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Chapter 4:
The Merchant’s Incline
Coastal Access: Weymouth Bay - Natural England’s Proposals
The commentary, map and proposals in this chapter form part of Natural England’s report to
the Secretary of State, which sets out our proposals for coastal access at Weymouth Bay. The
report is published in full on our website at www.naturalengland.org.uk/coastalaccess
The website includes an Overview of the report with background information that may be useful
in understanding this chapter and a key map to help locate proposals relating to other parts of
Weymouth Bay.
4.1. Commentary
The commentary below explains the effect of the proposals which follow it. It should be read in
conjunction with map 4.
General description
Below is a general description of our proposals for this length of coast, highlighting the key factors
which we took into consideration. It also summarises the main consequences under the legislation in
terms of land becoming spreading room, and notes any particular issues that may arise as a result.
The trail
4.1.1. The proposed route of the trail on this short length of coast is shown on map 4. This part of the
proposed route is known as ‘The Merchant’s Incline’ - a straight, steep route that was historically used
for transporting stone from the quarries. It starts towards the bottom of the map, high on the hillside
adjacent to Verne Common (the end of the route described in chapter 3 of the Proposals), and finishes
at the bottom of the hill, near Portland Castle (towards the top of the map). Chapter 5 of the Proposals
describes the proposed route for the adjacent length of coast to the north west.
4.1.2. The existing route of the South West Coast Path can be seen in the bottom left corner of map 4, on
the west coast of Portland. This part of the existing route would not be affected by the proposals
in this report.
4.1.3. The trail would follow the Merchant’s Incline at this point because:
It provides the most direct link from the top of the hill down to the north east coast of Portland.
It avoids roads and housing development in the area, using a pleasant route through a green corridor.
From the higher parts of the trail, there are views of Osprey Quay, Chesil Beach, Hamm Beach,
Weymouth and beyond.
It is a route with historical interest, with stone sleepers - still visible on the ground - that were
used to hold the tramway tracks.
Coastal Access | Weymouth Bay | Natural England’s Proposals | Chapter 4: The Merchant’s Incline
4.1.4. We have assessed the potential impacts of access along the proposed route on the historic
features for which the Merchant’s Incline is designated. We concluded that there would be no
significant effect from the modest increase in foot traffic that we expect would result from its
inclusion as part of the trail.
4.1.5. The surface of the route on the Merchant’s Incline is relatively even but steep and may not therefore
be suitable for access by people with reduced mobility. There is another route down the hill with
a shallower gradient which we considered as a potential route for the trail, but it would be longer
and less direct. We therefore concluded that the Merchant’s Incline route struck the best balance in
terms of the criteria described in chapter 4 of our Coastal Access Scheme. The longer route consists
of public footways and roads that would be available for people to use if they preferred to.
4.1.6. The proposed route makes use of an existing public footpath which crosses a public road at one point.
Some physical establishment of the route and ongoing management, maintenance and monitoring
would be necessary, in accordance with the general approach described in the Overview.
The spreading room
4.1.7. ‘Seaward’, on this length of coast, is used to mean on the north-east side of the trail closest to the port.
Landward is used to mean the south-west side, closest to the beach in the bottom left corner of map 4.
4.1.8. Under the terms of the legislation, land seaward of the trail would by default be spreading room as
far as the seaward extremity of the foreshore. However, this spreading room would be limited by
two factors:
Much of the land would be excepted from coastal access rights under the terms of the
legislation, including land covered by buildings (such as those of the port and residential
developments), the curtilage of buildings and any other land that is used as a garden. There
would be no new access rights over such land – see Annex C of the Overview.
We understand that Portland Port has applied for an Order under other legislation which if
granted would enable it to exclude the public from other land in its ownership for operational
needs relating to port security. At the time of writing, the precise scope of these powers and the
extent of any exclusion that may be made under them has not been determined.
4.1.9. Access to the spreading room would be subject to the national restrictions on coastal access rights
explained in the Overview. However, public rights of way would not be affected.
4.1.10. We do not propose to include any spreading room landward of the trail on this length of coast.
Detailed description of our proposals
The proposed route of the trail on this length of coast is divided into 3 route sections numbered
WBY-S024 to WBY-S026. Below are detailed descriptions of our proposals for aligning the trail on
each route section.
Trail alignment
Route sections WBY-S024 to WBY-S026
4.1.11. This part of the trail would correspond to an existing public footpath on a grassy corridor with
stone sleeper blocks that passes through a developed area. Route section WBY-S026 passes under
a stone bridge near the foot of the hill.
4.1.12. The public footpath is subject to an existing right of access on foot and is managed by the local
highway authority. These arrangements would not be affected by our proposals.
Coastal Access | Weymouth Bay | Natural England’s Proposals | Chapter 4: The Merchant’s Incline
Future change
4.1.13. Part 10 of the Overview describes the procedures for changes to the coastal access provisions on
this stretch of coast, once the initial provisions have been approved by the Secretary of State.
4.1.14. As noted in the general description of the spreading room above, the extent of new access rights
along this length of coast may in the future be excluded for operational reasons relating to port
security. It is unlikely that the trail would be affected by these changes, but the extent of the
spreading room seaward of the trail is likely to be reduced as a consequence. As details of these
changes become available, we will discuss the implications for public access to the affected areas
with Portland Port.
At the time of preparing the report, we cannot foresee any need for changes to the access
provisions proposed for this length of coast.
4.2 Proposals
Below are our formal Proposals to the Secretary of State for the length of coast shown in map 4.
They should be read in conjunction with the map. The commentary above explains the practical
effect of these proposals.
The proposed route of the trail
4.2.1. This is to be at the centre of the line shown as the trail on map 4.
The landward boundary of the coastal margin
4.2.2. Adjacent to route sections WBY-S024 to WBY-S026, the landward boundary of the coastal margin is
to coincide with the landward edge of the Merchant’s Incline, shown on map 4 as the trail.
Local restrictions and exclusions
4.2.3. At the time of writing this report, there are no proposals for local restrictions or exclusions in
relation to this length of coast.
Alternative routes
4.2.4. There are no proposals for alternative routes in relation to this length of coast.
Variation of existing long-distance route
4.2.5. We do not intend to recommend that the existing route of the South West Coast Path on this
length of coast is varied in connection with the proposals above. The status of this part of the
existing route will be one of the issues for consideration when a report is produced in due course
for the western coast of Portland.
Coastal Access | Weymouth Bay | Natural England’s Proposals | Chapter 4: The Merchant’s Incline