All highway authorities (i.e. county councils and unitary authorities) must observe their statutory duty to maintain rights of way and keep them free from obstruction. Some highway authorities must also produce a plan, known as a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP), which sets out how they will manage and enhance their rights of way networks over a period of ten years.
Inner London Borough Councils and authorities which have been rated 'excellent' by the audit commission in terms of their overall performance are allowed to choose not to produce a RoWIP.
- Content and implementation of RoWIPs
Funding for Rights of Way Improvement Plans Integration with Local Transport Plans (LTPs) RoWIPs might include things like:
- creating links in the rights of way network to enable users to avoid roads;
- replacing all stiles with gates or gaps to accommodate people with mobility problems;
- developing routes to link with public transport;
- 'shoring-up' routes along rivers and the coast which suffer from erosion;
- building convenient and safe crossings over railways, rivers and canals.
Why not visit your local authority's website to view the RoWIP for your area?
A quirk of the RoWIP framework is that it is compulsory for most highway authorities to produce a plan, but not to implement the plan once it has been adopted. However, some procedures relating to rights of way do require a highway authority to 'have regard to' its RoWIP, such as when deciding whether to make an order to divert or extinguish a right of way.
Central government has not allocated additional funds to local authorities for the implementation of RoWIPs. Local authorities must therefore hunt around for different pots of money, and they have been encouraged to be innovative in the sources of funding they apply to.
Integration with Local Transport Plans (LTPs)
RoWIPs are being progressively integrated with Local Transport Plans (LTPs), the idea being to integrate rights of way management with local transport agendas. Given that there is no money set aside to fund RoWIPs, the integration of RoWIPs with LTPs offers some potential for a cash injection (the total local transport settlement is around £1.6 billion).
