06 September 2005
From 28 May 2005, as a result of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, the Welsh public and visitors to Wales will be able to enjoy a statutory right of access (on foot) to over 360,000 hectares of open country and registered common land – plus another 100,000 hectares of Forestry Commission land. In total, this represents about 22% of the total land area of Wales – or about the same as the land area of the Cardiff, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion local authority areas combined. This new right is in addition to the network of public rights of way. All parts of Wales stand to benefit from these opportunities with a significant proportion of the new access land being near to urban areas.
The Welsh Local Government Association and the Countryside Council for Wales have prepared this leaflet to inform and advise members of local and national park authorities on the implications of the new access arrangements. It highlights their potential benefits as pathways to prosperity, health and social cohesion. Access to our countryside and the quality of that countryside are key ingredients for the future prosperity and well-being of Wales as a nation: one in six Welsh jobs being directly linked to the environment.