Discovering Lost Ways                 BHS Access Cornwall Home Page

Should have been coming to Cornwall in 2007 but Natural  England  abandoned the  Project
and now See Stakeholders Working Group

What are lost ways?

This project lost its way - courtesy of DEFRA - Natural England etc. !

For more information and insight please click on the following link to download the recommendation and listen to radio 4 item.

Discovering Lost Ways: NEB PU09 10

Listen to the BBC Radio4 Item on 'You and Yours' 15th March 2008

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) set a deadline of 1st January 2026 to register forgotten 'historic' footpaths and bridleways on the definitive map. By historic it means those that were in existence before 1949.The government gave the job of co-ordinating this work to the Countryside Agency - now Natural England.

Discovering Lost Ways was a national project to work systematically towards achieving a definitive map which reflects existing rights - not defining new ones.

The purpose of the Discovering Lost Ways Project was to examine the key historic documents involved and record evidence of the existence (or in some cases closure) of historic ways, and to submit claims to amend the definitive maps.

The potential Good News is that the project pilot has highlighted the problems we all face in getting our ridden routes on the map under current legislation and the poor state of the definitive map. They seem to be recognising that legislation needs to be improved and simplified, if any progress is to be made. We all knew that before without wasting £4M.

Ther last government subsequently established a Stakeholders Working Group to look at the issues. It duly reported but we are awaiting to see the course of action (or inaction the current government chooses to take. See Stakeholders Working Group