The right to roam - what's in a name? Policy development and terminology issues in England and Wales, UK

Abstract

The development of government policy in England and Wales relating to the right to roam, i.e. the right to walk over open country, has had a long and tortuous history. This right exists in other European countries, where it is part of the social tradition of the population. In England and Wales, where societal values are associated with the concept of ownership, there has been a reluctance to introduce such a right. Since the election of the Labour government in 1997, policy has developed rapidly. Discourse analysis of documents produced by the Labour Party/government and the main protaganists in the debate shows how the terminology has changed in favour of political compromise. However, in the public arena use of the emotive term ‘right to roam’ persists and confusion of what the right means has been compounded by the reporting style of the British press. This needs to be remedied for implementation to be successful. Communication by the government, to the public, is therefore considered to be of vital importance. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment

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