An arena crossed by a public footpath

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EJD

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Does anyone have an arena crossed by a public footpath? Looking for some advice in advance of planning application for an arena. Hoping maybe to divert route of existing public footpath if possible.
 
I'd shift the plans slightly to accommodate the footpath. If you don't and even if you have people just skirting the edge of it there will always be some pedantic people who will insist on walking through it because their maps date back before any changes

Some of these hard core walkers are not to be diverted!
 
WelshD is quite right. As I know from first hand experience.
Some walkers love to be bloody minded. Even when a tiny diversion is easier for them, they will battle hell and high water to stick to original path.
 
You need to either apply for a diversion or move the arena. Doing an "unofficial" diversion would just be asking for trouble and people would have every right to stick to the official route if they choose. Depending on your local Council, you will probably have to pay (probably circa £1000) and for the diversion application to have a chance of being successful, the new route must be "no less commodious" than the old.
 
It is very hard to get a footpath moved for your benefit. It also takes a long time. So I wouldn't plan on building the arena soon....:-( whatever you do, don't build the arena without getting the footpath officially moved or not only will people climb the fence and walk through it in the middle of you cantering round, but you would be likely to be ordered to remove the lot ££££.

Getting PP does not mean you can start building the arena unless you have dealt with the footpath issue first, that has to be the first thing.

If you do apply to get it moved you need to come up with a route that will be better for walkers than the existing one. And if would be wise to budget from some proper and attractive planting and fencing along the new route so that people are willing to respect the new route.

If you can, at all, I would build the arena away from the path...
 
I agree with most of the above. You'd be opening a huge can of worms, and even if you did get it diverted (which is highly unlikely) as WelshD said, there will always be ramblers insisting the path goes through and climbing over fences etc. Definitely move it away from the path!
 
The indoor arena at my old yard has a public footpath straight through the middle. People come to the yard and try to walk through the yard but the path was moved to the field alongside the arena (possibly not properly, as the council or whoever deals with this have visited lots!) The YO says people will walk through the yard 'over his dead body'. Tempting! :D
 
Not a footpath, but a farm nearby has had two bridleways diverted recently, with no hassles as far as I know. I think the new routes are much better, as they no longer go straight through their yard. I do know of a footpath which crosses a sandschool and was amazed. I couldn't understand why it didn't just skirt around it and why anybody would WANT to walk into the path of a 500 Kg + animal, horsey or not!

I would actually have a go, OP. Assuming the diversion makes life easier or there is no increased danger/inconvenience, then I'm sure you have a shot. Where I used to live there was a footpath diverted to avoid going through somebody's garden. Not sure if they ever had trouble with it, but I didn't see anybody cause a fuss.
 
I know an arena with a footpath through it. It has a little walkers gate the other side. No idea how many walkers actually use it. I've never seen any.... But the arena is not old so they would have had to get PP without a divert.
 
Not an arena, but when I bought my house a public footpath went through my yard and garden. I had it diverted so it ran parallel to existing path but about 4 metres away, through the field behind my stables. This was about 12 years ago, and it cost me £1,200 then, and I still get the occasional walker who insists on using the old path despite lots of signage as it's on his map!!
 
This attitude of walkers truly baffles me. I can see getting cranky if a path is blocked entirely, but to go climbing fences rather than take a provided actual path that is maybe 10 metres off to the left or right of the original? That goes beyond the bloody-minded, into the plain old numbskulled.
 
Oh believe me they can get a lot more than bloody minded.
Some are absolutely obsessive about it, occasionally aggressive too.
Nothing else in their lives is my guess.
 
I have encountered the occasional aggressive one, pedantic little anorak, I wish he would buy himself a new map. However, having the footpath legally diverted and keeping the paperwork to hand does tend to shut him up. ;)
 
Thank you everyone who responded - we are going to have a go at having the footpath redirected around the proposed arena.
 
We have a footpath running straight through one of our fields (half way down one long edge to the corner of the neighbouring short edge). We applied to divert it sound the edge of the field, and put fencing and hedging up so that walkers weren't disturbed by horses (one of whom chases dogs if off lead!) and they rejected it. So picky, won't let you move anything these days, even if its safer for the walkers!
 
Not an arena, but our yard has a field we use for jumping which has a footpath through the middle of it. There are styles on opposite boundaries and the field is laid out with a large number of jumps, wings, barrels, etc

In practice, quite a lot of walkers use the path to access adjacent woodland but if they see a horse (sometimes a group) cantering round then they usually either wait until its safe for themselves and the riders before crossing. Either that, or a polite request to skirt round usually works. We have never to my knowledge had a pedantic walker march into the path of a cantering horse!
 
We had a huge fight to get one diverted it came through the farm right next to the front door, they had to come in past all the animals and machinery, but they did after a long hard fight change it so it went through the field instead. So as the others have said try and change your plans slightly it will be a lot easier and quicker.
 
There is nothing and no one as obsessive as the Ramblers Association, they make PETA look calm and well balanced. Are you sure you can't move the arena? The RA will regard it as a call to arms!
 
Clodagh said:
There is nothing and no one as obsessive as the Ramblers Association, they make PETA look calm and well balanced. Are you sure you can't move the arena? The RA will regard it as a call to arms!
Click to expand...

So true! But I do like walking as well as riding, but I'm cool!
 
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