We reported last year on the great work that had been performed by the Jasmine Safety Track Trust in Sarratt and surrounding areas. JSTT was formed in 1994 by Tina Robinson after the death of ‘Jasmine’, her son’s pony, in a tragic road traffic accident on Bucks Hill, Chipperfield. JSTT’s aim was to identify and open off-road tracks to help keep horses off the busy roads, to the advantage of both horse riders and other road users.
The JSTT trustees wished to retire and so needed to find another body to take over the land and paths. The Patchetts Green Bridleways Trust became a ‘charitable incorporated organisation’ (CIO) in 2020 so that there was a more permanent body to hold the land, and the JSTT completed the transfer of the two strips of land it held for riding to the CIO.
One strip had already been dedicated as a bridleway, and we are pleased to announce that we executed a public path creation agreement with the County Council on 22 July 2021, so that the second strip is also a public bridleway maintainable by the council. This route, known as the ‘Memorial Track’, had been available for local riders to use since JSTT opened it in 1997. It is now definitely safeguarded for the future.
The Jasmine Safety Track Trust and the Chess Valley Bridleways Association performed most of the leg work in getting expressions of support for the dedication while we provided legal and process expertise and performed the actual dedication.
In addition, because there was more land than the council wished to take responsibility for, we have dedicated the remaining land as ‘access land’ for walkers and riders under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. We think this is the first access land to be dedicated in Hertfordshire that allows equestrians.
For many years walkers, riders and cyclists rode through Wall Hall college on the route, shown orange, from Aldenham 77 BW to Aldenham 12 BW.
In 2012, we collected evidence of use so that we could make an application to have the route formally assessed. The application started to be processed by the County Council in 2015, and an order was made in 2018 to record a bridleway along the route that had been ridden. However, the Wall Hall Management Company objected, and so the order will need to considered by an Inspector.
We continue, slowly, to collect formal witness statements for the expected public inquiry, but were pleasantly surprised in December to find that the Wall Hall Management Company had made planning application 21/2272/FUL for permission to put in a barrier on the road leading to Aldenham village. Its plans show a barrier bypass for horses, and an artist’s impression of a horse using the byway was provided in the planning drawings. We have asked the county council to look into this as it may indicate that the management company are preparing to concede.
As part of the British Horse Society's work to record paths before Path Extinguishment Day, it was spotted that Rose Lane from the Lower Luton Road to Wheathampstead 10 bridleway was actually an old road.
As the St Albans Footpaths Society already had an application being processed for an adjoining footpath, we checked the evidence was sufficient and then suggested that they make the application, so it would be dealt with by the County Council at the same time. The council agreed with the application and an order was made in 2019 and confirmed unopposed in 2021. This is a good example of a ‘perfectly obvious path’ that needed to be recorded.
As part of the work to record paths before Path Extinguishment Day, it was spotted that the section of Little Munden 7 from Green End Lane to Little Munden 16 restricted byway was actually an old road, so an application was made to record it as a restricted byway. The County Council agreed with the application and an order was made in 2013 and confirmed unopposed in 2021.
In January, planning application 21/0050/FULEI for a large solar farm was made to Hertsmere Borough Council. The application included a long access road between the east and west sites.
We believe that this access road and two extra sections within the planning boundary, all shown orange (left), would be a superb bridleway route. The crossing of the A41 could be linked to Butterfly Lane and on to Tykeswater Lane without riders having to use the busy Dagger Lane - Aldenham Road - Butterfly Lane junctions (shown in yellow).
This major development in the green belt would spoil the views from the existing paths, but this would be a mitigation measure that would improve road safety. It was not in the planning application, so we need to persuade councillors of the merits. Ultimately, no permission for development was given.
A long bridleway was proposed as part of the planning application 5/2020/3022 to St Albans District Council. This would have connected St Stephen 3 bridleway to Lye Lane and would have been very useful to local riders. We put in supporting statements to the planners.
St Albans turned down the application in May 2021 but an appeal is expected. We very much hope that if permission is granted then the path will be created.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Little Munden 7) Modification Order 2019, made 27 Nov 2019 and confirmed 4 Nov 2021, recorded the part of Little Munden 7 bridleway south of the Old Bourne as a restricted byway on the definitive map and statement.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Sarratt 80 - Jasmine Safety Track) Legal Event Modification Order 2021, made 16 Dec 2021, added the bridleway dedicated by the Patchetts Green Bridleways Trust on former Jasmine Safety Track Trust land in Sarratt to the definitive map and statement.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Aldenham 12, Aldenham 84) Modification Order 2018, made 14 Dec 2018, proposes to add a bridleway along the physical roadway though Wall Hall.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Bushey 76) Modification Order 2019, made 27 Nov 2019, proposes to add Finch Lane to the definitive map and statement as a byway open to all traffic.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Little Berkhamsted 18) Modification Order 2021, made 23 Sep 2021, proposes to alter the alignment of this bridleway at the southern end on the definitive map and add detail to the definitive statement.
© 2025 Patchetts Green Bridleways Trust.
