Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits to date of the Right to Roam policy.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government recognises that the right of access for open-air recreation under Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 plays an important role in the public’s use and enjoyment of the natural environment in England. Although it has made no assessment of the benefits of the right of access, a report Costs and benefits of public access to the countryside – Literature Review, which was made to Natural England in 2013, noted that the recreational use of the countryside provided significant benefits to individuals, society and the wider economy.
The Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment survey, which is funded by Natural England with support from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Forestry Commission, has recorded the number of visits per year to open access land. The results of the survey show that between 2009/10 and 2013/14 on average 27.8 million visits per year were made to open access land.
The Government is also developing a 25 Year Environment Plan which aims for Britain to be the healthiest and most beautiful place to live, work and bring up a family. We will be working with the Natural Capital Committee to develop a plan to protect and improve our natural capital and to provide opportunities for sustained prosperity and wellbeing.
The Government wants everyone to feel the benefits of an improved environment and the opportunities that come from access to the countryside and our green spaces, including for recreation and relaxation. We are making strides to improve our understanding of the value of nature, to better quantify the range of benefits we get from our land, water, air, and seas. This will allow us to enhance the quality of the decisions we take about how these assets are managed, using natural capital as the common currency.
