Public Access To Lost Paths At Risk After Government U-Turn

Over 140,000 miles of public paths criss-cross England and Wales. This network has evolved over centuries with many paths dating back to medieval times, linking villages, hamlets, roads and towns. Paths in England describe how generations before us travelled to the pub, field or shops and reflect the changing patterns of human interaction with the landscape. Nowadays, they serve as a means of passage for horse riders, walkers and cyclists and access to these paths and the green spaces they often lead to has well-documented benefits for mental and physical health.

There are currently over 600 volunteers working to register historic rights of way in England, but with a backlog of more than 4,000 applications, the deadline once again increases pressure on already under-resourced local authorities. The process of registering paths begins with prioritising the most important ones, after that an application is built for each one based on historical evidence.

‘Unless the government rethinks this decision or puts the necessary funding in place to make it possible for paths to be researched, applied for and processed within the time limit they’ve imposed, historic paths will be lost for future generations,’ says Jack.