Following a number of objections being received to Natural England’s proposals for the first stretch of the English Coastal Path under the Marine and Coastal Access Act (MCAA), a public hearing was held in Lulworth, Dorset on 14th September 2011.

The BMC has supported Natural England’s proposals for this stretch, which runs from Rufus Castle on Portland to the western side of Lulworth Cove. This section of the path is due to be implemented in time for the Olympics in 2012, to allow viewing of the sailing events taking place in Weymouth Bay. However local landowners objected for a number of reasons, with the most concerning for BMC members relating to climbing between Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. The objections call for a blanket ban on climbing along this stretch which would affect 4 crags: Stair Hole (home of ultra classic sport/DWS routes such as Mark Of The Beast etc), Durdle Door, Dungy Head and Arthur’s Mount.

A person was appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to assess whether Natural England’s proposal strikes a fair balance between the rights of the landowner and the public, with the public hearing forming part of this assessment. In addition to submitting a detailed written response addressing the points raised in the objections, BMC CEO Dave Turnbull, Vice President and local climber Scott Titt and Access & Conservation Officer Rob Dyer attended the hearing to give evidence in support of Natural England’s proposal.

The land in question along this stretch, including the crags, was mapped as ‘Open Access’ under CRoW in 2004 with climbing having been a legally allowed activity since that time. However, the MCAA supersedes CRoW, meaning that these access rights could potentially be lost if the objections are upheld.

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