Coastal access - Durham, Norfolk, Kent, Somerset and Cumbria

Natural England is developing coastal access proposals in Durham, Norfolk, Kent, Somerset and Cumbria.  Anyone with shooting interests along the various sections of coast should contact BASC for advice. Shooting interests on potentially affected land could include clay pigeon shooting, airgun and rifle range shooting, pest control, deer stalking, game shooting, rough shooting and wildfowling.

Click here to find out more about the five coastal access projects

Coastal access – more than just a path

Coastal access involves more than just the creation of a path.  The path is called a “trail” and that is because it can be up to 4 metres wide.  The trail will often follow existing rights of way.  However, the public may be granted new access rights to a much wider area of land to either side of the trail. This is called “spreading room”.  The extent of the spreading room and the public’s right of access to it will depend on a complex set of criteria. These criteria are outlined in the statutory guidance document called the “Coastal Access Scheme”.

This guidance is the nuts and bolts of how new rights of coastal access will be consulted on and how decisions will be made. 

Click here to download a copy of the coastal access scheme guidance

What’s in the guidance of interest to shooters?

The full diversity of shooting activities that take place on land are considered in the coastal access scheme guidance, including the interdependent environmental and land management needs of those shooting activities.

Shooters, landowners and farmers should work closely with one another on the ground to use the guidance effectively to protect their interests.

Key areas of interest to shooters in will be the sections on Woodlands and Scrub (7.5), Grazing Marsh (7.8), Saltmarsh and Flats (7.15), Crops (8.7), Gamebird Management (8.8), Wild Deer Management,(8.9), Shooting Live Quarry (8.10) and Shooting at Man-made Targets (8.11).

Shooters should read the following summaries to get an idea of what might be relevant to them.

Shooting live quarry

This section considers live quarry shooting, cross referenced to the habitat sections and considers shooting interests for game birds, wildfowl, deer and pest species. It considers the concerns of shooters for their recreational interest and the potential impacts on that interest by coastal access rights.

This section states that Natural England will be likely to exclude access to the areas of salt marsh and mudflat where most wildfowling takes place. It also considers the concerns of shooters in relation to disturbance to quarry species, danger to the public and disruption to shooting. In particular, this section considers the needs of a driven shooting and shoot days.

Shooting at man-made targets

This section considers specific measures needed to address shooting at man-made targets, including clay pigeon shooting, airgun and rifle range shooting, archery and paintballing.

The section contains a detailed explanation of the safety considerations needed in both considering new rights of coastal access and management of such rights in the vicinity of permanent or temporary sites where shooting at man-made targets occurs.

Saltmarsh and flats

Saltmarsh and mudflats are key areas for coastal wildfowling and have high conservation value.

The guidance states that these areas are unsuitable for informal open-air recreation and that the trail will not normally be considered on flats and salt marsh. Natural England have a special power relating to public safety and for nature conservation to exclude these areas from being a part of the spreading room seaward of any trail inland, and commits to use this power often.

Management of dogs is covered in detail. Wildfowling is flagged up as a key interest to be considered by planners, and is cross referenced to section 8.10 - Shooting Live Quarry.

Gamebird management

The management of game species such as pheasants and partridges are a key aspect of both rough shooting and driven shooting and this is why a whole section of the guidance is dedicated to those interests.

A key consideration in this section is preventing the disturbance of game birds, and without interfering with gamekeeping activities relating to the all year round and seasonal needs of managing game. There are specific considerations for the use of traps and snares, and the guidance explains that the new rights of access will exclude release pens. 

The guidance considers the options to restrict or exclude access, for example, to keep dogs on leads, during the breeding season, during releasing periods, during the shooting season, and at times when cover is sparse.  The management of shoot days is also considered.  One of the case studies presented in the guidance illustrates how coastal access rights might be implemented in an area managed for released game birds. This section is also cross referenced to section 8.10 - Shooting Live Quarry.

Wild deer management

Deer stalkers represent a major resource for the effective management of deer, including the control of deer damage to farming, forestry and nature conservation interests.

This section considers the concerns of recreational deer stalkers and deer managers with regard to the disturbance that could be caused by coastal access rights and long-term changes to the habits of local deer populations, causing difficulty in meeting management objectives. The guidance states that the trail will typically be on the seaward side of areas where wild deer populations are managed, with cross references to section 7.5 - Woodlands and Scrub.

This section also considers the options to restrict or exclude access, for example, to keep dogs on leads in sensitive areas during the various deer shooting seasons or at times when deer are rearing young. The guidance acknowledges that muntjac deer breed all year round. This section is also cross referenced to section 8.10 - Shooting Live Quarry.

Woodland and Scrub

Woodlands are of particular importance to game shoots and deer stalkers.
The section on Woodland and Scrub states that if the woodland is managed for shooting, the trail will normally follow the seaward edge. Shooting and game management interests are also specifically flagged up for consideration by planners, with cross references to section 8.9 - Wild Deer Management.

Grazing marsh

Grazing marsh is important to rough shooters and wildfowlers for its conservation value to quarry species of waders and wildfowl.

The guidance states that grazing marsh does not usually provide a convenient walking surface because it is wet for all or part of the year. For this reason the trail will normally follow a flood defence embankment – provided there is one – adjacent to the grazing marsh on the seaward side. The guidance flags up the potential disturbance to breeding and wintering birds that may result from people walking past grazing marsh on adjacent land or allowing their dogs to enter the grazing marsh while they are walking past it.

Crops

Game cover crops are essential habitats for game species such as partridges and pheasants. They can act as holding cover and/or provide winter food, or nesting cover, or food for chicks, depending on the seed mixes, the time of year, and on how they are managed. They have high conservation value and are a key element of agri-environmental schemes.

The guidance explains that land cultivated for crops or trees in the previous 12 months is excepted land.  For game crops in a rotation longer than 12 months management solutions are provided to either prevent or discourage damage by trampling or disturbance by dogs.

Click here to download a copy of the coastal access scheme guidance

This webpage was last updated on 27 June 2011