INTRODUCTION

The Solent coast, in particular its sheltered sailing waters, is an important recreational zone for local day visitors and tourists from further afield. It offers a unique location for recreation and tourism, due to its human influences, natural scenery and coastal waters.

Flagship Project 2 of the Strategic Guidance for the Solent, the Solent Environment and Access Initiative, aims to put in place a strategy for environmental improvements and better access to the Solent coast, and establish the necessary partnerships for implementation. The strategy is also intended to promote public awareness and understanding of the special qualities of this coast, which can lead to increased enjoyment and stewardship. Implementation of the strategy will need to be done in partnership with statutory authorities, user groups and other stakeholder organisations. Implementation is an ongoing process with priorities made to maximise the use of limited resources. The land use planning policies provide the statutory framework for the strategy, whilst the strategy itself determines priorities for access and environmental enhancements.

STRUCTURE

The Structure of the Access and Environment Strategy was a two step programme followed by implementation:

Part I. An Audit Report to appraise current coastal access, together with an overview of the statutory land-use policies of local authorities, character areas, local themes and their interpretation, as well as, planned, proposed and past enhancement projects. Part 1 provides the background research and context to the Strategy itself.

Part II. A Strategic document built on the foundation of the Audit Report, for landscape and environment enhancements, together with improved access and facilities. It offers a strategic approach by identifying issues, potential opportunities and identifies key players to take forward the recommendations in the RITE ACTION PLAN.

Both the Strategy and a complete document comprising of the audit and the stategy are now available online as a pdf file. To access these files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader

Part III. Implementation