The Local Access Forum – we’re here to help!
In this guest blog, Local Acess Forum Convenor Don Milton OBE, tells us about the work they do and how they can help.
2025 is the 20th anniversary of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 actually coming into force and it is widely agreed that it remains world leading legislation in allowing access to the majority of Scotland’s land and water. Most readers will have at least a working knowledge of the requirements of the Act and the guidance provided in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC), and that the Park Authority’s Access Team is available to provide advice on issues that arise and help with problems.
What is less well known is that Local Access Forums (LAFs) have been set up across Scotland to provide another, independent source of access advice. The Act required Local and National Park Authorities to establish LAFs which are not Authority committees bur are independent and stand apart from the Authority. The LAFs are there to provide advice not only to the Authority but also to any other person or body consulting the LAF on matters having to do with the exercise of access rights. A LAF may offer its assistance towards the resolution of an access dispute between individuals or organisations. If accepted, the LAF will provide independent and impartial advice based on the Act and SOAC guidance.
The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Access Forum (LLTAF) members come from a wide range of backgrounds and interests including land managers and representatives of interests ranging from nature, communities, walking, cycling and horse riding to water sports. While LLTAF meetings are not public meetings, all meetings may be attended as an observer by anybody with an interest in access.
The LLTAF bases its advice on the requirements of the Act and the SOAC guidance under its general headings of:
- Respecting the Rights of Other People
- Care for the Environment
- Take Responsibility for your Own Actions.
The LLTAF can be contacted on: accessforum@lochlomond-trossachs.org .
Further context
The term “Right to Roam” is often used when access rights in Scotland are being discussed. However, it is not used in the Act or SOAC as we have access rights only if they are exercised responsibly. SOAC seeks to influence overall behaviour by thinking of others so that everybody is able to enjoy and get the most from going out and about, while still ensuring that individual rights, such as privacy, are maintained whether you are in a tent or are lucky enough to live in a castle.
Landowners/managers have the same basic rights as everybody else but also a right to be able to manage their land and undertake their work without interference. One of the key concerns often raised by landowners/managers is a possible increased duty of care responsibility on their land with increasing numbers of people exercising their access rights. However, in general terms the duty of care is not changed by the Act. Where they are responsible for areas requiring sensitivity to nature and wildlife, they are urged to provide information on the importance of the site, the best routes for people to follow and provide good paths to minimise damage and disturbance. Further guidance on some specific access issues is provided by the National Access Forum and can be accessed at www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/act-and-access-code/national-access-forum-role/guidance-documents.
The members of the LLTAF wish everybody an excellent summer in the Scottish outdoors and hope that you experience no issues to detract from your enjoyment. The LLTAF has no influence over the weather!
Don Milton OBE
Convenor LLTAF