Countryside access management and improvements

Day to day maintenance is carried out by the in house access maintenance team based at Old Nils Depot, Pontesbury. The team are responsible for general maintenance of rights of way including minor surface works, clearance of surface vegetation and the repair and replacement of most bridges. The team build and fit wooden kit bridges where these are suitable but larger structures are contracted out as are any major surfacing or drainage works on paths.

In addition to dealing with individual reports from the public, each year the access maintenance team manage a large capital program of works which include many large projects such as replacement or repair of large bridges as well as carrying out work to improve existing paths and develop new links in the network. In recent years these include The Jack Mytton Way extension, several Ride UK circular Bridleway routes and improvements to the Offas Dyke National Long Distance Trail.

Following the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, the Countryside Access Team is working on a variety of projects to help improve the rights of way network. Other areas of work include:

Parish Access Project
Find out more about our 5 year project to improve the Public Rights of Way Network.

Countryside Access Strategy
Find out more about Shropshire's Countryside Access Strategy (rights of way improvement plan) and how you can get involved.

Open Access Land
Access Land commenced in Shropshire on 31st October 2005 opening more than 7000ha of land for open-air recreation on foot. Shropshire County Council are the first local authority in England to dedicate their own sites under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Shropshire Local Access Forum
Established to give advice to Shropshire County Council, Natural England and other organisation on countryside access issues.