A countryside charity is urging the Government to improve public access to green spaces.
The Open Spaces Society issued the call on the 25th anniversary of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act, which grants public access to mapped areas of mountain, moor, heath, and down.
Kate Ashbrook, the society’s general secretary, is speaking at a national conference, Freedom to Roam; the Next Step, at Hebden Bridge, Calderdale, tomorrow to act now to improve people's access to countryside and green spaces.
She said: "The CROW Act was a milestone law which gave us freedom to walk on registered common land and mapped mountain, moor, heath, and down.
"It was a brilliant first step in the campaign to achieve greater access for all.
"But 25 years on there has been no further progress."
She said there has been no further action to extend those rights and called for improved access to nature near people’s homes, as well as in woodlands and along waterways.
She also called for better connections between isolated patches of access land and the wider rights-of-way network.
Ms Ashbrook added: "The 25th anniversary of CROW is an opportunity both to celebrate a great achievement and to increase access to meet current needs, for people’s health and well-being and to boost local economies."
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