.
Their report, which took in the views of more than 750 organisations and individuals, concludes there is not enough access to nature in England.
There is a right enshrined in law to roam over just 8% of England, which includes mountains, moorland, the coastal path and common land. In recent years, there has been a groundswell of public campaigns involving mass trespasses, which have sometimes attracted thousands of people, calling for a general right to walk across the English countryside, like there is in Scotland.
This access should be expanded to include inland waters such as lakes and riversides, as well as woodlands, and in the places where walking is allowed, a broader range of activities should be permitted, the report says. This includes wild camping, paddling, swimming, cycling and horse riding. At the moment, wild camping is a legal right only on Dartmoor. This right was subject to a drawn-out legal battle when a landowner unsuccessfully tried to overturn it in order to stop people camping on his property.
McNae, the MP for Rossendale and Darwen said: “The call from the sector is clear: we need ambitious new legislation to expand everyone’s access to green and blue spaces. We have a unique opportunity to build on the legacy left for us by previous Labour governments, who have always sought to ensure that we can all enjoy Britain’s natural beauty.
“This not only means opening up new landscapes and waterways for responsible recreation but breaking down the physical and cultural barriers that prevent people, particularly those less physically able, from enjoying them.”
In opposition, Labour committed to a Scottish-style right to roam. However, after lobbying from landowner groups, the party U-turned and instead announced it would create hundreds of miles of new river pathways. Riverbanks are often on private land, and people seeking to canoe or swim sometimes face threats or abuse from landowners. River walks are often fragmented for the same reason, and only 3.4% of English rivers have an uncontested public right of navigation.
Brickell said: “The government now has an historic opportunity to improve access for everyone to the great outdoors through primary legislation. We know spending more time outdoors has incredible mental and physical health benefits. Yet, with 92% of English countryside still out of bounds to the public, too often people struggle to enjoy outdoor spaces.
Now is the time to deliver lasting change, so that each and every one of us can exercise aright to responsibly enjoy our natural surroundings.”
The report also calls for access rights for swimming and non-motorised craft on inland waters through new legislation or amendments to existing acts, such as the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, an access to nature bill or the upcoming water reform bill, and a requirement for all children and young people to experience at least one residential outdoor experience, linked to curriculum outcomes at key stage 2.
Stephen Russell, the policy and public affairs manager at the charity Ramblers, said: “The government promised to improve access to nature, but ministers have failed to explain how they will deliver change on the ground. At a time where one in three adults in England live more than 15 minutes from green or blue space, the report makes clear that the new access to nature legislation is the only way to overcome the persistent barriers people face getting outdoors.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been contacted for comment.
