Further supplementary memorandum submitted
by Natural England (DMB 56c)
ANSWERS TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS
APPEALS UNDER
THE CROW ACT
1. Could Natural England provide the number
of appeals that have taken place under the CROW Act?
Answer contained in DMB 56b.[12]
COST OF
THE PROPOSALS
Evaluation of costs
In relation to the £50 million estimate,
the National Trust said it was working with Natural England to
"come up with a more robust figure [for the cost of the proposals]
so when the Bill goes through Parliament that information will
be available".[13]
It said this work should hopefully be finished this autumn.[14]
2. Will the evaluation work you are undertaking
of the overall cost of the proposals take into account all the
various sources of the funding available, including the use of
agri-environment schemes?
We expect the core costs of implementation will
be met by our £50 million estimate, which we will make available
from our grant-in-aid.
The work we plan to do with the National Trust
will focus on the costs associated with the work required to agree
the route and establish the coastal trail on the ground. This
will include assessing the time needed from Natural England and
access authority officers, including the time that will need to
be spent with owners and occupiers in "walking the course".
In addition, coastal access authorities are
to produce local access audits by Spring 2009 that will provide
a further basis for checking the robustness of our cost estimates.
Following Royal Assent, there will be an opportunity to pilot
the new procedures and this will also ensure that the resource
projections are realistic.
We are also exploring how other sources of funding,
in particular agri-environment regimes, can best contribute to
the project's overall objectives. In this context we are particularly
considering their potential contribution to the objectives for
wider environmental improvement within the coastal zone.
Compensation costs
3. How much of the £50 million, if any,
is set aside for possible payment of compensation?
None. The policy is for Natural England to use
its proposed new flexible powers to align the trail, and modify
as necessary the availability of spreading room along the way,
to reflect local circumstances and sensitivities. We will do this
in consultation with local interests including farming, land management,
property and business interests. We are therefore not expecting
there to be circumstances where our implementation proposals would
warrant compensation.
Maintenance costs
4. Does the £50 million estimate include
costs of maintenance for years 1-10?
Costs of maintenance during the 10 year implementation
period are based on £580 per km per year. This is based on
the average maintenance and management costs for coastal national
trails as estimated by independent consultants (RPA). The estimate
assumes that where the route is an existing right of way the Highway
Authority will remain responsible for maintenance.
Natural England
June 2008
12 Ev 23 Back
13
Q. 198 Back
14
Q. 203 Back
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