Footpath rerouting

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CPayne

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Has anyone applied to have a footpath moved, rerouted? We have a field with a footpath across it and would like to apply to move it to the edge for the safety of walkers, our sheep and lambs (from dogs) and also because we want to put some cows on it. If so what was the process, I understand that it’s long, and did you use a consultant? Thank you.
 
We haven’t, but friends have tried. They spent over £6k with no success (I’m assuming the new route didn’t meet the requirements, or there was local objection). The application fee alone was around £3k !!
 
CPayne said:
Has anyone applied to have a footpath moved, rerouted? We have a field with a footpath across it and would like to apply to move it to the edge for the safety of walkers, our sheep and lambs (from dogs) and also because we want to put some cows on it. If so what was the process, I understand that it’s long, and did you use a consultant? Thank you.
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It is certainly possible, and highway authorities now look more favourably on cases to advance public safety than they previously have done. I presume you hope to corridor off a track for walkers, separating them from any livestock?
But it’s not usually quick or cheap.
Are you members of the Country Landowners’ Association? If so, they have a good free legal advice service, and they do a lot of work in relation to public rights of way issues, generally.
Good luck!
 
I helped some friends who started this process to reroute a bridle way that went right past their windows through their garden they moved for a new job before it got sorted.
The new owner of the house must have kept going and I read somewhere that they rerouted the row round the boundary of the property .
 
www.birketts.co.uk

Carol Ramsden

Carol helps clients with the wide variety of problems created by the complex and archaic nature of much public rights of way legislation.
www.birketts.co.uk www.birketts.co.uk

I spoke to Carol Ramsden some years ago about a ROW
In the end we left it alone but she was very helpful and realistic about our chances of success and possible complications
 
Midlifecrisis said:
Local pig farmer near me just moved the path and the entry/ exit points of the public footpath without permission and said he d wait to see if any walkers complained to the council.
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Good heavens! A previous YO where we were, fenced alongside an existing footpath, to keep walkers and their dogs safely away from the stock. There was uproar! He hadn't moved the path an inch and had made it wider than legally necessary but you would have though he had closed it to the public completely.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Good heavens! A previous YO where we were, fenced alongside an existing footpath, to keep walkers and their dogs safely away from the stock. There was uproar! He hadn't moved the path an inch and had made it wider than legally necessary but you would have though he had closed it to the public completely.
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Very much depends where the route is, and the type of people who use it - or know about it, even.
If the FP’s near to civilisation, expect lots of interest in anything that is altered.
Further away, the actual route on the ground is a lot less likely to correspond to the one recorded on the Definitive Map & Statement.
Plenty of farmers and landowners ‘tweak’ routes, in many cases the result is preferred as an improvement, thus remains, and becomes the accepted path - which that pig farmer is probably hoping for!
Keep us posted....
 
There’s a footpath through where my pony is kept. It is at a jaunty angle and makes altering field size very difficult due to access to trough etc would be lovely if it could go round the edge! The number of people who walk wherever they like too is incredible. And don’t get me started on dog poo!
 
I had a public footpath run slap bang through the middle of my field. The field was divided up with electric fencing and I simply moved the fencing so the footpath was accessible around the boundary of the field. It’s been like this for 2 years now and I’ve had no complaints.
I’ve left walkers quite a wide track and plenty of warning signs regarding electric tape.
 
pistolpete said:
There’s a footpath through where my pony is kept. It is at a jaunty angle and makes altering field size very difficult due to access to trough etc would be lovely if it could go round the edge! The number of people who walk wherever they like too is incredible. And don’t get me started on dog poo!
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Sounds like it could be old, as in, pre any Inclosure Awards which would have divided up the ground into land parcels - inconveniently in your case!
Where there’s plenty of users, especially entitled dog walking types - who are truly the worst - altering it would be far more difficult to achieve, either legally or surreptitiously.
Could legally just ‘corridor’ the route to keep users and dog poo on the straight and narrow, but might prove even more hassle for your own management.
Try some new Countryside Code signs at either end, shame users into behaving?
 
Good luck. We have one that is safely fenced off at the side of our land and due to the fact you have to walk past a huge encampment is very rarely used. There are no paths leading to where the ROW runs, it is along a private drive. I spoke with the council about moving it, was quoted a minimum of £10k and then advised that they were very anti moving any PROW so would be a waste of money! This was made worse by the fact the industrial park that is along the rear of the PROW have applied to put warehouses on the land they have purchased which in effect shuts off the PROW! Laughable as the council knew nothing about this!
 
KC31 said:
Good luck. We have one that is safely fenced off at the side of our land and due to the fact you have to walk past a huge encampment is very rarely used. There are no paths leading to where the ROW runs, it is along a private drive. I spoke with the council about moving it, was quoted a minimum of £10k and then advised that they were very anti moving any PROW so would be a waste of money! This was made worse by the fact the industrial park that is along the rear of the PROW have applied to put warehouses on the land they have purchased which in effect shuts off the PROW! Laughable as the council knew nothing about this!
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How very interesting!
Trying to visualise, is the FP from a public road, alongside the private drive which accesses that road, towards an industrial park where planning permission has been given that would effectively create a cul de sac PROW?
Sounds typical of local authorities - one hand has no idea what the other is doing - but if there is an FP
running into the building site, Council’s planners are required to either accommodate it, or legally re route it, or legally ‘stop it up’. Actual legal procedures required, by their Legal dept - ho ho!
All sorts of fun down the line when the silly beggars don’t due their basic due diligence..... but you might just get yours ‘sorted’ by default!
Fascinating, must let us know what transpires.
 
