The footpath network which the Ramblers seek to protect and enhance isn't set in stone: changes can, and do occur.
New developments, housing or change of land usage inevitably mean some rights of ways will be affected, and a path or bridleway will need to be diverted or on occasion extinguished.
When this arises a legal process is enacted to produce what is known as a Public Path Order. This is raised by the local authority and sent to landowners and occupiers affected by the order and prescribed bodies – for example user groups such as the Ramblers – for comment.
The order may be unopposed but if objections are made which cannot be resolved then a Public Inquiry is set up to determine the matter. If this fails there are further avenues to take but these become complicated – and expensive!
From the Ramblers perspective there is a misconception among some sectors of the public that we oppose every path order, be it a diversion order or an extinguishment order.
This is simply not true. The Ramblers have a clear policy on path changes:
We will not object to a diversion order unless the new route is significantly less satisfactory for walkers.
We will object to the closure of a path unless there is clearly no need for it, now or in the future.
The Ramblers maintain there must be a logical reason for the proposed diversions, ideally in the interests of both the user and the landowner, so that the new route is an improvement to the overall network.
Interestingly, national statistics for path diversions show that of the 1,500 or so diversion orders proposed over the last three years, only seven per cent were objected to by the Ramblers or anyone else. And after formal investigation, just two per cent of these were not confirmed.
As a footnote, it is worth remembering that when an alteration is made to the rights-of-way network the information is forwarded to the Ordnance Survey to enable them to bring their mapping up to date. This is not instantaneous, and it may be some years before a diverted path or bridleway appears on the maps we purchase, both paper and digital.
