The Access to the Countryside (Coastal Margin) (Harwich to Shotley Gate) (No. 1) Order 2026
Designated 29 July 2026 as the commencement date for public access rights to the coastal margin between Mistley and Shotley Gate.
This Order establishes 29 July 2026 as the date on which the access preparation period ends for specific stretches of the England Coast Path between Harwich and Shotley Gate.
By ending this period, the Order triggers public rights of access to land designated as coastal margin under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
The affected areas include land from Hopping Bridge in Mistley to Brantham Hall Farm, and continuing through Lower Holbrook to Shotley Gate, as detailed in reports HSG4, HSG5, and HSG6.
Arguments For
The order states that it fulfills the requirements of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to establish a continuous long-distance walking route and associated coastal margin.
Proponents indicate that the order provides legal certainty for the commencement of public access rights by formally ending the access preparation period for specific segments of the England Coast Path.
The document cites the formal approval of coastal access reports HSG4, HSG5, and HSG6 by the Secretary of State as the legal basis for designating the land as coastal margin.
Arguments Against
Property owners and farmers have historically raised concerns regarding the potential for increased liability, privacy interference, and impacts on agricultural operations from coastal margin designations.
Local residents or environmental groups may observe that the specific alignment of the route in reports such as HSG5 and HSG6 might affect sensitive habitats or private land, depending on the implementation of local management.
Critics may argue that the lack of a current impact assessment for this specific order makes it difficult to quantify the specific economic or social effects on the affected localities between Mistley and Shotley Gate.
Citation, commencement and interpretation
- -(1) This Order may be cited as the Access to the Countryside (Coastal Margin) (Harwich to Shotley Gate) (No. 1) Order 2026 and comes into force on the day after the day on which it is made.
- (2) In this Order-
'the Act' means the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949;
'the relevant approvals' means the approval, by the Secretary of State under section 52(1) of the Act of each of the proposals contained in the-
- (a) England Coast Path Harwich to Shotley Gate HSG4, Hopping Bridge, Mistley to Brantham Hall Farm report on 31st August 2021;
- (b) England Coast Path Harwich to Shotley Gate HSG5, Brantham Hall Farm to Lower Holbrook report on 18th September 2025;
- (c) England Coast Path Harwich to Shotley Gate HSG6, Lower Holbrook to Shotley Gate report on 18th September 2025.
'the relevant report' means the report submitted by Natural England to the Secretary of State under sections 51 and 55A of the Act on 22nd January 2020 entitled-
- (a) England Coast Path Harwich to Shotley Gate HSG4, Hopping Bridge, Mistley to Brantham Hall Farm;
- (b) England Coast Path Harwich to Shotley Gate HSG5, Brantham Hall Farm to Lower Holbrook;
- (c) England Coast Path Harwich to Shotley Gate HSG6, Lower Holbrook to Shotley Gate.
This section provides the official title of the Order and sets its commencement date as 17 July 2026.
It establishes the legal definitions used throughout the document, specifically identifying the three geographical reports (HSG4, HSG5, and HSG6) that define the route between Mistley and Shotley Gate.
These definitions link the Order to the previous statutory approvals granted by the Secretary of State between 2021 and 2025.
End of access preparation period
- In relation to land which is coastal margin, as a result of the relevant approvals of each of the proposals contained in the relevant reports, the day appointed as the day on which the access preparation period ends, is 29th July 2026.
This section sets 29 July 2026 as the final day of the access preparation period for the coastal land described in the reports.
The end of this period marks the point at which the land becomes subject to the public right of access for open-air recreation.
This transition applies to all land designated as coastal margin within the specified English coastal route segments.
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