Defra defends country access cost

Access was opened up on time but above cost

Opening up almost a million hectares of countryside for ramblers was a success, despite costing more than double the initial estimate, Defra has said.

Defra chief executive Helen Ghosh told MPs that "lessons had been learnt" about managing the introduction of the right-to-roam scheme in 2005.

However, she said the £69m cost - up from the £28m estimate - did not mean agencies had "overspent".

The Commons public spending committee questioned her about the budget.

The scheme opened up nearly the previously off-limits land, away from footpaths, in England and Wales.

Mrs Ghosh said the low estimate was due to "not recognising the complexity of the task ahead".

Weaknesses

"It wasn't overspending, but just that the original was underestimated."

She dismissed criticism from committee member Sadiq Khan that the former Countryside Agency director Richard Wakefield had progressed in his civil service career without facing any disciplinary action for the scheme's overspend.

She said once the "weaknesses" had been identified, Mr Wakefield and his team had dealt with them and completed the project on time.

Also giving evidence to the committee Natural England's Helen Philips said the scheme had gained access to 6.5% of land in England - in perpetuity - for less than £1.40 per person living in England.

With 21.2 million visits in 2005, the agency expects a "steady increase" in visits as more people become aware of the access.

Figures from 2006 are due to be published by the end of December.

Natural England formed in October 2006, combining English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service.

The National Audit Office has previously criticised the Countryside Agency for poor management of the scheme, including underestimating the amount of work needed to produce maps.