The Health Protection (Coronavirus: Closure of Leisure Businesses, Footpaths and Access Land) (Wales) Regulations 2020

Requirement to close certain public footpaths and land during the emergency

4.—(1) Where paragraph (1) applies to a footpath or access land in the area of a relevant authority, the relevant authority must—

(a) close the footpath or access land by 12.00pm on 25 March 2020, and

(b) keep it closed until it considers that closure is no longer necessary to prevent, protect against, control or provide a public health response to the incidence or spread of infection in its area with the coronavirus.

(2) This paragraph applies to the footpaths and access land in its area a relevant authority considers—

(a) to be liable to large numbers of people congregating or being in close proximity to each other, or

(b) the use of which otherwise poses a high risk to the incidence or spread of infection in its area with the coronavirus.

(3) The relevant authority must publish a list of footpaths or access land closed in its area on a website.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation—

(a) a footpath includes a bridleway, and

(b) references to a footpath or access land include parts of a footpath or access land.

(5) In this regulation—

(a) the “relevant authority” means—

(i) a county council or county borough council in Wales,

(ii) a National Park authority in Wales,

(iii) Natural Resources Wales, or

(iv) The National Trust.

(b) “footpath” and “bridleway” have the same meaning as in section 329(1) of the Highways Act 1980.

(c) “access land” includes land to which the public has access by virtue of its ownership by the National Trust, but otherwise has the same meaning as in section 1(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.