Marine and Coastal Access Act

Improving Access to the English Coast - Natural England's Coastal Access Page.

Following lobbying by a coalition of the UK's leading environmental groups, including Ramblers, the Marine and Coastal Access Act was passed in November 2009, thus fulling the Labour Government's 2005 election manifesto commitments to introduce a new framework for the seas based on marine spatial planning, and to improve access to the English coast.

Part 9 of the Act deals with Coastal Access. It will place a duty on the Secretary of State and Natural England (NE) to secure a long distance route ("the English coastal route") and land available for open-air recreation ("spreading room") accessible to the public around the coast of England. The Act amends existing legislation - namely the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and Section 3A of the CROW Act 2000 (see below) - to provide a coastal margin, within which people will be able to walk along a long distance route for the length of the English coast (with certain exceptions). In addition people will have access to coastal land such as beaches, cliffs, rocks and dunes, for the purposes of open-air recreation on foot.

The following links provide more information.

• Marine & Coastal Access Act (2009) - Part 9 of the Act: Coastal Access.
• Coastal Access web page NE's main page.
• Survey of the Coast - NE's Coastal Access Audit (2009).
• Implementation - NE's Approved Scheme.