Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (sometimes called the CRoW Act) is a UK Act of Parliament which came into force on 30 November 2000.

As of September 2007, not all sections of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act have yet come into force. This means that only parts of the Act are currently valid in law.

The Act implements the so-called 'Right to Roam' (also known as Jus Spatiendi) long sought by the Ramblers' Association and its predecessors, on certain upland and uncultivated areas of England and Wales. The act is being implemented in stages as definitive maps of the areas are produced. Not all uncultivated land is covered — for instance in the southern area the guidelines are such that the land must almost always be heath or calcareous downland to qualify.

A staged review of footpaths, including limited rights to create new paths where needed, is being conducted under the Act. Again, this is being conducted in a staged manner, which can produce anomalies. (Of the two parts of the old Gloucestershire county, South Gloucestershire was revised in the Southern area and the rest of Gloucestershire in the Midlands.)

Some long-standing areas of dispute became accessible under the Act — these include Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill in the Peak District.

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act also made some changes in respect of nature conservation, in particular to Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. These three main changes are: the maximum penalty is now a term of imprisonment instead of a fine; the Secretary of State can designate "wildlife inspectors" who have a range of powers under the Act; offences of disturbing certain birds and animals are extended so as to cover reckless as well as intentional acts.

The act gave power to create local access forums (lafs), comprising a balance of user and land-owner interests, to give advice on development of access land and of the footpath network; the policy of footpath improvement would be set out in a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP). (see for example http://www.jlaf.org.uk which covers a large part of the former Avon area).

Scotland

A similar bill was enacted in Scotland by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 which formalised the Scottish tradition of unhindered access to open countryside, provided that care is taken not to cause damage or interfere with activities including farming and game stalking.

See also

• Freedom to roam
• Open Country — UK usage
• Rights of way in England and Wales

External links

• Article describing origins of CRoW Act 2000

UK Legislation

• Official text of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 as amended and in force today within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database
• Official text of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 as originally enacted within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database