Exasperated said:
How very interesting!
Trying to visualise, is the FP from a public road, alongside the private drive which accesses that road, towards an industrial park where planning permission has been given that would effectively create a cul de sac PROW?
Sounds typical of local authorities - one hand has no idea what the other is doing - but if there is an FP
running into the building site, Council’s planners are required to either accommodate it, or legally re route it, or legally ‘stop it up’. Actual legal procedures required, by their Legal dept - ho ho!
All sorts of fun down the line when the silly beggars don’t due their basic due diligence..... but you might just get yours ‘sorted’ by default!
Fascinating, must let us know what transpires.
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Thanks Exasperated. Our yard is on a private drive that we share with two properties, footpath runs along there. Though has so little foot fall, it then runs past ours, by the camp and onto open farmland. It can be accessed at the other end of the village, where there are pavements and parking, but when speaking with the council they said very rarely can you ever move one! Really helpful!
 
It isn't easy or cheap, but can be done - sometimes. There was a bridlepath that ran through a cottage garden, right in front of the house and when it was bought and modernised the bridlepath was re-routed to the back of the property - really an improvement for everyone.

There are some circumstances when you can "temporarily" move a footpath - but I can't recall them to mind, you would have to consult someone who knows all the ins and outs. There are numerous rights of way that do not follow the Definitive Map as a fence has been installed and no one has ever done anything about it. This means that the Rights of Way department will not then take any enforcement action regarding overgrown hedges, etc "as it does not follow the Definitive Map." (Been there) Like a bridlepath that was routed to follow the edge of the field next to a wood, whereas the proper path was someway away from the edge of the wood.

However, there can also be times when a householder makes what seems a legitimate and sensible application and the local Ramblers are up in arms, our Bridleway Officer has been involved in some of those and wouldn't have objected from a rider's point of view, but was not allowed due to objection by the Ramblers.
 
You may have seen that picture, or a similar one, before. It's a farmer in Somerset did it some years back as he was so fed up with people wandering everywhere off the actual footpath. It must have cost an absolute fortune. So picturesque as well.....
 
KC31 said:
Thanks Exasperated. Our yard is on a private drive that we share with two properties, footpath runs along there. Though has so little foot fall, it then runs past ours, by the camp and onto open farmland. It can be accessed at the other end of the village, where there are pavements and parking, but when speaking with the council they said very rarely can you ever move one! Really helpful!
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Even if local people really don’t use or notify about this FP, council officers should be considering significance of all planning and land sales on local ROW as part of their jobs.
Please don’t ever try to prevent access (which, until it has been legally stopped up, remains a legitimate ROW, so you would be committing an offence if you did that), but sounds like your local authority is effectively going to achieve this by granting building permission across it, without legally diverting or stopping the route, and creating a dead end. Not very professional! Let them get on with it.
Neighbouring council sold off land with a ROW; which they neglected to put onto the deeds or sale info; 20+ years later they acknowledge the fault but won’t enforce. Now things are being enquired into, finding other instances, too! That one’s not been built on, but once something is built - with permission - doesn’t tend to get torn down.
 
Exasperated said:
Even if local people really don’t use or notify about this FP, council officers should be considering significance of all planning and land sales on local ROW as part of their jobs.
Please don’t ever try to prevent access (which, until it has been legally stopped up, remains a legitimate ROW, so you would be committing an offence if you did that), but sounds like your local authority is effectively going to achieve this by granting building permission across it, without legally diverting or stopping the route, and creating a dead end. Not very professional! Let them get on with it.
Neighbouring council sold off land with a ROW; which they neglected to put onto the deeds or sale info; 20+ years later they acknowledge the fault but won’t enforce. Now things are being enquired into, finding other instances, too! That one’s not been built on, but once something is built - with permission - doesn’t tend to get torn down.
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Would never prevent access, as i said it has so little foot fall. Would have liked to have padlocked the entry gate, but obviously that can't be done. Though once the warehouses go up it will be defunct anyway! (Which is a win for us as will have no bearing on our land). Council have no say in that matter it is approved at Government level. The fact they didn't even know the plans exist speaks volumes!
 
KC31 said:
Would never prevent access, as i said it has so little foot fall. Would have liked to have padlocked the entry gate, but obviously that can't be done. Though once the warehouses go up it will be defunct anyway! (Which is a win for us as will have no bearing on our land). Council have no say in that matter it is approved at Government level. The fact they didn't even know the plans exist speaks volumes!
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Not even faintly surprised, the bottomless ignorance and downright incompetence of some public servants....
Don’t discuss or draw attention to it at all, would be the most sensible!
 
Normally all planning applications are sent to the Rights of Way Department in case they affect a footpath or bridlepath. That's what happens in our County Council - or it certainly used to.
 
Orangehorse said:
Normally all planning applications are sent to the Rights of Way Department in case they affect a footpath or bridlepath. That's what happens in our County Council - or it certainly used to.
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That is exactly what should happen!
Exactly what I mean - the success of the protocol depends on the diligence and application of the people whose job it is to do that
🤪😳☹️
 
cariad said:
You may have seen that picture, or a similar one, before. It's a farmer in Somerset did it some years back as he was so fed up with people wandering everywhere off the actual footpath. It must have cost an absolute fortune. So picturesque as well.....
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That farmer supplies a lot of hay in my local area - it's preferable to have hay without dog turd baled into it.
 
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