Short cuts and dog walks could be lost forever (From Bournemouth Echo)

Short cuts and dog walks could be lost forever

8:20am Saturday 24th July 2010 in

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CAMPAIGNERS are warning Dorset residents that their favourite short cuts and dog walks could be lost forever.

Supporters of The Ramblers walking charity say Dorset County Council’s failure to “sign off” an improvement plan for the county’s rights of way has earned it a place on its “Dead End” warning list.

Campaign officer, Rachel Alcock, urged County Hall’s footpath chiefs not to slash its rights of way budget and to “reprioritise” walkers and pedestrians.

“By neglecting paths, DCC risks damaging people’s basic ability to get from A to B – difficult paths will soon become impossible to use, creating dead ends across the network,” said Ms Alcock.

DCC’s Rights of Way Improvement Plan was drawn up in November 2007, but still has to be rubber-stamped by the council’s Rights of Way committee.

The plan considered how footpaths fit in the wider highways network and how improved access could boost health, land management, the economy, sustainable transport and landscape protection.

Dorset rambler Brian Panton, the Rambler’s Dorset Area Footpath Secretary, said the charity had pressed the council for “some years” to publish its improvement plan.

“It seems that this has at last paid off as we understand that it is to finally be published in Autumn 2010.

“Our local groups are willing to do even more clearance of obstructed and overgrown paths,” said Mr Panton.

Dave Ayre, the council’s head of countryside and business support, said the authority worked closely with the Ramblers on annual report assessing maintenance and improvement of the footpath network.

“The county council works very closely with colleagues in the Ramblers to help keep our rights of way network as accessible as possible and we have no immediate plans to cut frontline rights of way services,” he said.

“The Dorset Rights of Way Improvement Plan has been many years in development and the subject of wide scale consultation with users of the network and landowners.

“The plan is nearing completion and we expect to have final approval and publication by the end of 2010.”