Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Access to Nature

Thursday 30 March 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government is spending millions to ensure rural areas thrive and people have access to nature.
  • The deadline for saving historic footpaths was extended from 2026 to 2031.
  • Government is working with Natural England to enhance access to blue and green areas, improve national trails, and designate the coast-to-coast route as a national trail.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Caroline Lucas Green
Agriculture & Rural Affairs Environment
Context

The MP is concerned about the steps being taken by the government to improve public access to natural spaces.

Question

What steps she is taking to improve public access to nature?

Answer from Trudy Harrison

Connectivity to rural areas is vitally important. The government is spending millions to ensure that rural areas thrive and people have access to nature.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps and funding details were not provided

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Q2 Caroline Lucas Green
Environment
Context

The MP is concerned about the government's decision to extend deadlines for saving historic footpaths, which has created a backlog of over 4,000 applications.

Question

Saving historic footpaths is a vital way of enhancing engagement with nature. Given there are more than 4,000 pending applications, it is concerning that the government has reneged on their promise to scrap deadlines without a plan for this backlog. Will they rethink this decision?

Answer from Trudy Harrison

The deadline was extended from 2026 to 2031. The government is improving access with Natural England, committing people to be within 15 minutes of a blue or green area, enhancing national trails, and designating the coast-to-coast route as a national trail. Additionally, the England coastal path spans 2,700 miles around England, offering extensive public access.

Not addressed: The specific backlog issue was not addressed

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