Government Responds To Wild Camping Petition

The government has responded negatively to an online e-petition asking for the legalisation of wild camping in England and Wales to bring it into line with the situation in Scotland.

In the reply the government says that while it appreciates the 'potential benefits' of introducing wild camping south of the Scottish border, its introduction would be 'a controversial issue, which would require both significant consultation and legislative change'.

Wild camping in Glen Nevis - Richard Sun

Legislation would be required to allow camping on open access land, which is specifically forbidden under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 plus any change to the rules on wild camping in National Parks and on MoD land would require 'new primary legislation'.

The response concludes by saying that there are no plans to consider proposals for such legislation at present, but the focus is on the issue of coastal access in the Marine Bill.

Cynics will suggest that the response is basically a reflection of the government's reluctance to take on the land owners over something which - compared to the open access legislation - it views as relatively minor. And that may well be the case.

More positively though, as many OMers are well aware, wild camping in most upland areas is generally straightforward and tolerated, so for many the lack of prospective legislation will make very little difference one way or another.

See the article links below for more information about wild camping. You can read the full government response and the original e-petition at www.pm.gov.uk