The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) claims that the government should concentrate on protecting farm land as well as towns and cities.

A lack of support will lead to the loss of low-lying land to coastal erosion and flooding and could seriously damage the country’s ability to produce its own food.

The report, titled The Tide is High, criticises “managed retreat” policies. (more…)

Coastal farmers, fighting against regulations that prevent them from maintaining sea defences, have been given a boost after a visit by DEFRA officials.

Junior DEFRA minister Richard Benyon visited the Suffolk coast on a fact-finding mission and met landowners working together to raise money and maintain rural coastal defences.

The landowners were members of the Blyth Estuary Group, which was set up to find a cost-effective way of funding repair work.

But they have been hampered by red tape and the cost of numerous permissions required before work could start. (more…)

A fresh look at whether man-made reefs could be the answer to Norfolk’s coastal erosion problems is being backed by local landowners.

Engineers are experimenting with models of a range of reef shapes and how they affect wave patterns.

But a linked number-crunching exercise, looking at how reef shapes and positioning impact on beach sand movement, has been backed by Norfolk’s branch of the CLA country landowners association. (more…)

AN organisation that represents farmers and landowners in Scarborough has condemned plans to remove safeguards in the new public right of access to the English coast.

The Country and Land Business Association (CLA) says it is shocked that Natural England, the official conservation and wildlife body, wants to remove safeguards that would have stopped the public walking across private gardens and parks.

The rural economy experts say it is “astonishing” that Natural England told the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee it had drawn up a map showing up to 5,000 gardens and parks could be hit.

A spokesman for the regional CLA covering Yorkshire, said: “It is extraordinary that Natural England thinks this is an acceptable way to act. We find it outrageous that the right of householders to enjoy the privacy of their own coastal gardens is at threat.”

At the meeting Natural England said rural property owners would just have to “trust” them on being fair in the implementation of the coastal access plans published recently in the draft Marine Bill.

Story by Trevor Hayes on the Scarborough Evening News website

More than 5,000 waterside homes in England could be forced to open up to ramblers under new laws being considered by MPs.

The move is part of a plan to create a 2,500-mile coastal path around England, one of the central planks of the draft Marine Bill currently undergoing parliamentary scrutiny.

Homeowners’ groups fear that the plans could devalue their homes by up to 20 per cent and they are determined to fight them.

Under the Countryside Rights of Way Act, which came into force in 2001 and opened up moorland, mountains and downs, the sanctity of private land is safeguarded. But Natural England, the Government’s landscape advisers, disclosed to MPs last week that it would seek to scrap the provision to ensure walkers would not be forced to divert inland from the coast.

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While the Government has earmarked £50 million for the path scheme over the next ten years, no money has been put aside to compensate landowners.

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Natural England said rural property owners would “just have to trust them” on being fair in how it went about drawing up the coastal path.

But Sir Henry added: “It is impossible to trust Natural England on this after it has repeatedly said the new right would not affect private gardens.”

Read the full story by Aislinn Simpson on the Telegraph website similar story on the Times website