This following section is taken directly from the Land Reform Consultation, and is being consulted upon.
"Proposal 11: Public Access: clarifying core paths planning process
In what was considered at the time to be a radical move, Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 formalised rights of public access in a statutory framework. Over 25% of the submissions to the Review Group commented on the management of public access.
The Review Group invited comments from the National Access Forum, established by Scottish Natural Heritage to advise on national issues linked to Scottish access rights, to ensure the Forum’s work was reflected in the Group’s recommendations.
The Review Group considered that the statutory framework in Part 1 should be judged a considerable success, that has delivered significant public benefits and is “generally working well on the ground”. It noted that the main challenges were continuing improvements in implementation rather than the terms of the legislation, and recommended updating of the statutory guidance to access authorities.
In so doing, the Review Group highlighted a need for clarification of some aspects of the Core path planning process (sections 18-20 of the Act ). This is one of a number of small potential changes to Part 1 which have been identified as requiring some legislative change, and it is our intention to make these changes through the Land Reform Bill. The updating of the statutory guidance would follow."