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

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they anticipate the Silecroft to Silverdale section of the England Coast Path, referenced in the Natural England North West stretch update on 7 October, will be completed; and whether there are any outstanding planning issues that remain to be resolved on the route.

The proposals for the first part of this stretch of the England Coast Path were approved on the 12^th November 2020; the remaining five reports covering this stretch currently sit with the Planning Inspectorate, for determination of objections that have been submitted. Natural England is not able to confirm when all such objections might be determined and when a decision by the Secretary of State might be made. Only after a decision has been published in relation to each of the six individual reports in question can Natural England, and the relevant access authority, begin the process of establishing the approved route in relation to any individual report.

Given the length of this stretch, and the complexity of the required establishment works, we might expect the establishment stage to take some time to complete. We hope to see the stretch open to walkers by late 2022, at the earliest. There may be some planning consents required in relation to the establishment works on this stretch, which will be a matter for Cumbria County Council, as access authority, to pursue with the relevant planning authority. We would not, however, anticipate that such requirements would be contentious or delaying.