My Right of Way

I can hardly believe that over a year has passed since I wrote this diary. To summarise, covid knocked any chance of my inquiry going ahead in the past year and another has been arranged for February 2022. Don’t imagine that, in the world of Public Rights of Way, you ever just forget about it for a while and take up where you left off a year later! I guess that what the ‘claimers’ do. Just pop in an application…

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During Covid restrictions, PINS sort solutions for for ways to continue reducing their avalanche of Public Rights of Way Inquiries, caused by the rush of Modification Orders to claim historic Footpaths, Restricted Byways, Bridleways and Byway Open to All Traffic before the cut off date of 2026. Recently, a ‘blended’ inquiry was held in Somerset. In terms of IT and facilities it was a disaster. The Inspector for PINS asked that complaints and feedback were sent to PINS. This was…

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Rights of Way in Edgmond Edgmond Parish has over 14 miles of public Rights of Way that provide a valuable means of access into the local rural environment.  Edgmond Footpath Group This Group emerged out of the Environment Open Day that was held in the Village Hall in 2009. The Group has jointly walked all the Rights of Way in the parish and reported back to the Rights of Way Officer at Telford & Wrekin Council using a standardised format….

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The reply from Lord Benyon Thank you for your letter of 17 May about public rights of way reforms.We have been working on a package of reforms to the processes for recording, diverting and extinguishing public rights of way, which includes the ability for landowners to apply formally to a local authority for a public path order to extinguish or divert a footpath or bridleway. Under provisions known as the ‘Right to Apply’, landowners will be able to make formal…

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A mass trespass campaign has been started by Nick Hayes, and Guy Shrubsole. They advocate that people replace ALL private and keep out signs with ‘You are Welcome’ ones. This may superficially seem a laudable request. The downtrodden ‘public’ rising up against the greedy landowner. Claiming back ‘their rights’ to the countryside. BUT…….. Do you consider that your small garden is countryside? Are YOU the greedy large landowner of a huge estate? Do YOU think that ALL groups are entitled…

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Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, vice-president and chair of the Ramblers expresses her own views in her personal blog. This was written in 2013, eight years ago and the same year as a claim was registered through my own garden. At that time, of course I knew nothing at all about PROW and how spurious claims could affect your life for an indefinite number of years. The comment is still there and I doubt Ms Ashbrook has changed…

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We have just moved into our lovely new house and so far everyone else’s ‘world’ in the village hasn’t collapsed, suffered a ‘dire accident waiting to happen, been flooded because we are using more water or had foundations of their houses irreparably damaged by numerous building work lorries. Just think, if it wasn’t for the BOAT modification order we wouldn’t have built a house and villagers would still have enjoyed a permissive footpath over the last eight years. Well, it’s…

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The woman claiming a right of way on Sarah Beeny’s Somerset property The claim is currently pending an investigation by the council A woman has claimed for a public footpath on Sarah Beeny’s Somerset property in an effort to raise awareness about ‘nightmare’ claims being made on private property. The claim for a public footpath on Mrs Beeny’s former dairy farm near Bruton has been made by campaigner Ann Scott, 72, of Norfolk and will be considered by Somerset County Council….

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This was common sense NINE YEARS AGO and STILL IS. THE CLA’S COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO ACCESS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE 2012 Why is the GOVERNMENT STILL IGNORING A MASSIVELY GROWING PROBLEM? https://www.cla.org.uk/sites/default/files/PDF%20Documents/Access15060212.pdf