“"No-one in England lives more than 70 miles from the sea, we are a maritime nation and we are an island"

-- oh, so England is the whole island now is it? The country (UK) is facing unprecedented levels of public debt, is this really money well spent?”

“I use footpaths a lot and trouble with picknickers, litter etc is very rare anywhere more than a half a mile or so from built up areas or major beauty spots with car access. Most Grockles don't walk far and those that any distance on the more remote trails, such as the South West Coast Path and the Two Moors Way, are generally more responsible I think. The vast majority of the Coast Path is quite remote, which is it's main appeal.”

“mumblybum, yes compulsosory purchase maybe still on the statute books, but as yet no-one has challenged it in the courts on the grounds that it is incompatible with human rights legislation. According to the European Convention on Human Rights no-one can be forced to do something against there will by their government or its agencies, except in an emergency and being forced to surrencder land so people can have the right to roam isn't an emergency no matter how you dress it up.”

“Great, carte blanche for daytripping litterbugs to dump anything anywhere.
A friend allows - or allowed - the public access to a pretty riverside field, for no other reason than he thinks it is a good thing to do - he is repaid by mountains of litter left by picnickers, gates and fences damaged, animals let out or frightened. He keeps threatening to shut the gates for good.
Not everybody is a responsible member of the Ramblers Association.”

“I don't believe there will be any compulsion involved and no one is claiming a right of access where none is currently available. The authority (Natural England) will negotiate with landowners and where no access along the coast is possible - for whatever reason - a suitable diversion will be negotiated and mapped. This is what happens with most trail footpaths.

I recently ran along the Tarka Trail from Okehampton to Eggesford (about 22 miles) When the Tarka Trail was first mooted the original intention was to create a trail all the way along the Taw valley to Barnstaple, I believe, but that part of the Trail ends a long way short. On many sections that I covered the route diverts (annoyingly!) away from the valley and onto lanes, presumably where no access along the river valley could be negotiated. The same applies to the two Moors Way, that runs continuously from the north coast almost to the south coast of Devon, crossing Exmoor and Dartmoor (highly recommended!). Several sections involve walking along lanes, although these represent a small portion of the whole.”

“Compulsory purchase is still very much alive and well in the UK, Cyanotic (Cyanotic? what was your mother thinking?). That's how the Kingskerswell bypass will come about, if it comes about.”

“This is a very glass half empty headline, isn't it. Why, for once, can't this newspaper be a bit more upbeat, '75% of SW coastline open to public'?
Me, I'm happy with 75% accessibility. It's a very fine 75%, probably more than I shall ever need, even though I walk the coasts a lot and I don't feel the need to have anyone tear more of it away from legitimate owners on my behalf. It's their land, most of them have paid for it, let them keep it.”

“Any landowner not wishing to allow access to their land cannot be forced to do so as a person cannot be forced to do something against their will by their government or its agents, this is from the European Convention on Human Rights which was enshrined in British law in the Human Rights Act. If the governmentor its agent Natural England try to owners to open up their land all the landowner has to do is go to court where their attempt at opening up access will be ruled incompatible with the Human Rights Act.”

“"No-one in England lives more than 70 miles from the sea, we are a maritime nation and we are an island, and therefore the sea is and always has been extremely important to us. Millions of us visit it every year." I don't get what this has to do with people walking the coastal path, which is, I agree, a great asset, one I've appreciated walking many sections in Devon, Cornwall & Dorset, but I don't look at coastal access to inaccessible places as some RIGHT! And just because I live on an Island doesn't give me unrestricted riparian rights, what a ridiculous argument! And coming on top of all the recent controversy, are we going to expect it fenced as well - fortress Britain?!
Well I wonder how many Natural England (?!) employees it takes to resolve 'access disputes?! I also wonder how many NE employees will be adversely affected by backpackers, day trippers and 'ramblers' traipsing through their seaside gardens and coastal homes as they are opened up to the masses... Where's Pawl in Kernow, for this one!!!
I just do NOT understand why anyone assumes they should have a right to walk through other people's property, other than via an ancient right of way enshrined in common law that were devised in a time when people needed footpaths to walk from farm to village, long before motorized transportation was imagined. In country's with a modern history, certainly like Australia, there are not these networks of paths criss-crossing the countryside; specially made tracks and pathways are created in National Parks, etc., but there are very few rights of way as we are accustomed in England and other parts of Europe. So England is very privileged to have what you do, any more than that, should only ever be because the land owner wishes it... But then who's responsible... There are often sheep and cattle, crops; some of this coastal terrain is treacherous, not all of it is fit for ramblers, but it's the landowner's call, not some bureaucrat in Whitehall...
Why should presently inaccessible coastal or rural properties be any more accessible than their off-limit urban & city counterparts?! I've seen some wonderfully intriguing gardens and estates I'd love to roam through, in London, Whitehall, Truro, Torquay... Hey! but why stop there - what about all those fascinating properties behind the gates & up the garden paths, whether old or new, I'm sure they would be extremely interesting to explore! After all, England has an incredibly rich diversity of architectural styles spanning hundreds of years from castles to hovels, quite different from other places in Europe, so shouldn't they be accessible to the millions of curiosity seekers, like me, keen on archeology, history, architecture, why are we excluded from this abundance and wealth of our shared historical England? Oh! yes, also, if you can walk round the English coast free, then why not the rest of it... Free!!!
Yes, indeed, I've lost the plot, Whitehall bureaucrats have a habit of doing that to me, so all very dumb... I see this Vision, as a massive waste of money & time, & I just question, should hard-earned taxpayers ££££ be spent of such VISIONS...Oh yes! Who's going to pay for all these bureaucrats traipsing round the countryside trying to solve 'access disputes' anyway? Crazy dreams I have...”