New ways to improve access and enjoyment of Britain’s coastline are to be explored in a government-led project.

Four stretches of English coastline, from Durham in the north-east to Devon in the south-west, have been chosen as locations for a project to look at options to improve the way people can access and enjoy the English coastline, Landscape minister Jim Knight announced today.

Mr Knight said: "As well as access, we are also looking at the potential to improve people's opportunities to understand and appreciate the natural and historic environment that is such a fundamental part of our nation's heritage."

"We need to look carefully at potential ways to improve access to the coast in ways that will really benefit people and nature, and help people to get the most out of the coast."

The four selected for the project are the Southern Cumbrian coast and Morecambe Bay, the Suffolk coast, the North Devon, Exmoor and West Somerset coast and the County Durham and Hartlepool coast.

The study will also explore ways in which benefits for the natural environment could be gained, whilst ensuring that the negative effects of improved access on the landscape and wildlife are minimised.

The Natural England partnership, comprising the Countryside Agency, English Nature, and the Rural Development Service, will undertake fact-finding work on the coastal situation and the types of access that would be most valuable to people.

These areas represent the diverse conditions around England's coast. The studies will look at the different types of coastline (for example cliffs, dunes and areas of coastal erosion and accretion), areas with good or less good existing access provision, and other issues such as tourism levels and proximity to large population centres.

Meetings will be held in each area with local stakeholders, including local authorities, landowners, walkers, those involved in nature conservation, and members of local access forums and coastal projects.

The Natural England partnership will report in early summer, and Defra will issue a public consultation paper on the subject in the autumn that will help inform a comprehensive coastal access policy.