House of Commons - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence

Memorandum submitted by The Churches' Legislation Advisory Service (DMB 08)

COASTAL ACCESS

WHO WE ARE

1. The Churches' Legislation Advisory Service, formerly the Churches Main Committee, is an ecumenical body that brings together all the major churches in the United Kingdom (and, because the umbrella ecumenical bodies are members, many of the smaller churches as well), together with the United Synagogue. A note of our membership in England and Wales is annexed. We welcome the opportunity to comment on the Government's proposals on coastal access.

COASTAL ACCESS

2. The Committee's press notice mentions specifically the case for exceptions to, and deviations from, a route giving continuous access to the coast itself and asks whether the draft Bill strikes the right balance between rights of access and rights of owners and occupiers and whether there should be compensation in any circumstances for the creation of coastal access rights.

3. In the particular case of the Church of England, where a churchyard is situated on the coast there is not normally any problem about access for walkers: most churchyards are accessible simply by opening the gate. However, with very few exceptions, Church of England churchyards are consecrated ground and inalienable and nowhere does this appear to be stated in the Bill; perhaps it was not thought necessary to do so. However, it should be clearly understood that consecrated ground cannot be appropriated to provide access. We were given to understand that, where a church was situated on the coast, the approved route would go round the perimeter of the church grounds: we would welcome confirmation of this.

4. We would also argue that cyclists and horses should not have free access through churchyards, whether the churchyard in question belongs to the Church of England or to another church. Both Anglican and non-Anglican churchyards have been commonly used for burials; and even if they have been closed to further burials it would be inappropriate, in our view, to allow people to go through them other than on foot.

5. More generally, we note the provision in Clause 277(6) and (7), allowing temporary closure for land-management purposes.

6. ANNEX: MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATE MEMBERS OF CLAS IN ENGLAND AND WALES

Apostolic Church

Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain [of the Greek Orthodox Church]

Assemblies of God in Gt Britain and Ireland

Association of Grace Baptist Churches (SE)

Baptist Union of Great Britain

Baptist Union of Wales/Undeb Bedyddwyr Cymru

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Churches Together in England

Church of Christ, Scientist

Church of England