The England Coast Path New Forest Consultative Panel John Truswell, John Taylor Natural England

Where we are delivering

Benefits The England Coast Path will be a well way-marked 2700 mile long National Trail, around the whole of the English coast, passing through some of our finest countryside and some of England’s most stunning, dynamic, challenging and famous coastal scenery. We know from our evidence of spending by visitors to the coast, that it will potentially boost the local economy thereby benefitting our coastal communities. England’s longest, newest and most challenging National Trail will enable people to experience, recognise and value the benefits of our environment.

Benefits It will take people through some of the finest landscapes in England together with the many coastal towns, cities and ports which have shaped this island nation. It will link iconic places on the coast with the less well known and will unlock some parts of our coast for the first time. The route will be able to ‘roll back’ if the coastline erodes or slips, solving the long-standing difficulties of maintaining a continuous route along the coast while safe guarding this national asset into the future. It will secure legal rights of public access for the first time to typical coastal land including foreshore, beaches, dunes and cliffs.

Benefits MENE data (March 2009 to Feb 2013) shows that 40% of any visits to the natural environment which involved any spend were to ‘seaside coastline’ with an average spend per visit of £14, generating an average annual total of £1,419 million) In 2012, the South West Coast Path generated a user spend of £436 million and associated employment related to this spend of 9,771 full time equivalent jobs being sustained.

Understanding the trail We align the route of the trail in consultation with owners and occupiers of affected land –Either adopt an existing PRoW –Adopt a permissive or de-facto walked line –Create a fresh ‘line’ Everything seaward of that line becomes coastal margin, bar ‘excepted land’ We also look at NE’s discretion to extend coastal room inland (guided by the Scheme)Scheme Understanding the Trail

Excepted land categories Excepted in full: - buildings, their curtilage, parks and gardens: land used for the purposes of a railway, racecourse or aerodrome; land used for statutory undertaking, although not flood defences; school playing field or associated land; land in use for mineral extraction; MOD land subject to byelaw; and

Excepted land categories Excepted, but legislation allows for a route (only) to be proposed: arable land; golf course; a regulated caravan or camping site; and burial grounds. The inclusion of environmentally sensitive land is considered through an Access and Sensitive Features Assessment.

Developing the Coast Path February 2016 Spring 2018 Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Next steps Continuing our Access and Sensitive Features Appraisals with NE’s internal experts Start Stage 2 (develop): write to all owners potentially affected; talk to interest groups. Run drop-in events: Fawley – 8 th March Beaulieu – 10 th March Milford On Sea – 15 th March Lymington – 17 th March New Milton – 21 st April

Some available management measures… Least Restrictive Most Restrictive Trail location Signing, waymarks and guide posts Mown surfaces Interpretation boards Natural barriers – vegetation, screening inc. temporary fencing Guide fencing or permanent fencing Direction to restrict access, temporary, seasonal, area based e.g. dogs on leads between dates Direction to exclude access, temporary or permanent, area based

Balancing public & private interests Public interest Proximity of the trail to the sea Views of the sea from the trail Safety and convenience Continuity of the trail Private interest Operational needs Income Privacy Changes of use Enjoyment and protection of the natural environment Responsiveness to coastal change – ‘roll back’

Website updates at: south-of-england Questions? Contacts: South Hub England Coast Path team Lead adviser: John Truswell