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On the 25th anniversary of the landmark Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act[1] , we challenge government to celebrate its predecessor’s achievement—and to act now to improve people’s access to the countryside and green spaces.
Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary, is speaking at a national conference, Freedom to Roam; the Next Step, at Hebden Bridge, Calderdale, on Saturday (29 November). This follows a walk up Boulsworth Hill in Lancashire which was, until the CROW Act, forbidden land.
Kate Ashbrook celebrates CROW Act access on Cobstone, Ibstone in the Buckinghamshire Chilterns. Photo: Open Spaces Society
Says Kate: ‘The CROW Act was a milestone law which gave us freedom to walk on registered common land and mapped mountain, moor, heath, and down. It was a brilliant first step in the campaign to achieve greater access for all.
‘But 25 years on there has been no further progress. We need access close to people’s homes, in woodlands and beside and on water. We need the many isolated patches of access land to be linked to the rights-of-way network so that people can get there. We need entry points to all the mapped access land, otherwise it is inaccessible.
‘We also need our public paths to be in good order; they are highways in law just like any road, yet many are obstructed, ploughed up, overgrown or neglected[2] .
‘Twenty-five years ago environment ministers were enthusiasts for public access, joining us on walks and pushing the CROW Act through parliament. We have yet to see such interest from current ministers. Labour’s 2024 manifesto promise was: ‘We will improve access to nature, promote biodiversity, and protect our landscapes and wildlife…’. When will this happen?
‘There has been talk of a green paper on access, but that has gone quiet. That is a necessary first step for legislation and we await it eagerly.
‘The 25th anniversary of CROW is an opportunity both to celebrate a great achievement and to increase access to meet current needs, for people’s health and well-being and to boost local economies. All government departments should recognise the value of public access to their work.
‘We shall redouble our efforts to persuade ministers that this work is of vital importance to people’s livelihoods,’ Kate concludes.
[1] The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 received royal assent on 30 November 2000. It resulted in a right to walk being created over about 1.5 million hectares (6,400 square miles) in England and Wales.
[2] A survey by the BBC published in Jan 2024 showed that public paths are blocked at 32,000 points, ie an obstruction every four and a half miles, which is likely to be an underestimate of the problem.