APPG for Outdoor Recreation and Access to Nature – Call for Evidence June 2025
Introduction
The Government’s manifesto included a commitment to improve access to nature, with more details expected later in 2025. To help inform the direction the Government takes, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Outdoor Recreation and Access to Nature has launched a call for evidence to examine ideas for changes in policy and legislation that would enable more people to access green and blue spaces.
Scope and lines of inquiry
The APPG is interested in receiving ideas for new legislation and / or policy proposals which would:
- Enable more people to make use of existing access opportunities (including open access and public rights of way).
- Improve access to landscapes (woodlands, riversides, water bodies, downland) and the safeguards needed for the environment and land management.
- Enable more people to undertake a broader range of responsible outdoor activities and the safeguards needed for the environment and land management.
- Ensure green and blue spaces are more evenly distributed and better connected.
- Ensure access to nature is better used to support health and wellbeing outcomes.
- Increase access to sites of public or historic interest
- Enable more people, particularly children, young people and underrepresented groups, to regularly experience and engage with green and blue spaces.
Share your expertise
Contributions are welcome from individuals, academics, think tanks, charities, advocacy groups and other stakeholders with perspectives relevant to the lines of inquiry. The APPG is particularly interested in hearing from:
- Organisations representing a diverse range of outdoor users.
- Access policy experts.
- Organisations working with children and young people.
- Organisations working with people from minority backgrounds, low-income households and those living with disabilities and/ or ill health.
- Land managers and owners with experience of people accessing land for outdoor recreation. The call for written evidence is now open
Submission guidelines
Evidence should address the lines of inquiry set out above, but submissions do not have to address every question.
Please keep submissions brief, and no more than 4 sides of A4. Bullet point lists are welcome.
Note that your evidence, or extracts of it, may be published. You can request anonymity or confidentiality in the submission form. Anonymity means that your evidence may be made public but not under your name. Confidentiality means that your evidence will be used to inform the inquiry but neither your name or contribution will be published.
It may be necessary to contact you for further information or to clarify any points you have made in your submission, so please do include your details.
Should you need support in submitting your evidence, please get in touch using the contact details listed below.
What will happen once your submit your evidence.
Once the call for evidence period has closed, all submissions that respond to the specific lines of inquiry set out above will be analysed and considered by the APPG.
A short report setting out the main findings of the inquiry along with potential recommendations will be published in early September. The intention is that this will help inform the Government’s thinking on the steps it could take to deliver its manifesto commitment to improve access to nature.
The call for written evidence is now open.
The deadline for responses is midnight on 20 July 2025.
