BASC Update

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BASC update on coastal access proposals and shooting interests

9 June 2009

 

Background

Since 2005, the government has been working on proposals for an all-England coastal path. Anyone that manages shooting on coastal land in England needs to be aware of these proposals as the coastal path could be proposed on land used for pest control, rough shooting, deer stalking, driven shooting and wildfowling. At local level it is important that you ensure that your interests are known. That applies whether you own the land, own the sporting rights, hold a sporting rights tenancy or any other form of shooting agreement. Your voice should be considered in terms of your ability to manage shooting effectively and that the habitats you manage for shooting, such as game cover crops, woodlands, saltmarsh and mudflats are protected from the damage and disturbance that might be caused by coastal access proposals.

 

Whilst the media interest in coastal access has waxed and waned since 2005, BASC’s political and policy work on this issue has continued unabated. We now reach a key milestone as the debate moves from the House of Lords to the House of Commons.

 

What has BASC achieved so far?

Since 2005, BASC has represented shooting interests at key national stakeholder events and provided regular briefings to MPs, peers and policy decision makers in Defra and Natural England. BASC has consulted widely with its members through its publications, by email and on the Key Issues section of its website. BASC has ensured that Natural England’s guidance for rolling out coastal access includes a section on shooting as a key coastal land use so that shooters must be consulted on every piece of land subject to a coastal access proposal at local level. The importance of this section in the guidance cannot be overstated.

 

Click here to view the current draft version of that guidance document

 

In Parliament, BASC lobbying has led to debates in the House of Lords on access rights being excluded from mudflats and saltmarsh and the requirement for dogs to be kept under effective control by members of the public.

 

At what stage is the parliamentary process currently?

On 8 June, the Marine and Coastal Access Bill was passed by the House of Lords and sent to the House of Commons. This follows a lengthy debate on the content of the Bill, including its coastal access provisions, since 4 December 2008.

 

Click here to follow parliamentary progress to date on the Marine and Coastal Access Bill

 

What is BASC doing now?

On 1 June, the government amended the Marine and Coastal Access Bill to provide coastal landowners and others with relevant interests in land a right of appeal. This will provide for an appeals process against inadequate consultation and/or poor local decision making on the positioning of a coastal path and any associated spreading room. BASC is lobbying for a government-moved amendment to the Bill in the House of Commons to ensure that holders of sporting rights are included in the legal definition of "a relevant interest in land" in terms of a right of appeal.

 

Since February, BASC has been calling on all shooting clubs and syndicates with management interests on coastal land to nominate a member to contact BASC so that they can receive direct updates from BASC on this policy issue, and to share feedback amongst these contacts. This process is part of BASC’s longer term project of building up local awareness with local shooting stakeholders ahead of the likely rollout of coastal access at regional level from 2010 onwards.

 

What can you do?

If you or your club or syndicate have management interests on land near the coast make sure that BASC is aware of this to avail of direct updates from BASC by email. Contact Conor O’Gorman, BASC’s Policy Development Manager, by clicking here