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UK Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c.37): Right of Access to Open Country, SSSIs and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37) creates a statutory right of public access on foot to open country and registered common land,…

What UK Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c.37): Right of Access to Open Country, SSSIs and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty requires

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37) creates a statutory right of public access on foot to open country and registered common land, strengthens the protection of sites of special scientific interest, and provides for the designation of areas of outstanding natural beauty, administered by Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, and local access authorities. Section 1 sets the principal definitions for Part I, including the meaning of open country as land consisting wholly or predominantly of mountain, moor, heath, or down. Section 2 confers on the public a right to enter and remain on access land for the purposes of open-air recreation, subject to the general restrictions in Schedule 2. Section 4 imposes a duty on the appropriate countryside body to prepare maps showing access land. Section 22 allows the owner or other entitled person to exclude or restrict access at their discretion for a limited number of days, and section 24 provides for exclusion or restriction for land management. Section 75 substantially amends the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to strengthen the protection of sites of special scientific interest, including duties on public bodies and offences for damaging a site. Section 81 strengthens the enforcement of wildlife legislation, and section 82 provides for the designation of areas of outstanding natural beauty. The Act is the foundational right-to-roam and nature conservation reform statute.

Pillar: Water & Environmental Resources · Authority: UK Parliament / Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) / Natural England · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated:

Primary source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/37/contents

SHA-256 integrity: 524c79cc97215691185a9a63ffba9b0629e18cb0a4c12950f93aa8e011120905

Primary Citations — 8 traced to source

  • Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, section 1 - principal definitions for Part I.
  • Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, section 2 - rights of public in relation to access land.

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