Thank you for contacting me about access to nature. I believe this issue to be so important for people's health and well-being.
The Environmental Improvement Plan includes a commitment to ensure that everyone lives within 15 minutes' walk of a green or blue space. Through the £14.5m ‘Access for All’ programme, the Government has targeted measures to improve access to our protected landscapes and countryside. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is working to complete the King Charles III England Coast Path, which will be the longest waymarked and maintained coast walking route in the world.
I welcome that more people will have access to nature through the launch of a search for a new National Park, 34 new landscape recovery projects and new forests. More children will also be able to access green spaces, with a further £2.5 million committed to helping children experience the benefits of being outdoors and in the British countryside.
Further, through programmes with Community Forests and Forestry England, Ministers are creating large-scale, publicly accessible woodlands near towns and cities. Defra supports improved access to our woodlands through the Woodland Access Implementation Plan, and is also empowering people to have a greater say in preserving much loved trees on our streets.
More widely, the Environmental Land Management Schemes promote long-term permissive access for recreation, bringing people closer to nature and contributing to the rural economy. In addition, the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, which the Government is extending through to 2025, increases access to national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
I encourage actions that create more opportunities for people to access nature, spend time outdoors and enjoy our beautiful countryside, especially Totnes and the South West.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.