THE next steps in a review of Dartmoor’s byelaws are being discussed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority at their meeting on Friday.

The review is aimed at updating the local laws, adopted in 1989, which protect the national park’s special qualities by explaining what people can and cannot do on land defined in law as access land.

Access on foot and horseback to 35,200 hectares of common land was made a legal right under the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 while the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 provided a new right of access for walkers to ‘open country’ – around 12,000 hectares on Dartmoor – but with some restrictions. For example, keeping dogs on leads during certain times of the year and no camping.

This review aims to provide a single set of byelaws for both, clarifying and simplyfiying them. There has been extensive public consultation with some amendment to the proposals. Richard Drysdale, director of conservation and communities for Dartmoor National Park, said: ‘We are carrying out this review so there is an updated set of byelaws that provide a framework to manage Access Land and people’s enjoyment of it. This helps protect Dartmoor’s special qualities; recognises the importance of the Access Land for grazing, ensures responsible enjoyment of the National Park and provides a consistency of approach across the various categories of land to which the public enjoy right of access.’

Due to a separate High Court challenge on people’s right to wild camp, the authority will not look to make any amendment to the current camping byelaw until this has been wrapped up. Therefore, the byelaw remains as it is. The plan is that all the other byelaws will be adopted in 2023.