Archive - Friday, 6 February 2004


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Concern over path hierarchy

PATH protection group the Open Spaces Society has condemned plans by Wiltshire County Council to introduce a 'path hierarchy' to decide priorities for maintenance.

The council has divided paths into three groups to enable the paths most frequently used and most in need of work to be dealt with first.

But the move has upset the Open Spaces Society, which was founded in 1865 to protect common land and people's right to enjoy it.

Kate Ashbrook, the society's general secretary, said: "A hierarchy will lead to some public paths being completely neglected.

"Yet all public paths are highways in law, just like any road. The public would soon complain if their roads ceased to be maintained and became overgrown and blocked."

Richard Broadhead, Wiltshire's County Council Rights of Way manager, said: "We fully intend to maintain all the paths. Each parish is dealt with on a five-year cycle programme. If, however, we are alerted to a problem outside of that parish we will make it a priority."