Stakeholder Position: CCPR

 

Background

CCPR is the independent voice for sport and recreation in the UK.  It represents 270 national organisations, including 170 UK and English national governing bodies of sport.

 

CCPR and our member organisations, particularly those within the CCPR Water Recreation and Outdoor Pursuits Division (membership list attached), have a very keen interest in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Bill and its implementation.

 

General comments

CCPR welcomes and supports the main purposes of the Bill and we believe that the creation of Natural England will be a powerful public body with an integrated remit to deal with conservation, biodiversity, access and recreation.  CCPR believes that these three main areas within the Bill should be given equal weighting.

 

Without such an equal weighting being expressed within the Bill, CCPR member organisations are concerned that access and recreation (in its widest form and including water recreation) will not be given due prominence within the remit and work of Natural England.

 

CCPR suggests that access and recreation should be seen as an integral part of the work of Natural England and given appropriate consideration, which needs to be reflected in the Bill.

 

The effects of the economic viability of the countryside caused by the loss of expenditure from sport and recreation following the Foot and Mouth outbreak illustrates starkly the central impact of these activities to rural affairs.

 

CCPR believes that Natural England should have a vital role to play in pressuring the delivery of access facilities by local authorities and providing examples of good practice, incentives for innovation and improved delivery of this area.

 

Without this interaction with local authorities Natural England will be unable to deliver its purpose. CCPR recommends that the importance of local delivery and the working relationship between Natural England and local authorities should be included within the Bill.  

 

Sandford Principle

CCPR is concerned that the Sandford Principle may be included within the Bill during the later readings. CCPR believes that if the statutory general purposes of Natural England within the Bill are to be given equal weighting, the inclusion of the Sandford Principle is not appropriate.

 

The underlying culture within Natural England would  mean from the outset that recreation and access would be viewed as less important than conservation.

 

There are a number of current exemplar projects, which demonstrate clearly how conservation, access and recreation can work together in harmony, which includes the Royal Yachting Association / British Marine Federation ‘Green Blue’ initiative and the CCPR, English Nature and Countryside Agency project ‘The Best of Both Worlds’.

 

CCPR recommends that Natural England embraces these existing projects to sustain the combined work on access and recreation and conservation issues.

 

Other Provisions

‘The Other Provisions’, namely the boat safety scheme, compulsory third party insurance for water vessels and general directions to operators of vessels would impact upon many CCPR water recreation members.

 

The proposed changes, which will allow the Boards Authority to introduce a Boat Safety Scheme and compulsory third party insurance for vessels using the Broads, has not been party to recent public consultation.

 

CCPR therefore recommends that these issues are subject to consultation, particularly with users of the Broads, before being included in the Bill. 

 

Conclusion

CCPR welcomes and supports the main purposes of the Bill and looks forward to working with Natural England. CCPR strongly believes that access and recreation should be given equal weighting alongside conversation and biodiversity within the remit and work of Natural England.

 

CCPR believes that the inclusion of the Sandford Principle within the Bill would be very detrimental to these four areas working in harmony together.