HL Deb 21 October 2003 vol 653 c173WA
Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Countryside Agency has been required to maintain records of objections to access rights and to definitive maps used in determining those access rights; and, if so, when they will report on any anomalies in the definitive maps which, taken together, may require a change in the legislation to allow corrections to be made.[HL4862]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)

The Countryside Agency is required under the Access to the Countryside (Provisional and Conclusive Maps) (England) Regulations 2002 to keep a record of the names and addresses of any person who has made representations to them about the draft maps of open country and registered common land issued by the agency under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Following the issue of a provisional map, the agency will publish on its website a consultation report which will detail the general issues highlighted during the public consultation exercise. The report will also include information on the amount of land which has either been added or removed from the draft map as a result of the representations received.

The agency does have some limited powers to correct any errors to the provisional and conclusive maps of open country and registered common land under the Access to the Countryside (Correction of Provisional and Conclusive Maps) (England) Regulations 2003. In addition a review of a conclusive map will be carried out within 10 years of the map being issued.