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Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I wish to make a very short impact on this discussion. I fully support the Bill’s objective of giving individuals the right of way around the coastal paths of Britain. However, as someone who has managed land and farmed for a considerable time, I cannot support the principle of no right of appeal, and believe that it should be contained in the Bill. Whether the wording should be as prescriptive as that contained in Amendment A357A is a subject for debate. It is not clear to me whether "any person" or "any land", as stated in the amendment, is not too wide a definition. Clearly, a landowner or farming tenant should be entitled to appeal; likewise a private individual owning or tenanting land. This would narrow the number of appeals, and other aspects could be handled by local authorities’ planning inspectorates and committees. However, as it is, an important point of principle is lacking. The citizen is placed in an unequal position in relation to the state. The denial of the right of appeal is indefensible.