There'll be nowhere to ride pretty soon

[Stick Legs]

Well, I was wrong, if anyone can read the below text and tell who owns it I'd be impressed!


The Quantock Hills were designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1956, the first such designation in England under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.[31] As they have the same landscape quality, AONBs may be compared to the national parks of England and Wales. AONBs are created under the same legislation as the national parks. Unlike AONBs, national parks have their own authorities and special legal powers to prevent unsympathetic development. By contrast, few statutory duties are imposed on local authorities within an AONB. However, further regulation and protection of AONBs was added by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Many of the villages on the Quantocks have their own parish councils, which have some responsibility for local issues. They also elect councillors to Somerset County Council and district councils, such as Taunton Deane, West Somerset and Sedgemoor. Each of the villages is also part of a parliamentary constituency: Taunton Deane, or Bridgwater and West Somerset. The area is also part of the South West England (European Parliament constituency) of the European Parliament.

 

[IDB1]

Local authorities by the look of it... There would be, imo, a big fight to protect AONB's should anyone try anything development-wise

 

[Stick Legs]

It has a lot of SSSI as well.

 

[Neil]

SSSI status can be revoked.

There is no guarantee of anything once you start letting many new agencies take over land.

No single policy will be implemented consistently.

The FC is far from perfect, but if these plans are implemented some of these lands will inevitably end having access restricted permanently, and that is just not right as these lands belong to the tax payer.

The areas of ancient woodland contained therein, that may still be rescued given a national strategy, will most likely be lost forever.

All of this because we pay £15 million a year in return for which we get ever improving access and facilities.

It is 30p a head.

For god's sake, 30 damn pence.

I think I'm in agreement with that.

I know, recession, I get deficit - but I'm just not convinced that everything gets solved with the silver bullet of capitalism.

 

[IDB1]

I know, recession, I get deficit - but I'm just not convinced that everything gets solved with the silver bullet of capitalism.

Me neither

But I don't think any new landowner will have an easy task getting rights of way changed/removed.. it is a long and expensive process.
And, allegedly, the government are imposing conditions regarding maintenance and access too...

I still think I made the right decision in signing the petition but, should any potential sales go ahead, I still don't believe it'll be the end of the world as we know it (metaphorically speaking)..