Following a BASC meeting with the Secretary of State, Defra has confirmed that Natural England will have a duty to take all reasonable steps to notify everyone who has sporting rights over land affected by coastal access proposals.
Shooters and anglers will be able to take their concerns right to the top – with a right of appeal to the Secretary of State – if they feel their concerns have not been adequately considered by Natural England.
BASC’s Conor O’Gorman said: “Under the current legislation shooters and anglers only have the right to have their concerns taken account of in summary and have no full recourse to the Secretary of State. BASC welcomes Defra Minister Huw Irranca-Davis’ clarification today that this will be changed by regulations to ensure the concerns of shooters and anglers are properly considered.”
This positive move was originally made possible by the intervention of Martin Salter MP (Labour) and Richard Benyon MP (Conservative) on behalf of shooters and anglers during the House of Commons committee stage debate on the Marine and Coastal Access Bill in July.
For more information visit our coastal access briefing by clicking here.
ENDS