Blue space access points in England

This dataset was created to support creation of the 'Access to blue spaces in England' statistic. It identifies point locations where it is likely possible to walk up to or alongside blue spaces such as canals, rivers and lakes.

3 versions of the dataset are available: - All blue space (Scenario 1): includes all blue spaces that can be accessed on foot which are at least 50 m2 (0.005 ha) in area or at least 50 m in length. Access points were included irrespective of the length of walkable waterside route which they provide access to. - Substantial blue space (Scenario 2): includes blue spaces that can be accessed on foot which are at least 0.5 ha in area and for which the length of walkable route alongside the waterbody is 250 m or longer. This is a subset of blue space access points used in Scenario 1. - Substantial blue space along paths and smaller roads (Scenario 3): includes substantial blue spaces as defined in Scenario 2, but filtered to remove those which require walking on A or B roads to experience them.

A metadata document is also available for download.

Further details can be found in the Access to blue spaces in England report, linked in the supporting information section. Attribution statement: © Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs copyright and/or database right 2024. All rights reserved. © Crown copyright [and database rights] [2024] OS [AC0000805307]