The Access to the Countryside (Coastal Margin) (Silecroft to Silverdale) (No. 2) Order 2026
Designated July 23, 2026, as the date public access rights commence for three sections of the England Coast Path between Silecroft and Silverdale.
This Order establishes 23rd July 2026 as the date on which the access preparation period ends for specific stretches of coastal land between Silecroft and Silverdale in England.
It applies to land designated as coastal margin within the areas defined by three specific Natural England reports covering the route from Green Road railway station to Greenodd footbridge.
Once this period ends, public access rights for recreation under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 become effective for these designated areas.
Arguments For
The order states that it fulfills the requirements of section 3A(10) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to appoint a day for the end of the access preparation period.
Proponents within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs indicate that this completes the legal process following the Secretary of State's approval of Natural England reports on coastal access for specific stretches of the Silecroft to Silverdale route.
The document notes that the environmental and economic assumptions for this order were previously established in the impact assessment for the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.
Arguments Against
Local landowners or businesses may have concerns regarding the specific boundaries of the coastal margin and how the commencement of public access rights affects private property management.
Legal observers may note that the document relies on three distinct reports (SCS2, SCS3, and SCS4) and that the complexity of these geographic descriptions can lead to local ambiguity regarding exactly where access begins and ends.
Critics of the coastal path program sometimes raise concerns regarding the maintenance costs and liability issues for local authorities once the access preparation period concludes.
Citation, commencement and interpretation
- —(1) This Order may be cited as the Access to the Countryside (Coastal Margin) (Silecroft to Silverdale) (No. 2) 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 approvals, by the Secretary of State under section 52(1) of the Act of each of the proposals contained in the following reports—
(a) England Coast Path Silecroft to Silverdale SCS2, Green Road railway station to Jubilee Bridge, Vickerstown report on 20th October 2022;
(b) England Coast Path Silecroft to Silverdale SCS3, Jubilee Bridge to Newbiggin report on 20th October 2022;
(c) England Coast Path Silecroft to Silverdale SCS4, Newbiggin to Greenodd footbridge report on 20th October 2022.
'the relevant reports' means the reports submitted by Natural England to the Secretary of State under sections 51 and 55A of the Act on 8th January 2020 entitled—
(a) England Coast Path Silecroft to Silverdale SCS2, Green Road railway station to Jubilee Bridge, Vickerstown;
(b) England Coast Path Silecroft to Silverdale SCS3, Jubilee Bridge to Newbiggin;
(c) England Coast Path Silecroft to Silverdale SCS4, Newbiggin to Greenodd footbridge.
This section provides the official name of the order and sets its commencement date as July 17, 2026.
It defines the 'relevant reports' and 'relevant approvals' by citing three specific geographic segments of the England Coast Path evaluated by Natural England.
These definitions identify the precise areas of land—stretching from Green Road railway station to Greenodd footbridge—to which the order applies.
End of access preparation period
- In relation to land which is coastal margin, as a result of the relevant approvals of the proposals contained in the relevant reports, the day appointed as the day on which the access preparation period ends, is 23rd July 2026.
This section sets July 23, 2026, as the formal end of the 'access preparation period' for the specified coastal land.
The end of this period marks the date when the public legal right of access for recreation takes effect.
It applies to land categorized as 'coastal margin,' which includes the trail itself and adjacent land such as beaches, cliffs, or dunes as specified in the approved reports.
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