Rights of Way Improvement Plan for Plymouth
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 establishes a new duty on all Highway Authorities in England, to produce a rights of way improvement plan by 2007. Over the next two years we will be developing our first Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP). The plan which will be incorporated into the authorities local transport plan, will be assessed and reviewed within ten years and at similar intervals thereafter.
Plymouth is made up of a complex mix of urban, rural and coastal landscapes combined with a rich cultural and industrial heritage and the backdrop of the Dartmoor National Park. All of us have our favourite places to visit in Plymouth be it the Barbican, Plymouth Hoe or the city centre and we enjoy these places for a number of reasons and in a variety of ways. Whether we enjoy the walk to work, a family bike ride or an afternoon stroll we all have our own ways of getting out and about and the public rights of way network undoubtedly plays an important role in this.
But to what extent does the existing network meet our current needs and do we even know what these needs are? Where do people want to go? How do they get there and are the existing paths maintained properly and are they easy to find and follow? Are there enough rights of way? There are over 100 horses in Plymouth so where do they go? Do we need more bridleways and if so where? What about less able people, families with pushchairs and the elderly? These are all questions we need answers to if we are to provide a sustainable and strong network of public rights of way both for the present and future generations.
So what's wrong with the rights of way network in Plymouth?
Initial evidence and feedback from the public has revealed a number of needed improvements to the city's rights of way network, for example:
- too many public paths remain unrecorded
- not enough provision of bridleways
- better information on where to go walking/cycling in Plymouth
- more accessible routes to where people live/work
- improved maintenance and waymarking
We acknowledge the problems with the current rights of way network and are taking steps to correct this. Indeed, the provision of such a network can make drastic improvements to people's lives. Sustainable transport options such as walking and cycling improve people's health and wellbeing as well as reducing dependence on cars and cutting congestion and pollution. The local economy can also gain significant improvements from a well-maintained network as it benefits from increases in tourists making use of local goods and services. As such we are committed to providing a dedicated network of public rights of way and ensuring the provision of public paths where they are needed, promoting its use for the purposes of open air recreation and maintaining and protecting those paths for use by future generations.
Developing a Rights of Way Improvement Plan for Plymouth
The improvement plan will contain assessments of:
- The extent to which Plymouth's rights of way meet the present and future needs of the public
- The opportunities provided by local rights of way for exercise and other forms of open - air recreation and enjoyment
- The accessibility of local rights of way to the different classes of users including the elderly, disabled people, families and partially sighted users
In addition to the existing network there are many opportunities for wider access to the countryside and coast, creating links between communities and providing and promoting access to peoples homes, schools, places of work, local services and areas of local interest are all a priority and the Council will seek to accommodate these opportunities as far as is reasonable practical.
The six stages of preparing Plymouth's Rights of Way Improvement Plan
- Stage 1 preparation
- Stage 2 information gathering
- Stage 3 evaluation
- Stage 4 plan for action
- Stage 5 publish improvement plan
- Stage 6 implementation, monitoring and review
The plan will cover the whole of Plymouth and hopes to address the issues raised here, but we need your help! We need your thoughts and ideas to help us shape the improvement plan. Over the next two years, as the rights of way improvement plan is developed, a number of consultations will be taking place to identify the issues for path users and non-users relating to outdoor recreational access in Plymouth.
The results and conclusions of this work will be widely publicised and the public will have the opportunity to comment on the draft plan, before a final plan is published, however we would welcome and comments and queries at any point in the progression of the rights of way improvement plan.
For statutory guidance to Local Highway Authorities in England on rights of way visit the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) website.