Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2007 | Page 62

life COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING Changing Face of Countryside? By Tony Ridd - [email protected] It has been well accepted that an Englishman’s Castle is no longer his home. Ok, I appreciate not many of us live in castles but the sentiment is there all the same. The words ‘CROW Act’ and ‘Right to Roam’ have struck fear into the hearts of farmers and landowners around the country, not least on the Isle of Wight. But is there a desire and need for more access? Tony Ridd spends time 62 with Councillor John Hobart, ‘Champion for Environment and Heritage’ of the Isle of Wight Council. I have known John for many years, and he has always expressed a desire for more access to the countryside. Not least because he lives in Gurnard which has only one bridle path in the parish, and that with a ‘No Horses’ notice at the entrance. The next closest bridleway is located, some 5 miles away, just past Porchfield. So, it didn’t surprise me that, when he was elected as a councillor, he chose to be involved in the countryside. A very small proportion of the UK population work in the countryside today, which suggests that access to the countryside should be a vote winner. The loss of one farmers vote is far outweighed by the dog owning or walking public. John appreciates that the farmer knows more about his own land than anyone else, but there is a need to ‘develop a 21st Century attitude to Public Access. We are in a position where the island can be a market leader in it’s approach to how people access the countryside and how landowners can benefit from this interaction’. He would like to see ‘Green Ways’ created, (paths that will accommodate walkers, cyclists and horse-riders in one go). These would be carefully located allowing the user to enjoy the countryside safely, linking settlements and heritage sites, but at the same time not interfering with farming activities and potentially bringing benefit to farm businesses. The Government are mooting Island Life - www.isleofwight.net