Nearly 10% of England’s rights of way do not appear on the definitive maps kept by highway authorities and could be lost forever if the definitive maps are not brought up to date.
Countryside Agency Archive

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Lost Ways, but not forever - 9 July 2004

Nearly 10% of England’s rights of way do not appear on the definitive maps kept by highway authorities and could be lost forever if the definitive maps are not brought up to date. On behalf of the Government the Countryside Agency is setting up a special Archive Research Unit to systematically research and record these ‘lost ways’.

Pam Warhurst, chair of the Countryside Agency said: "Unless we take action now to map our lost rights of way there is a danger they will be lost to us forever. The network of rights of way is important to everyone for a myriad of reasons. The countryside a place where people work and where one in five of us lives. But it is also a health centre, an art gallery and a museum, it is a place for adventure, for quiet contemplation and for socialising. Rights of way link all this together, which is why this project is so important." 

Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael said: "Historic routes are a priceless and fascinating part of our heritage. Government is committed to recording as many of them as possible before the cut-off date of 2026, which was introduced by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. That is why we are funding the Countryside Agency’s Discovering Lost Ways project. I am delighted that we now have a structured and systematic way of tracking down the ‘lost ways’ so that they can be recorded for everyone’s benefit."

Speaking at the Institute of Public Rights of Way Officers seminar today (9 July) IPROW president Mike Ogden said: "The network of rights of way in England and Wales is managed by just a few hundred people. It’s important to remember how vital this network of paths is to the population – they are nothing short of a national treasure. The Discovering Lost Ways project will help highway authorities do their job as curators and custodians of the network for the benefit of generations of people to come."

Following the Countryside and Rights of Way (CroW) Act 2000 the Countryside Agency was tasked by government to find the best way to record all lost rights of way in England, including both missing links in the network and mapped rights of way wrongly recorded (eg bridleways as footpaths). A contract has been let to ‘Land Aspects’ (part of the Mouchel Parkman group) to set up and run the Archive Research Unit (ARU) to undertake the research and mapping of all lost rights of way in England.

To keep in touch with the development of the Discovering Lost Ways Projects visit the Countryside Agency’s website www.countryside.gov.uk. 

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Notes to editors: 

For further information or interview please ring the Countryside Agency press office on 0207 340 2907/9. 

The Rural White Paper ‘Our countryside: the future’  (2000) introduced the Government’s commitment to ensure all rights of way would be recorderd and mapped before a cut off date of 1 January 2026.

The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone. It is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. More information at www.countryside.gov.uk 

Mouchel Parkman is a professional support services group. The company employs over 4,000 staff, has 73 managed services contracts and a forward order book in excess of £700m. www.mouchelparkman.com