132.Section 58 gives the Countryside Agency and the Countryside Council for Wales powers to apply to the Secretary of State or National Assembly for Wales to make public path creation orders to provide access to access land (such as “inaccessible islands” to which there is no other practicable means of access). The countryside bodies must have regard to any rights of way improvement plan prepared by the local highway authority before applying for an order. The Secretary of State or National Assembly for Wales will consider such applications in deciding whether to exercise their powers under section 26 of the Highways Act 1980 (and, by virtue of subsection (2) of that section, must consult with local authorities before making an order).
133.Section 59 prevents an authority, when exercising powers to stop up or divert highways, from regarding the existence of the new right of access to open countryside as, for example, reducing the need for the highway, the need for an alternative highway or the need to reserve a public right of way.