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
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