Maintaining Footpaths and Bridleways and Byways

Essex County Council has responsibilities and duties in respect to public rights of way  and  works with Farmers and Landowners, Parish and Town Councils and Voluntary Community Groups to keep the public rights of way network open for use. The Definitive Map is the County Council's legal record of public rights of way in Essex.

The Countryside Agency has published a  guide to definitive maps and changes to public rights of way. This is a comprehensive booklet  written for landowners, farmers, parish councils, town councils, groups representing users of public rights of way, as well as members of the public.

It provides  guidance and information about definitive maps - the legal record of public rights of way - and the ways in which both those maps and individual rights of way can be changed.

Rights of way are paths and tracks which, the public, has a right to use. They are collectively known as highways. The status of the right of way is individually described as a Footpath, a Bridleway or a Byway. The nature of the right differs for each.

Parish/Town Councils or Voluntary Community Groups can become actively involved in improving and promoting their local rights of way networks through the Parish Paths Partnership (P3) Scheme which is funded by Essex County Council.

Use of mechanically propelled vehicles on rights of way

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 introduced a number of significant changes relating to the vehicular use of rights of way. Two new sets of guidance were  published on the 19th Jan 2006  relateing to the use of use of mechanically propelled vehicles on rights of way.

These can be found on http://www.defra.gov.uk/