Beginnings
Following a poor performance rating in a 2004 audit of rights of way availability, Shropshire County Council embarked on an ambitious six-year rights of way programme known as the Parish Access Project. The aim was to restore and upgrade almost 2000km of access in 100 Shropshire parishes.
The project employed a proactive approach to restoring access, in which whole public rights of way (PRoW) networks were surveyed, work required was identified and these works subsequently undertaken, parish by parish.
Basis
Access to the countryside via well-maintained public rights of way networks helps to sustain local communities.
This is achieved not only through attracting visitors and boosting local economies, but also from benefits that are more direct and of at least equal value. These include improved health through increased physical activity, social inclusion via local groups, increased opportunity for leisure at little cost, access to sites of historic and natural interest, opportunities for education and work experience and through gaining an understanding of and connection with the local environment, engendering a sense of belonging. To these can be added the many widely utilized links in local transport networks that provide access to places of work and safe routes to schools and amenities but which are often taken for granted.
What we can do and how much does it cost
The Council set aside nearly £1.5 million and recruited new members of staff (with eight members of the team at it’s peak) in order to reach the ambitious target of improving our public rights of way to a standard whereby over 80% of the network was fully accessible and easy to use.
Based at the Old Nills Quarry Implementation Depot in Pontesbury, the project currently employs one Assistant Project Officer who is engaged in the surveying of routes, negotiation of works with landholders and some practical works, one Project Officer who, in addition, provides administrative, technical, dispute resolution and enforcement support, contract management, local liaison and project promotion. Additional administrative, mapping, data handling and legal support is provided by Countryside Access Team members based at Shirehall.
The project’s practical output has been increasingly via the use of specialist contractors. Work undertaken has included a very wide range, but includes vegetation clearance, surfacing, bridge installation and stile repair or replacement – increasingly with gates for easier access provision in compliance with current legislation (Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and Disability Discrimination Act 1995/2005). As a direct result of the project, the quality and ease of access in roughly half of the county has been dramatically improved.
In February 2010, it was agreed that the Parish Access Project would be extended for a further five years, running until April 2015 with a budget of £600,000 over that period. However, due to restructuring in the face of government cuts, the project is to end in April 2011.
One hundred and three parishes have been completed – please see the attached maps.
The first phase of the project involved the installation of over 2100 stiles and 2400 fingerposts, more than 1300 gates, 410 bridges and around 86km of overgrown paths cleared. In 2010/2011 the parishes of Barrow, Broseley and Much Wenlock have seen the installation of over 170 finger and waymarker posts, 91 gates, 54 stiles, 135 steps, 12 bridges and approximately 9.5 km of paths cleared of vegetation and fallen trees.
Overall, the cost of the project has been approximately £800 per kilometre. This includes surveying and negotiations, equipment and vehicles, implementation, new infrastructure, contracts and direct staff costs.
Easier Access
The Parish Access Project has always been committed to providing the least restrictive access and, since April 2006, has been able to install nearly 700 pedestrian and kissing gates. Many of these gates have replaced stiles, while others have contributed toward gaining access to previously inaccessible or obstructed routes.
Over the lifetime of the project, a large amount of positive feedback has been received from both local and visiting users.
Mapping the Asset
A very important and ambitious aspect of the project’s second phase was the inclusion of rights of way network condition survey of the whole county. This is currently being undertaken in-house by the project’s two Officers, pending the outcome of restructuring.
To date, in excess of 2000km of the network has been surveyed, providing much worthwhile data that will improve our ability to more effectively manage Shropshire's public rights of way. A significant aspect of the survey so far has been to focus on market towns and surrounding parishes in order to inform 'Place Plans' within the council's Local Development Framework.
Thank you
The Parish Access Project team would like to express their thanks to all those who have generously supported their work, be they Parish Councils, Members of Shropshire Council, public rights of way user groups and individuals (notably, Shropshire Ramblers Association, Ride UK and CRAG) or, of course, the numerous Parish Paths Partnership local groups and wardens.
Last, but by no means least, we would like to convey our appreciation to the many responsible landholders with whom the team have been fortunate to work so productively. Without such good-natured co-operation, the project would have been unable to attain such great and widespread achievements.
The Countryside Access Team looks forward to maintaining those good relationships forged in the coming years.
Care
We would like to take this opportunity to call upon all who share our wonderful resource of footpaths, bridleways and byways to do so responsibly and with respect.