Get on my land!

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Adnepos
Posts: 93
Joined: 15 Jun 2016, 1:47pm

Get on my land!

Post by Adnepos »

Cycling UK had a campaign for subsidies to landowners for providing access to new routes, called 'Get on my land!'. This was in response to the disappearance of EU farming subsidies and the Government's plans to put in some kind of replacement. The Government plans to runs some schemes to test out the various subsidy programmes that it favours but I can't see any exploration of the payment of landowners for access to walking and cycling.

Check out

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... blic-goods

Do you know whether this chance for getting E&W footpaths and other routes has been lost?
Zulu Eleven
Posts: 235
Joined: 26 Oct 2018, 9:25pm

Re: Get on my land!

Post by Zulu Eleven »

Adnepos wrote:Cycling UK had a campaign for subsidies to landowners for providing access to new routes, called 'Get on my land!'. This was in response to the disappearance of EU farming subsidies and the Government's plans to put in some kind of replacement. The Government plans to runs some schemes to test out the various subsidy programmes that it favours but I can't see any exploration of the payment of landowners for access to walking and cycling.

Check out

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... blic-goods

Do you know whether this chance for getting E&W footpaths and other routes has been lost?


Successful lobbying by CUK & others saw payments for access to and engagement with the countryside included as a funding area within the Agriculture Act. There’s also lobbying been going on to encourage Govt to modify the Environment Bill to add statutory targets for access and engagement before it comes back to Parliament - at the moment it’s only a power rather than a duty. (ie. the aim is that Environment Act means Govt has to set targets, thr Agriculture Act will provide a funding mechanism to deliver)

The next step is how that funding ends up coming out in the ELMS payment scheme

Currently only three of the ELMS test and trial schemes include public access, one of them focused on the efficacy of developing new Bridleway access by agreement, headed by Rachel at the Trails Trust. NFU have been lobbying for payments to be tied to farm visits and voluntary access agreements , but previous experience with agri-environment schemes and the administration of the paths for communities scheme pushes strongly towards creation of rights of way as better value for public money long term. We’ve also pointed out that linear routes such as disused railway lines are unlikely to work with purely voluntary methods (one reluctant landowner can prevent scheme happening).

So, the answer is essentially ‘ongoing’ through engagement with Natural England and DEFRA, but both don’t seem to be giving access much attention at the moment, and we’re still waiting for governments formal response to Glover review, that specifically recommended govt look at expanding access to CROW land, which is something we’ve lobbied for in Wales and would be of huge benefit in England where many commons and moors with open access on foot have thousands of miles of existing sustainable trails that currently remain off-limits for bikes and horses.

Does that help?

Kie (CUK national off-road advisor)
Adnepos
Posts: 93
Joined: 15 Jun 2016, 1:47pm

Re: Get on my land!

Post by Adnepos »

Whilst the Rights of Way Improvement Plan may be a Local Authority responsibility, the District can point out desirable upgrades and encourage them to be done. The pile of paperwork associated with such conversions needs to be removed and the Environment Bill seems like a good opportunity. It is also an opportunity to introduce targets for such upgrades rather than empowering.

My village is linked to the outside world only by busy A roads (one substandard 'shared use' to an adjoining village) but has plenty of footpaths (but not bridleways/byways) that link it to the outside world. If some of these footpaths were upgraded, I could cycle to the shops, doctors and the rest.
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TrevA
Posts: 3551
Joined: 1 Jun 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Nottingham

Re: Get on my land!

Post by TrevA »

Adnepos wrote:Cycling UK had a campaign for subsidies to landowners for providing access to new routes, called 'Get on my land!'. This was in response to the disappearance of EU farming subsidies and the Government's plans to put in some kind of replacement. The Government plans to runs some schemes to test out the various subsidy programmes that it favours but I can't see any exploration of the payment of landowners for access to walking and cycling.

Check out

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... blic-goods

Do you know whether this chance for getting E&W footpaths and other routes has been lost?


I used to work for Natural England and Defra before retirement, 2 years ago. I’m not up to speed with the new ELMS scheme but under the previous 2 land management schemes - Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) and Countryside Stewardship (CS), there were options to pay landowners who were prepared to allow access to parts of their land for both walking and cycling. This included a payment towards the capital cost of actually providing a route and an ongoing annual payment for allowing access to the land.
Sherwood CC and Notts CTC.
A cart horse trapped in the body of a man.
http://www.jogler2009.blogspot.com
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