Sustainability Committee
Inquiry into access to inland water in Wales
The state of Access for canoeists to navigate our wonderful natural river heritage in Wales is utterly deplorable and can no longer be ignored. Due to the outdated, entrenched and selfish angling interests involved, Access ‘Agreements’ have completely failed to deliver anything approaching fair, reasonable and equitable access to the rivers for canoe usage, over the past three decades and beyond.The only reasonable solution is what already exists successfully here in Scotland, courtesy of the Land Reform Act; a legally enshrined right of responsible access allowing all parties to access and navigate the river environment responsibly and harmoniously.
It is the only viable solution in 21st Century Wales and allows Wales to compete on equal footing in an environment where most of the rest of Europe allows similar access - and where that access right clearly works well.
I look forward to sharing our river heritage responsibly and harmoniously with all stakeholders concerned.
M.R.Buckley-Jones
