Annette Brooke MP responds to Countryside Access Report

10.54.50am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 9th Jun 2006

Local MP Annette Brooke responded to the National Audit Office report 'The right of access to open countryside' today:

"The right to roam has been a long-cherished goal of many a rambler, and at last they have scaled that peak. While it is too early to say how many people will actually take up this right, what is clear is that they now have largely unfettered access to almost three quarters of a million hectares in England which were previously off-limits. And while some landowners had concerns about the impact of the right to roam, the fact that it is possible to stroll without obstruction across the vast bulk of newly-opened sites shows there has been widespread acceptance of the new law. The onus now is on making sure suitable transport links are in place so this opportunity is open to everyone and not restricted to the few.

"However, there is an unsightly blot on this newly-opened landscape. Once again, the costs of a public project have been allowed to gallop away from initial estimates, for no better reason than that there was no time to run a pilot scheme. It is high time public bodies stopped leaping into the dark when undertaking projects, knowing that the long-suffering taxpayer will have to pick up the tab."

ENDS