Parliamentary Briefing
The England Coast Path
April 2015
The Ramblers helps everyone, everywhere, enjoy walking and protects the places we all love to walk. We are the only
charity dedicated to looking after paths and green spaces, leading walks, opening up new places to explore and
encouraging everyone to get outside and discover how walking boosts your health and your happiness.
Summary
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England has some of the best paths and trails in the world. This generates vital income for
rural economies inland yet economically deprived coastal communities are missing out.
Current access to the coastline is patchy. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 addresses
this, allowing for the construction of a coastal path along the entire English coastline.
Construction of the England Coast Path has begun and the first 3 sections have opened. The
Government recently committed to opening the entire route by 2020 and allocated £5.3 million
for the project.
All parties must pledge to uphold the timetable and maintain funding levels, so that the
considerable economic and social benefits the route will bring can be realised as soon as
possible.
Background
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England enjoys some of the best walking routes in the world, including 15 globally renowned National
Trails, which together attract an estimated 12m people a year. In 2010 £7.2bn was spent visiting the
countryside1; in England alone walkers spend over £6bn/year, supporting up to 245,000 full time jobs.2
 The English coastline is home to some of the country’s most spectacular natural scenery but also to
some of its most economically deprived communities.3 DCLG recognises that “Many seaside towns
and villages have suffered decades of economic decline...We need to invest in coastal towns to help
their economies grow and reduce unemployment and deprivation.”4
 There is a wealth of evidence that good quality, well-promoted walking routes generate significant
economic benefits, supporting vital local services and businesses including shops, pubs, hotels and
B&Bs. Specific examples include:
o The South West Coastal Path, worth £436 million/yr to the regional economy and supporting 9,771
jobs.5
o The Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, where every £1 spent results in £57 spent by tourists.
o The Wales Coastal Path, opened in May 2012, walked by 2.8m people last year, bringing in £16m to
the Welsh economy, creating jobs and boosting Wales’s status as a tourist destination.6
o The Hadrian’s Wall path, which has brought £19 million to local communities since opening in 2003.
 Physical inactivity costs NHS England £1.8bn/year and the wider economy £8bn/year. The
Government has a national ambition in England to bring about a year on year increase in physical
activity and a year on year decrease in the proportion of those classed as inactive.7 Walking offers an
easy and accessible way to exercise regularly yet receives relatively little attention or investment.
Current access to the English coastline
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1
Visits to the coast to enjoy nature, exercise, relax and take in the open views are extremely popular. In
Scotland (under the Land Reform Act 2003) and Wales (Wales Coast Path, running from the River Dee
to Chepstow) walkers can enjoy access along their entire coastlines yet in England 34% of the English
coast is inaccessible.8
Natural England (2003-2007), Economic Impact Study and Trail User Analysis
Mike Christie and Jon Matthews, The Economic and Social Value of Walking in Rural England, report for the Ramblers, 2003
http://users.aber.ac.uk/mec/Publications/Reports/RA%20Eco%20Impact%20of%20walking.pdf
3
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/mar/31/deprivation-map-indices-multiple
4
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/supporting-economic-development-projects-in-coastal-and-seaside-areas--4
5 , South West Coast Path Association, SWCP Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, January 2014
http://www.southwestcoastpath.com/media/uploads/swcp_year_2_analysis_summary_-_key_findings_final.pdf
6
The Path was named by Lonely Planet and the New York Times as one of the top tourist destinations in the world:
http://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/media-centre/in-the-news.aspx
7
Department of Health, 2012
8
Natural England, 2009: An Audit of Coastal Paths in England
2
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Access to the English coastline is patchy, and even where there is access it is often:
o On permissive paths (and therefore not legally secure).
o Fragmented, so that it is not possible to make a continuous journey.
o Constrained (e.g. a footpath against a cliff edge), preventing a good quality experience.
o Unsecure due to coastal erosion. This can undermine existing access rights and prevent secure
access to a beach.
o Poorly managed: there is a huge variation in the standards of management.
o On a route which takes visitors far inland, away from the sea.
 A 2012 YouGov Survey9 commissioned by the Ramblers revealed that almost seven out of 10 British
people believe the public should have legal access to walk along beaches and the entire English
coastline.
 The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 places a duty on the Secretary of State and Natural England
(NE) to secure a walking trail around the open coast of England, set to be known as the England Coast
Path. This Act created a new legal right to walk on beaches, along cliffs and other coastal land in
England following the path’s clearly defined route. Once the path has been completed visitors to the
coast will be able to enjoy this and be guaranteed good quality access along the entire English coast.
Constructing the England Coast Path
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Natural England (NE) initially estimated the total costs of constructing the path at £5m / year over a 10
year period, with work completed by 2019.10 Revised figures in 2012 estimated capital costs at £4.5 m,
with additional staff costs for organisations involved in the path’s construction (e.g. NE, local
authorities, Defra, Planning Inspectorate).11
NE estimates spending £239,000 in constructing the coast path and providing access at Weymouth
and in the five lead stretches between 2012-15, broken down by:
o 2012-13: £34,000
o 2013-14: £40,000
o 2014-15: £165,00012
Opening up 240km of path, this is equivalent to spending £1 per metre.
The first stretch of the England Coastal Path was opened at Weymouth in June 2012 by Defra Minister
Richard Benyon. The Minister said “Opening up miles of English coastline like this will allow thousands
of people to better enjoy this spectacular natural environment and support local economies through
tourism.” 13 Since then work has commenced on further sections. Stretches in Cumbria (Allonby to
Whitehaven) and Durham (North Gare to South Bents) opened in April 2014, and a stretch in Norfolk
(Weybourne to Sea Palling) in December 2014.14 Further sections in Somerset (Minehead to Brean
Down) and Kent (Ramsgate to Folkestone) are due to open soon.15
Following a public consultation, in July 2014 the Government announced it would extend the England
Coast Path to include the Isle of Wight (IoW). The Ramblers, the IoW Chamber of Commerce and Isle
of Wight Council all supported the extension of the Path to the island.
In September 2014 the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the 3,000 mile route and spreading
room will be completed by 202016 - at least 10 years earlier than previous estimates. This commitment
will breathe new life into our coastal towns, supporting tourism and local economies as well as
providing opportunities to improve public health.
The 2014 Autumn budget statement allocated an additional £44,000 this year and £5.26 million in
2015-16 to speed up the opening of the path and associated spreading room.
One coast for all
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The next government must uphold the 2020 completion date and maintain future funding for the
England Coast Path.
Further information
Kate Conto, Senior Policy Officer, 020 7339 8500, kate.conto@ramblers.org.uk
9
Total sample size was 2020 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th - 19th March 2012. The survey was carried out online.
Natural England, Improving coastal access: Our advice to Government, February 2007, p viii, quoted in Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Select Committee Ninth Report 2007-08
11
England Coast Path FAQs, Natural England, 2012
12
Hansard, 9 Nov 2011 : Column 329W, Richard Benyon MP
13
Dorset Echo, 29 June 2012
14
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/access/coastalaccess/default.aspx
15
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/access/coastalaccess/default.aspx
16
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/deputy-prime-minister-boosts-parks-and-paths-so-we-can-all-enjoy-natural-britain
10