The County Council has produced a Rights of Way Improvement Plan

The plan considers how best to manage and develop the Rights of Way network in the County for the next 5 years.

Leicestershire, like many counties in England has a wonderful network of Public Rights of Way. The 3000 kilometres of Rights of Way in the County offer the best way to explore and enjoy the countryside. The paths also provide local routes that link communities and give access to schools, shops, work places and other facilities for many. To put this into some sort of perspective, this is the equivalent of managing a path that extends from Leicester to well beyond Moscow.

Although this network has developed over hundreds of years, it needs to meet the current and future needs of users. The County Council is considering how best to manage this unique resource.

In researching the plan, the authority considered national, regional and local research. This includes local surveys, exemplar projects set up by the Countryside Agency and a raft of national studies. All of these have underlined the importance of walking and riding in people’s everyday lives

The full Strategy is available as a pdf from here. This is a large download of 8mb

A summary of the document is available here.

A paper copy can be ordered from footpaths@leics.gov.uk for £10

For further details contact:

Rights of Way Unit,
Travel Choice & Access Team,
Leicestershire County Council,
Environment & Transport Dept.,
Room 700
County Hall,
Glenfield,
LE3 8RJ

phone 0116 305 7086

or e-mail footpaths@leics.gov.uk