National Assembly for Wales

Sustainability Committee

Sustainability Committee’s inquiry into access to inland water in Wales

On 15 July 2009, the Sustainability Committee agreed the following terms of reference for its inquiry into access to inland water in Wales.

To examine the current position for access to inland water in Wales and to make recommendations.

The committee is keen to hear the views of as many people with an interest in the subject as possible and would like to invite you to submit a written response to the questions in the attached annex.

The Committee will use the written evidence, along with oral evidence taken at a number of hearings to be held between September and December this year, to scrutinise and make recommendations to the Welsh Assembly Government on the issue of access to inland water. The hearings will be held in public and will also be available on Senedd TV which can be accessed from our website. A full verbatim transcript of each hearing will also be produced. All the written evidence we receive will be published on our website (subject to the disclaimer at the end of the attached annex).

As we are keen to hear the views of as many people and organisations as possible, please pass this letter on to anyone you think would like to respond to it. An electronic copy of the consultation letter can also be found on our website at:

We welcome contributions in Welsh and English. Please submit you evidence in electronic form if possible.  

I would be grateful if you could submit any written evidence by Friday 18 September 2009 to Virginia Hawkins, Clerk to the Committee, at:

Sustainability.comm@Wales.gsi.gov.uk

Hard copies should be sent to the above address.

Further information regarding the Committee’s inquiry into access to inland water in Wales can be found on the Committee web pages at:

http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-committees/bus-committees-third-assem/bus-committees-third-sc-home.htm

Mick Bates
Chair, Sustainability Committee

Bae Caerdydd / Cardiff Bay
Caerdydd / Cardiff  
CF99 1NA

Questions for the access to inland waterways inquiry

What is your interest in the issue of access to inland waterways

  • Land owner
  • Recreational user:
  • Fishing
  • User for waterborne recreation (e.g. canoeing, rowing etc)
  • Other(please specify)

Are you a member of an organisation related to your use of water?

If yes, which organisation/s?

Which stretch/es of water do you own/use/manage?

Legal rights

  • Are you happy that your legal rights are clear and well defined?
  • Can you briefly outline your understanding of your legal rights over the stretch of water/s that you own/use/manage
  • Would you like to see any changes to your legal rights?
  • If yes, what changes would you like to see?
  • Are you aware of any legislation that existis in other countries that could be used in Wales?

Voluntary agreements

  • Do you have any experience of voluntary agreements for access to the stretch of water/s you own/use/manage
  • If yes, please briefly outline the agreements that exist and your experience of how they operate.
  • Would you like to see any changes to the voluntary agreements?
  • If yes, what changes would you like to see?
  • Are you aware of any voluntary arrangements in other countries that could be used in Wales?

Please can you briefly outline what you think are the key issues for recreational access to inland water in Wales and how you would like to see them addressed.  

Please note:

It is normal practice for the National Assembly to publish evidence provided to a committee. Consequently your response may appear in a report or in supplementary evidence to a report. The National Assembly will not publish information which it considers to be personal data.

In the event of a request for information submitted under UK legislation, it may be necessary to disclose the information that you provide. This may include information which has previously been removed by the National Assembly for publication purposes.

If you are providing any information, other than personal data, which you feel is not suitable for public disclosure, it is up to you to stipulate which parts should not be published, and to provide a reasoned argument to support this. The National Assembly will take this into account when publishing information or responding to requests for information.