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Sometimes it takes a jolt to appreciate the possibilities on your doorstep. For many, covid marked the start of a newfound appreciation for Jersey’s countryside – now there’s a push to make us all better connected to it.
Parishes, landowners and other community organisations are being offered the opportunity to bid for a slice of a £750,000 Government pot to create new paths in Jersey’s green areas.
As well as supporting the creation of new paths in the countryside, the aim of the ‘Countryside Access and Wellbeing Project’ is to bring old ones back into use and strategically link them across the island.
The money has come from the Government’s ‘Covid-19 Health and Social Recovery Fund’, a funding pot set aside for projects to help islanders’ rebuild and renew both mentally and physically after the pandemic.
Natural Environment Officer, Julia Clively explained that surveys conducted during the pandemic "showed that more people were accessing and appreciating the countryside".
The "value become obvious" when people were only able to go outside for two hours a day during lockdown, and spent that time "out exploring and finding new paths".
Julia added: “It become abundantly clear that the countryside is a beneficial asset for physical health and mental wellbeing.”
Although Jersey currently has a "great network of coastal paths", there are still “a lot of gaps” in the centre of the island and so “more sensible connections are needed”.
Julia explained that this means that priority will be given to applications for paths which “fill in the missing links and gaps” in the island's current network of countryside paths.
Pictured: Current countryside access routes, with footpaths illustrated in black and shared use paths in red.
Preference will also be given to the funding of paths which encourage “opportunities for different access users”.
This includes paths with disabled access, paths for horse riders or cyclists, or those that are multi-use and promote “the most benefit for the most people”.
Julia added that paths should also be “sensitively created”, consider the “ecological impact” and be "beneficial to the environment" if possible.
The scheme also hopes to “encourage parishes working together” and it is hoped that “pathways will be created which are linked across parish borders”.
Applications for the funding will be approved by a steering group, which is made up of parish Constables and other relevant individuals who will consider applications in relation to an “in-depth” set of criteria.
Although islanders cannot nominate land for the pathway fund without the landowner's permission, Julia explained that “there is no reason why individuals cannot approach parishes or businesses who own land with suggestions of path locations".
When asked how many countryside paths are likely to be created from the £750,000 fund, Julia said that it is currently “impossible to say” as the expense of each paths depends on what provisions are necessary to make the path usable, for example some paths may need steps which would be more expensive as the cost of timber would have to be covered.
The fund will only cover the "one-off cost of creation" of each countryside path, and landowners will then be responsible for the maintenance and insurance costs for the future.
Minister for the Environment, Deputy Jonathan Renouf, said: “We have seen through the pandemic that the countryside and ecology of the island offer an incredibly important resource, which can contribute to the personal wellbeing of Islanders.
“The pandemic has brought people and communities together and it is important that we continue to build on these silver linings."
Pictured: The Environment Minister said the way the pandemic had brought communities together was a "silver lining" that should be developed.
He added: “We hope that this funding will bring islanders together to work on access projects that will have a positive impact on our beautiful island and on the ability of islanders to enjoy the natural world.”
Anyone interested in applying is encouraged to contact Julia on 441600 before proceeding with an application.
Need some countryside walk inspiration?
From winding walkways to hidden cycle routes, the digital countryside access map shows where existing coast and countryside paths are and who can use them. It not only includes the 70km of paths managed by the Government's Natural Environment Department, but also those managed by others including the National Trust for Jersey, Jersey Water and island parishes.
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