A bold new plan for improving thousands of miles of footpaths, bridleways and byways across the special countryside of Cumbria is being launched on Monday, July 9th.
Cumbria's 4,600 miles of rights of way network cover a distance equivalent to a journey from Keswick to Kathmandu. The county's Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) launched on Monday sets out how access can be improved to better meet the needs of residents, visitors, walkers, cyclists and other users.
The Cumbria ROWIP launch is happening at the Hideaway Café near Lupton on the A65 between Kendal and Kirkby Lonsdale at 2pm. Weather permitting, the launch will involve a short walk down along towpath of the Kendal to Lancaster canal. All media are welcome to attend with interviews and photo opportunities available from 2.30pm.
The Cumbria ROWIP is a five-year programme drawn together by Cumbria County Council in partnership with the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national park authorities as well as the county's three Local Access Forums.
Research carried out by the partnership examined what people want from the network. The ROWIP identifies a range of things that can be done to meet those desires and more than a thousand suggestions from local people and visitors have helped shape the plan.
Improving access for families and people with limited mobility to places like the towpath where the launch is being held is just one of its aims.
The ROWIP includes plans to better integrate rights of way with public transport, make the network more accessible to families and people with limited mobility and aims to encourage more use of the network by young people and minority groups.
Ian Stewart, Cumbria County Council's Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Planning, said: "We are blessed in Cumbria with the finest network of footpaths, bridleways, byways and other countryside access opportunities. But we can improve on this and the ROWIP shows us how. Some parts of the network are exceptionally popular attracting large numbers of visitors with spectacular scenery, relatively good facilities and information. In those areas the challenge is to look after the countryside so that it can cope with the visitors and retain its special character. Other parts of our rights of way mainly serve local people for recreation or daily journeys - some of those areas would benefit from improvements or new linking sections to make better routes."
The chairman of the Lake District National Park Authority, David Thornton, said:
"We think the Rights of Way Improvement Plan will help us reach new audiences. And we look forward to working with our partners to put the plan into action and really make the difference on the ground that we all want to see. As part of our comprehensive guided walks programme, as well as our famous rambles up the likes of Helvellyn, we will be offering short leisurely walks, health walks, 'Miles without Stiles' walks and some walks that are specially tailored for community groups who might need a helping hand to access and enjoy the countryside.
Cumbria County Council has produced its full Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) four months ahead of the November deadline, set by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW).
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Notes
The launch event will start at 2pm for 2:30. If the weather is fine there will be a short walk down the towpath, for photo opportunities. If the weather is wet photos will be available from the coffee house terrace.
The programme of speakers is:
Cllr Ian Stewart, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport & Planning, CCC, "Cumbria's ROWIP" - 5 minutes Charles Flanagan, Chair, Lake District LAF, "Involvement of the LAFs" - 2˝ minutes David Thornton, Chair, Lake District National Park Authority, "Diversity" - 2˝ minutes Dr Malcolm Petyt, Recreation Management member champion, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, "The benefits of a partnership approach" - 2˝ minutes Andrew Coleman, Countryside Access Manager, CCC, "A milestone in the department, thanks and summary", 2 minutes
The duty for every Highway Authority to produce a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) was introduced under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, 2000 (CROW). There is no duty to implement the ROWIP, therefore new funding opportunities must be sought. Further information is available from the Countryside Access Development Officer on 01228 601022 or abigail.mansley@cumbriacc.gov.uk
The full ROWIP, an 8-page summary leaflet, and the appendix can all be downloaded from http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/countrysideaccess/Countryside_Access.asp
A total of 1,200 improvement ideas were submitted as part of the earlier stages of consultation on the ROWIP.
Local Access Forums are independent, statutory advisory bodies. Their role is to provide advice on countryside access in Cumbria. The forums advise the County Council and other local authorities on providing rights of access to the open countryside. They are also principal advisers to the County Council on the development of Cumbria's Rights of Way Improvement Plan. Further information is available from the Countryside Access Partnership Officer on 01228 601064 or simon.boyd@cumbriacc.gov.uk or www.cumbrialaf.org.uk
Media enquiries to Justin Hawkins, Media Officer on 01228 606334