The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (Review of Maps) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2026

Made: 4 February 2026

Coming into force: 6 March 2026

The Welsh Ministers make the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 10(3) and 45(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000[^f00001].

Title and coming into force

1

• (1) The title of these Regulations is the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (Review of Maps) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2026.

• (2) These Regulations come into force on 6 March 2026.

Amendment of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000

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In section 10(2)(b) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (review of maps (Wales))[^f00002], for “fifteen” substitute “twenty”.

Signed

Huw Irranca-Davies — Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, one of the Welsh Ministers — 4 February 2026

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend section 10(2) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37) (“the Act”) in relation to Wales.

Section 10(2) of the Act prescribes the time periods within which the Natural Resources Body for Wales (as the appropriate countryside body in relation to Wales) must conduct initial and subsequent reviews of maps issued by it in conclusive form under section 9 of the Act, showing registered common land and open country in Wales.

These Regulations amend section 10(2)(b) of the Act to extend the maximum interval between subsequent reviews following a first review, from 15 years after the previous review, to 20 years.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, it was not considered necessary to carry out a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2000 c. 37. Section 45(1) defines “regulations” in Part 1 of the Act (as respects Wales) as regulations made by the National Assembly for Wales. The powers of the National Assembly for Wales under sections 10(3) and 45(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 were transferred to the Welsh Ministers by section 162 of, and paragraphs 30 and 34 of Schedule 11 to, the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32).

[^f00002]: Section 10(2) was amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (Review of Maps) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/102 (W. 19)) and section 236(3)(c) of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (c. 55); there are other amending instruments but none is relevant to these Regulations.