We were delighted to have been instrumental in getting Stevenage 118 bridleway dedicated and opened as a further section of the Stevenage Horse and Pony Route.
As part of the Trust's work in wider Hertfordshire, we saw an opportunity to link two existing bridleways and secured the agreement of the landowners. The cost of the work to legally record and then open the path was split between the Patchetts Green Bridleways Trust, the British Horse Society Hertfordshire, and the BHS Ride Out UK Fund. The path was officially opened by the Mayor of Stevenage, flanked by the chairmen of the two adjacent parishes, on 12 July 2024.
We are grateful to the Stevenage Borough Council for dedicating the path and clearing it of the brambles that had made the path impenetrable in places, and to the Hertfordshire County Council for accepting the path's future maintenance.
So that the bridleway from London Colney to the Strategic Rail Freight path network can be created, some existing paths need to be diverted to meet the planned new alignments. The upgrades and creations will then be able to take place.
The first change is the diversion of St Stephen 14 footpath to an alignment (shown in orange) slightly further north to a crossing of the railway line. The order for this change was made in October 2024 by St Albans City and District Council (as the local planning authority) and there were no objections so it should be confirmed early 2025.
This route is planned for upgrade once the connecting routes are in place.
We were delighted when the last objection to the order recording Wash Lane, now South Mimms 81, was withdrawn and the County Council was able to confirm its order adding the route to the definitive map as a byway. (Motor vehicles are restricted from using the route by virtue of traffic regulation orders.)
We applied for the route to be recorded in two sections (2003 and 2005). It runs between the South Mimms Services and the South Mimms Common, on which there are equestrian rights because South Mimms lies in a former Urban District. In other words, it's all right to ride on the grass here!
Two historic roads were recorded in Kelshall parish: Keepers Lane, now Kelshall 18 (pictured) and Whites Lane, now
Kelshall 21. These were recorded as byways.
A further route was recorded as a bridleway, now Kelshall 22. This one hasn't been ridden in a while so please allow the County Council some time to get it in order.
The application was made in 2010, and the order to record the paths was confirmed on 18 December 2024 following a public inquiry.
This short bridleway was upgraded to restricted byway, so ensuring that the rights of any carriage drivers were not lost. The application was made in 2017, and the order was made in November 2023 and confirmed unopposed in February 2024.
We'll replace the map of the path with a photograph shortly!
We were pleased when the County Council made an order to record the width of this old road in 2023, and delighted when it was confirmed in May 2024. The route had been legally stopped up as an old road but reserving footpath rights in 1967. There was no record of the width or limitations, and the confirmed order means that the width which varies between 5m and 17m is now legally proven.
We now plan to see if we can get agreement to reducing the width in return for an upgrade of the status to bridleway.
The County Council added this path in Tring to the definitive map, following an agreement in 2019 to dedicate a bridleway by the developer of the houses shown to the left of the photograph. We are grateful to the County Council for getting this path created and recorded without BHS or PGBT involvement.
The new bridleway starts from Aylesbury Road opposite Tring Town 36 byway and continues generally northwards to end on the Icknield Way.
The British Horse Society's county access and bridleways officer (CABO), John Featherstone, had collected evidence of use of this route in the 1980s, but the application languished in the county council's backlog. Then, in 2016, a new occupier of part of the woods turned riders back, so the BHS regional access and bridleways officer, Alison Balfour-Lynn, held a public meeting and collected substantial quantities of more modern user evidence and applied for the paths again. This caused the council to pick up the case and deal with it as closure of a used route gives an application a higher score under the prioritisation scheme.
We were very pleased when the Hertsmere Borough Council (as landowner) executed a conditional deed of dedication to create bridleway rights parallel to Well End Road from near the entrance to the Scouts Activity Centre to the permissive path that continues towards Shenley village. The deed comes into effect immediately after the successful diversion of the Shenley 3 footpath. The objections to the footpath diversion order have now been reduced from 5 to 2, and one of these is resolved once some surfacing and drainage work is performed.
The photograph shows the future route of the path, once the works have taken place.
The Shenley Parish Council will be considering a request for a contribution from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to fund the surfacing works, at their February 2025 meeting.
The Hertfordshire County Council (South Mimms 81) Modification Order 2022, made 21 Apr 2022 and confirmed 29 Feb 2024, added Wash Lane to the definitive map and statement as a byway.
The Hertfordshire County Council (South Mimms 72) Modification Order 2023, made 8 Jun 2023 and confirmed 30 May 2024, recorded the width of this footpath and lack of lawful limitations in the definitive statement.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Hoddesdon 73 and Brickendon Liberty 30) Modification Order 2018, made 20 Jul 2018 and confirmed 4 Sep 2024, added this bridleway to the definitive map and statement.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Kelshall 18, 19, 21 and 22) Modification Order 2022, made 17 Feb 2022 and confirmed 18 Dec 2024, added two byways and a bridleway to the definitive map and statement.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Tring Town Bridleway 71) Legal Event Modification Order 2024, made 23 May 2024, added this bridleway (which was dedicated in 2019 but which has now been physically completed) to the definitive map and statement.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Batchworth 30) Legal Event Modification Order 2024, made 4 Jul 2024, recorded the upgrade of Batchworth 30 Footpath to Bridleway that PGBT worked on with Three Rivers District Council in 2022/23.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Hertingfordbury 10) Diversion Order 2023, made 20 Apr 2023, proposes to divert part of Hertingfordbury 10 footpath. If confirmed the diverted with is 3m and there are no limitations.
The St Albans City and District Council Council (St Stephen 14) Diversion Order 2024, made 2 Oct 2024, will if confirmed divert part of St Stephen 14 footpath to the alignment needed for the proposed bridleway joining the new country park to London Colney.
The Hertsmere Borough Council (Dedication of Bridleway at Well End, Shenley) Deed 2004 was made on 12 June 2024, to conditionally dedicate a bridleway in Well End.
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 (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.
The Hertfordshire County Council (Hitchin 42) Modification Order 2022, made 10 Mar 2022, proposes to record 25m of Hitchin 42 FP as restricted byway.
The Central Bedfordshire Council (Definitive Map and Statement for Central Bedfordshire) (Hyde: Byway Open to All Traffic No 15) Modification Order 2022, made 1 Apr 2022, proposes to record the Bedfordshire moiety of this route to the definitive map for Central Bedfordshire as a byway open to all traffic. The objection period closed 27 Apr 2022 and several objections were received by the council.
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