Ah cheers for sharing that. So effectively there was an interim agreement but this has lapsed and now it's access at your own risk effectively
This is the situation at the moment.
From what I can gather the history of access is that in the 90s/00s people climbing there were asked to leave. They obviously managed to do enough climbing to get stuff done as there are loads of problems there up to 8A. This is why the crag was listed as banned.
The BMC did ask for permission again recently and this produced the access agreement linked above, which has now lapsed. In theory the crag is banned and I don't think the landowner will ever formally grant access.
In practice, RBW is a 1.5km edge of intermittent boulders and buttresses with access for climbing being from either the Harden garden centre, Lee Lane along the Millennium Way, or from Beckfield Road in Cottingley. Nowhere on the approach and nowhere in the woods is there any impediment to access whatsoever. There are no gates, no fences, no padlocks, no walls, no barbed wire, and no signage informing people about access.
I have been there lots of times (days, evenings, midweek, weekends, before, during, and after the access agreement) and I have never been challenged or seen any representative of the landowner. Nor have I ever seen any sign that I shouldn't be there. On every single visit I have seen someone else, either: ramblers, dog walkers (loads of these), mountain bikers, horse riders, families building dens/out for a stroll, scallies, or even Instagram influencers doing a photo shoot. None of these people are aware of any access agreement. I'd estimate that there are probably between 50 and 100 people accessing the woods every day, mainly dog walkers.
So if you go you will most likely be fine. Just be sensible: no littering, no fires, no groups, be reasonably discrete, and in the very unlikely event that you're challenged then politely leave. Definitely don't come on here and call the landowner a nonce as that would be one of the stupidest things a person has ever done.
