Consultation outcome

Improvements to the policy and legal framework for public rights of way

From:: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published: 14 May 2012
Last updated: 29 July 2013 — See all updates

Download the full outcome

Summary of responses

PDF, 472 KB, 95 pages

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Detail of outcome

We received a total of 323 responses to the consultation, along with a handful of related queries which were not responses in themselves.

Original consultation

Consultation description

We sought your views on a proposed package of changes to the processes for recording, diverting and extinguishing public rights of way. Feedback will be used to inform Government decisions on whether and how to implement the various proposals for improvement as outlined in the following consultation document.

The consultation covered England only. It is likely to have been of interest to all people who have an interest in public rights of way, including: landowners; local authorities; rights of way user representative bodies; and conservation bodies.

Three consultation stage impact assessments on the proposals for change have been prepared and are published alongside this consultation paper.

The research report which provided some of the evidence on which the Impact Assessments were based is available on request from the Rights of Way Reform Team, Temple Quay House, 2 Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN.

We have also included a copy of the 2010 report by the Natural England Stakeholder Working Group on unrecorded rights of way, entitled: ‘Stepping Forward’, which should be read in conjunction with our proposals.