Consultation ON openING up the great outdoors

The Welsh Labour Government is asking for views on how opportunities to access the outdoors for responsible recreation can be improved.

Mike Hedges said…. ‘I welcome this consultation and urge people interested in accessing our local countryside to take part in the consultation. We need to protect peoples access to the countryside’

With some 60% of people living in Wales stating they would like to visit the outdoors more often, Welsh Labour’s Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant has launched a consultation on improving opportunities to access the outdoors.

Wales’ 33,000km of public rights of way network provides opportunities for local tourism and economic regeneration. However the current 'network' of public rights of way is widely perceived to be outdated. The system legislates for individual paths rather than networks and has resulted in routes not linking up as well as gaps in provision.

The Wales Coast Path demonstrates the economic worth outdoor recreation can bring - generating £32.2m of additional demand in the Welsh economy, £61.1m of GVA, and 730 person-years of employment.

The consultation is seeking views on ways to reduce the costs and burdens associated with administering public paths and wider access; how current and future recreational needs can be better met and ways to tackle some of the practical difficulties of improving opportunities for all.

The consultation is open until 2^nd October and can be found here.