WALKERS in Hampshire will have the right of access to open countryside and registered common land a year early after a rolling programme to give access to parts of England was announced by rural affairs minister Alun Michael last week.

Rights of access under Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land previously off-limits to the public will now be introduced region by region - the South East and Central Southern England is the first.

In a statement to parliament, Mr Michael said: "We are convinced the best approach is to give walkers the right to walk in open countryside and on registered common land as early as possible.

"Rather than wait for the mapping process to be completed for the whole country, I intend to open up land in the first two regions to public access during the summer of 2004.

"This is a demanding timetable which requires conclusive maps for those regions to be available, restrictions on access and necessary exclusions to be in place and guidance and codes of practice to be available to walkers and landowners.

"It is most important all these mechanisms are in force in each region before any access land is made available to the public to ensure that the interests of both lands managers and walkers are safeguarded.

"People will then be able to walk on land in some of the most beautiful areas of the countryside previously off-limits and rural businesses in those areas will benefit from new trading opportunities."

The original intention was to allow access to all eight English regions, which are being mapped individually by the Countryside Agency, to be opened at the same time - by the end of 2005.