Flora and fauna
Sir: I had hoped that Ross Clark's visit to the River Test would have resulted in something more enlightened than a rather sour and confused polemic about public access ('Flora, fauna and funding', 12 August).
In response, the first point to make is that it is not Hampshire landowners on the Test who are looking for designation. It is they and their forebears that have pre- served the river over generations, and they question the need for yet another Govern- ment body to oversee their management practices — especially as the National Rivers Authority exists to ensure the river's continued well-being. Certainly, the infer- ence that substantial financial help will inevitably flow from designation is totally misleading.
Second, on compensation, I imagine that The Spectator is in favour of the principle of the private ownership of land which has served areas like the Test Valley well. It follows that it is for the landowner to decide how best to manage his land, but when others seek to impose conditions which may limit his freedom and hence his financial return it is only reasonable that he should be compensated for this loss.
Finally, to relate access by the public to the designation issue is really to muddy the waters. On a point of detail, given that the European designation of a Special Area of Conservation springs from the Habitats Directive, it seems more likely to restrict access than lead to the picnic sites that Mr Clark envisages. However, more signifi- cantly, he is, in effect, restating the thesis that the public should have a right to roam where it so pleases, particularly if State sub- sidies are involved. This thesis conveniently ignores the small matter of basic property rights; those who have purchased houses or flats with mortgages and are thus them- selves subsidised by the State, may wish to ponder on the logical conclusion of Mr Clark's approach. Further, the whole pur- pose of some of the subsidies referred to is to conserve valuable natural habitats; the presence of large numbers of species homo sapiens may be quite incompatible with this.
'You can learn a lot from pillow talk.' Landowners do indeed recognise that times have moved on. To this end, the CLA and its members have taken a major lead in moving the access debate forward in a posi- tive and constructive way which seems a better recipe for progress than articles such as Mr Clark's.
J. Morrish
Regional Secretary, Country Landowners Association, Combe House, Compton Chamberlayne, Salisbury, Wiltshire
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