Countryside: Access
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83666, how new permanent legal rights of public access will be created through the Government's proposals for nine new river walks and three new national forests.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Defra’s nine new river walks and three new national forests are being delivered as part of the wider commitment to ensure access to nature for everyone, as set out in the Environmental Improvement plan.
Defra’s river walks programme has the potential to deliver new access and make spaces that are already on people’s doorsteps more accessible and more engaging. Defra has already launched the first new national river walk, the Mersey Valley Way, in the North West. Work on the route has improved access along the path and on the water itself, while supporting community engagement, local volunteering and nature recovery along the river corridor. Defra officials will shortly launch a competition inviting proposals for the next four National River Walks. Defra will consider proposals that create new access and improve existing paths.
All Defra’s new National Forests will be accessible and enjoyable for all. Access will be site-specific and planned in conjunction with the community. The third new national forest will demonstrate how a more accessible natural environment can improve health and wellbeing for those who need it most.
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