Rocky path to a cliffhanger ending

IF a week is a long time in politics, a year in Westminster is enough to accommodate a lifetime of U-turns and sidesteps.

Almost 12 months to the day Environment Minister Richard Benyon was photographed at the official opening of the first stretch of a new coastal path for England.

The event was something of a landmark for countryside groups which had long called for the need to open up the coast and as he greeted the crowds gathered on Weymouth sands, the MP for Newbury seemed to echo their sentiments.

“Opening up miles of English coastline like this will allow thousands of people to better enjoy this spectacular natural environment and help support local economies by encouraging tourism,” he said, playing to an easy audience. “I want to see more people walking in and accessing our countryside as I know the value such activity has for our health, for our economy and for the spiritual uplift and well-being that comes from being out and about.”

Fast forward to this June, the Minister was not in Dorset, but at the Royal Cornwall Show and it wasn’t just his location which had changed.

According to a report in Farmers Weekly, Mr Benyon had admitted the Government had inherited some legacies from the previous administration which would be extremely expensive to deliver and that any not considered a high priority were up for grabs. When he added that the Coastal Access Bill had been a sledgehammer to crack a nut, the ears of groups like the Ramblers were pricked.

George Osborne will today announce £11.5bn of cuts as part of this year’s spending review and with Defra almost certain to see its budget slashed, many now fear that the coastal project – which includes a significant stretch in Yorkshire – will be left in limbo.

The details are likely to emerge over the next few days and weeks, but campaigners are already mobilising support to ensure the plans aren’t quietly dropped amid a host of other funding cuts.

“The planned England Coast Path was a win for walkers, but more importantly for our struggling coastal towns,” says Kate Canto, senior policy officer for the Ramblers. “Wales recently opened a similar path and last year it was walked by 2.8m people, bringing an additional £16m to the Welsh economy, boosting growth, creating jobs and ensuring it remains on the map as a major tourist destination. The England Coast Path, along with plans to open up even more beaches, has the potential to bring similar benefits to our shores and for comparatively little cost.”

The Ramblers insist that the planned cost of the project up to 2015 will run to just £239,000. While the path would not be complete until 2017, the group say that the cost is unlikely to spiral and any decision to axe the project would be short-sighted.

“In these difficult times we realise that tough decisions have to be made,” adds Kate. “However, the coastal path 
could be part of the solution in terms of boosting the economies of coastal communities. We won the right for this path to exist in 2009 after many years of campaigning and the idea it might be now taken away is incredibly frustrating.”

The north-east stretch of the path, which runs between Filey Brigg and North Gare, is due to be completed in the second phase of the project, but much of the leg work identifying access points and getting local landowners on board is already underway.

“The plans have been based on the South West Coast Path which is estimated to generate £307m a year for the local economy,” adds Kate. “While clearly we would not be able to replicate those figures in every part of the country we are confident that for every pound invested in the scheme it would generate thousands more.

“Research shows that some of our coastal towns are among the most deprived communities in the country and we have come too far now to let the plans be shelved.”

The Ramblers is now asking members of the public to sign 
its One Coast For All online petition which calls on the Government to fulfil its responsibilities under the 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Act. Yesterday, it already attracted more than 10,000 signatures.

“The extent and quality of public access to the coast is patchy,” says Kate. “The Act calls on the Government to create a continuous walking trail around the entire coast of England.

“As citizens of an island nation, the British public is passionate about our coast; we’re drawn to it and it is an integral part of our natural heritage.”

• To sign up to the petition go to www.ramblers.org.uk