In April 2007, Lincolnshire County Council published its first Countryside Access & Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP). The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) required all highway authorities to publish a ROWIP for their area by November 2007.
What is the Lincolnshire Countryside Access & Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP)?
The ROWIP is a five year strategic document covering the whole of Lincolnshire, setting out how the authority intends to improve the management, provision and promotion of public rights of way in the county. The ROWIP will build on the investment and improvements made to the access network over a number of years and will be a "distinct strand" of the Local Transport Plan.
The ROWIP is intended for use by those working and implementing policy including outdoor recreation and leisure provision, transport, planning, land management, health and social issues.
The CROW Act required assessments to be made of:
- The extent to which local rights of way meet the present and likely future needs of the public
- The opportunities provided by local rights of way for exercise and other forms of open-air recreation and the enjoyment of the authority’s area
- The accessibility of local rights of way to blind or partially sighted persons and others with mobility problems, and
- Such other matters relating to local rights of way as the Secretary of State may direct
The stages of preparing the Lincolnshire ROWIP
- Plan preparation (2003-2004)
- Assessments (2004-2005)
- Draft Plan preparation (2005-2006)
- Public consultation on draft plan (September to December 2006)
- Final ROWIP published (April 2007)
Public Consultation Process
During 2004 and 2005, we undertook our largest ever consultation exercise looking at the issues surrounding the current use of the public rights of way network, which resulted in over 3000 responses from the public. We also sought views from key stakeholder organisations, parish councils and our two Local Access Forums. A network assessment was undertaken to look at the extent of the access resource in Lincolnshire for a variety of users including walkers, cyclists, horse riders, carriage drivers, and motorised users.
The results of the assessments and consultations are available by following the Background Research link at the bottom of this page.
Key Findings and Focus for Improvements
The preparation of the ROWIP provided an opportunity to take an objective look at the access network and the way in which it is managed. Without losing sight of our statutory duties, the implementation of the ROWIP now provides a unique opportunity for the County Council to move forward and strategically plan and deliver a more relevant, accessible network of paths and trails based on what people have asked for.
The ROWIP has been written around four themes, demonstrating the contribution a well maintained and easy to use access network can make to wider social issues. The ROWIP themes were identified following the completion of the use and demand assessments:
- Sustainable Transport - use of rights of way for walking and cycling for short trips
- Health & well-being - increasing physical activity and benefits to mental health
- Rural Economy & Tourism - increase in tourism and visitor spend to the county
- Social Issues - improving access to services and tackling deprivation
Putting the Plan into Action
The Statement of Action within the ROWIP sets out our plans for implementing the ROWIP with targets and timescales for delivery. Whilst it is a requirement to prepare and publish a ROWIP, there is no statutory requirement, or specified funds to implement one. Improvement work is being implemented through existing budgets and we are currently looking at potential sources of external and other non-statutory forms of funding to translate the ROWIP to actions on the ground.
An interim progress report (April to December 2007) and Delivery Action Plan for 2008/09 are available by following the links at the bottom of this page.
Copies of the plan are available from the address below or as a download from the website:
Access Development Team
Development
Lincolnshire County Council
4th Floor
City Hall
Lincoln
LN1 1DN
For further information, contact the Access Development Team:
Telephone: 01522 552808
Email: countryside_access@lincolnshire.gov.uk
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