The Suffolk Rights of Way Improvement Plan
An act of Parliament passed in the year 2000* gave all highway authorities the duty of drawing up a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP). This is a very detailed process and Suffolk CC has been busy dealing with the first stage - which is to produce its 'Assessment Report'.
In order to do this, the CC has been carrying out extensive consultations and fact-finding surveys to discover :-
a. what people want and expect of the County's Rights of Way network, and
b. the extent to which the existing network is capable of meeting their needs.
The CC's investigations have confirmed what was already well-known to members of Suffolk RA, i.e. that there are many problems associated with the routes which are already shown on the County's Definitive Map, the worst of which are that there are quite a lot which are marked as culs-de-sac paths, ending, absurdly, at parish or district boundaries and many more which are equally unusable because they cross or terminate on dangerous roads.
In addition, as we have been careful to point out, there are several areas where there is a serious shortage of public paths of any variety - a situation which is particularly acute in the west and north-west of the County. We have carried out our own study of the position and - in anticipation of the arrival of the next stages of the ROWIP - have drawn up a set of suggestions for the creation of new paths and the improvement or extension of others.
We have submitted a list of 80 proposals which, in our view, deserve priority consideration - see below. It will be noted that are large proportion of them are proposals for bridleways; this is because it is known that the CC is much more likely to take the necessary action if the new routes can also benefit riders and cyclists.
A map showing the route of any of these schemes can be provided on request.
· *The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
· Suffolk RA Proposals for new or improved routes under the Rights of Way Improvement Plan
Key FP = Footpath BR = Bridleway
Rest. BY = restricted byway
| 1 | Fornham St Martin & Gt. Barton | BR |
| 2 | Ixworth | BR |
| 3 | Great Livermere | FP |
| 4 | Fornham St Martin | BR |
| 5 | Ingham | BR |
| 6 | Icklingham | BR |
| 7 | Eriswell | FP |
| 8 | Lakenheath | BR |
| 9 | Brandon | BR |
| 10 | Worlington | FP |
| 11 | Red Lodge | BR |
| 12 | Red Lodge | BR |
| 13 | Elveden | BR |
| 14 | Gazeley & Herringswell | BR |
| 15 | Exning | BR |
| 16 | Rougham | BR |
| 17 | Withersfield | BR |
| 18 | Withersfield | BR |
| 19 | Haverhill | BR |
| 20 | Kedington | BR |
| 21 | Hawstead | BR |
| 22 | Stoke by Clare, Wixoe & Sturmer | BR |
| 23 | Stoke by Clare | BR |
| 24 | Haverhill & Helions Bumpstead | FP |
| 25 | Hundon | BR |
| 26 | Barnardiston to Stradishall | BR |
| 27 | Great Thurlow & Withersfield | BR |
| 28 | Cavenham | BR |
| 29 | Eye & Hoxne | BR |
| 30 | Palgrave | FP |
| 31 | Oulton | FP |
| 32 | Gisleham & Kessingland | FP |
| 33 | Sotterley & Willingham | FP |
| 34 | Lowestoft | BR |
| 35 | Barsham | FP |
| 36 | Stowupland & Creeting St Peter | FP |
| 37 | Combs & Gt Finborough | FP |
| 38 | Bucklesham & Levington | BR |
| 39 | Trimley St Mary & St Martin | BR |
| 40 | Martlesham & Waldringfield | FP |
| 41 | Newton | BR |
| 42 | Edwardstone & Newton | BR |
| 43 | Stoke by Nayland | BR |
| 44 | Walsham-le-Willows | BR |
| 45 | Fornham All Saints | BR |
| 46 | Fornham All Saints & Hengrave | Rest. BY |
| 47 | Risby | FP |
| 48 | Westley | BR |
| 49 | Westley & Saxhams | BR |
| 50 | The Saxhams | BR |
| 51 | Horringer | BR |
| 52 | The Saxhams | BR |
| 53 | Depden | BR |
| 54 | Hawstead & Horringer | BR |
| 55 | Bradfield Combust | BR |
| 56 | Bradfield Combust & St Clare | FP |
| 57 | Drinkstone | FP |
| 58 | Kentford & Moulton | BR |
| 59 | Clare & Hundon | FP |
| 60 | Lawshall | BR |
| 61 | Rougham & Thurston | BR |
| 62 | Boxford & Edwardstone | BR |
| 63 | Hoxne & Syleham | BR |
| 64 | Bures St Mary & Lamarsh | FP |
| 65 | Blythburgh | FP |
| 66 | Hadleigh | FP |
| 67 | Hadleigh | FP |
| 68 | Fornham. St Martin to Gt Livermere | BR |
| 69 | Tostock to Woolpit | FP/BR |
| 70 | Barrow to Denham | BR |
| 71 | Aldeburgh | FP |
| 72 | Blythburgh | FP |