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LANDOWNERS must be compensated for any coastal land to which the public is granted a right to roam.

That's the view of Tim Olliff-Lee of national property agents, Strutt & Parker, who was speaking after the House of Commons' committee for environment, food and rural affairs published its report on the Coastal Access Provisions of the Draft Marine Bill.

The report not only recommended that compensation should be paid - potentially to thousands of landowners, farmers and businesses - but also that an independent appeals process be introduced too. The absence of an appeals process was described as a "fundamental weakness" in the committee's report.

"We're delighted and very encouraged to see both recommendations in the committee's report," says Mr Olliff-Lee: "They are both eminently sensible and practical suggestions which show that the committee, unlike Natural England, really have listened to the representations that were made to them and learned from the experiences of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which granted the public a right of access to land designated as "open country"."

The Draft Marine Bill, which was published by the Government in April, outlined plans for the public to have a right of access to a 2,500 mile coastal path running right around the coast of England. But it did not contain proposals for compensation to be paid or for landowners to have a right of appeal against the decision to designate their land.

Nor did the Outline Scheme published soon after by Natural England, the public body that will be responsible for creating and maintaining the path.

Compensation payments to farmers, Mr Olliff-Lee believes, would be relatively modest. He thinks the biggest pay-outs would go to coastal leisure businesses.

3:55pm Wednesday 27th August 2008

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