Committee report urges devolving powers to legislate over access to inland water
16 June 2010
The Welsh Assembly should have the powers to introduce laws affecting access to our rivers and lakes according to a new report.
The National Assembly for Wales’s Sustainability Committee has published the findings of its year long inquiry into access to inland water and concluded a lead authority is needed to help establish, encourage and oversee voluntary agreements between both users and owners.
The report also calls on public-funded bodies and charities such as National Parks to lead the way in establishing such a scheme to provide a benchmark for private landowners to follow.
“This report places the onus of establishing agreements over access and rights of use on all parties involved,” said Mike German AM, Chair of the Sustainability Committee.
“But in establishing a lead authority to oversee these agreements we need to devolve the necessary powers to bring one in.
“This has been a very complex inquiry and the committee has considered almost 500 individual responses from the public, more than for any other inquiry it has undertaken,”
“Striking a balance between those who own the inland water and those who use it, whether they be fishing enthusiasts or water sport fans, has been very difficult.
“But in recommending the pursuit of voluntary agreements with the support of an authority to monitor them my committee colleagues and I believe we have established a good balance. The report also contains a set of recommendations to deal with further steps where voluntary agreements prove not to be possible.”
The inquiry began after a petition was submitted to the National Assembly’s Petitions Committee calling for free, open access to inland water in Wales.
Today’s report does not support that approach but makes 13 recommendations to improve access and respect for the needs of both users and owners.
- Devolving legislative powers to allow the appointment of a lead authority with responsibility to support all parties in reaching voluntary agreements.
- A national code of conduct to apply in areas where access to water has been granted.
- Introduction of a licensing scheme for those using unpowered craft on inland water.
- A national website to be set up listing all the areas in Wales where access to stretches of water has been granted and the conditions attached to it.