Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Environment Agency and Natural England have made on facilitating reinstatement of the Avon Valley footpath between Christchurch and Burton.

The closure of the footpath in this location is because there are breaches in the banks of the Hampshire Avon along Winkton Common upstream of Christchurch. These breaches have worsened over the last 6 months because of the exceptionally high-water levels in the river.

The Environment Agency (EA) is working with the Meyrick Estate, South West Water (SWW), Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) and Natural England (NE) to understand and mitigate the long-term implications. We are jointly exploring potentially significant environmental benefits in the form of new wetland habitat, but there are a number of important considerations, such as assets owned by SWW which run across the common.

While the EA is neither responsible nor funded to maintain the banks of the river in this location, we are supporting Natural England in their work with the Meyrick Estate to identify a long-term alternative route for the footpath. NE have worked with the Meyrick Estate on a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier application which will include a review of public access in this area and aim to identify a new sustainable route for the footpath.

We recognise that the situation is frustrating for those who want to access the Avon Valley footpath, but changes in river levels associated with climate change do mean that the historic route is likely to be unsustainable.