It was “extraordinary in a time of austerity” for the Government to plan to spend millions speeding up the coastal access process when most of the coastline is accessible already, the Country Land and Business Association have said.
Responding to comments made by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at the Conference for Nature that the Government will spend £5million each year until completion in 2020 on coastal access, saying Mr Clegg had completely missed the point.
CLA President Henry Robinson said: “Mr Clegg appears to be going down the wrong path when looking at the issue of coastal access.
“While it is right that 123km of coastal access has been provided under the Marine and Coastal Access Act in England over the last five years, he fails to recognise that most of the coastline - some 3,700km - is accessible already.
“It seems extraordinary that the Government has committed to spending £25million during continuing financial austerity to open up less than eight percent of the English coastline.”
