During Access Week in May 2006, the British Horse Society launched a project to complete the Stevenage Horse and Pony Route by the Queen's Diamond Jubillee in 2012. The concept of the Route is not new: it was planned when Stevenage was being developed as a New Town. However, the authorities failed to ensure that the bridleways were added to the definitive map and so even the parts that were opened have not had the maximum legal protection that they could have had, with the result that some have since been illegally obstructed. The British Horse Society aims to record the existing parts for this legal protection, and to create the missing parts, in association with landowners and managers.
Background (from the 2006 press release)
The Route was pioneered by the Stevenage Borough Council in the 1970s, but because it was never formally recorded on the County Council’s Definitive Map of Rights of Way, parts have become obstructed, and other parts are unsigned.
Phil Wadey, BHS Regional Access Officer, said, "I am very pleased that both the Stevenage Borough Council whose idea the Route was originally, and the County Council who maintain the formal record of rights of way (the definitive map), have said that they will support us in our endeavours. Our vision is for a set of interlocking, mostly off road, circuits to create a really good network across the County."
John Featherstone, BHS County Access Officer for Hertfordshire, said, "Over the next few years, we seek to establish the line of the Horse and Pony Route on the ground with appropriate landowners. We will apply for changes to the legal record of rights of way to ensure equestrian rights are recorded along the Route, and we will seek to have the route properly signposted so that walkers and riders following the Route don’t get lost."
How riders can help
He added, "To establish the line of the Route, we have started to identify and make complaints about the obstructions, such as the barrier at Fishers Green. To get the route recorded we are collecting statements from people who have ridden the path for a long time to support changes to the definitive map. At the moment we particularly want to hear from riders who use Dene Lane, Aston or the route from North Road Stevenage to Graveley, or who used to ride north from Old Knebworth Lane. Get in touch with us by email or drop in to the BHS stand at the County Show or the BHS Hertfordshire annual meeting."
Formal Expressions of Support
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Stevenage Borough Council
stated 'Any reduction to the existing and proposed Horse and Pony Route
as shown on the proposals map will not be permitted. Where appropriate,
in new developments planning obligations will be sought for the provision
of Horse and Pony Routes as bridleways. Any development which adversely
affects the route will not be permitted unless a satisfactory alternative
route is provided.' as Policy L22 in the adopted
Local Plan.
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Route
A map showing the majority of the route (that is the parts
within Stevenage Borough) can be downloaded from the
Stevenage Borough Council web site.
Unfortunately, some of the route will initially use minor roads,
and the Society with
its Partners in the scheme will seek off-road alternatives
for the on-road stretches, by negotiation with land owners and
occupiers. The Society's local access and bridleways officers
will negotiate with the appropriate local authorities, land owners
and user groups to improve the Route.
In progress
We need to hear from people who are using parts of the
Stevenage Horse and Pony Route! In order to record and hence
safeguard the parts of the route that are already in use, we need
to show that collectively the public has used the route for (usually)
more than 20 years. We collect statements from walkers, riders and
cyclists that say in which years they used any particular section. The
statement contains some standard questions about the route and is
easy to complete. It doesn't matter whether we have one person who
user the route for 20 years or twenty people who each used the route
in a different year, so anyone who has stopped using the route or has
only recently started using it can still make a valuable contribution.
Anyone who has used any of the following route is invited to
email
saying which paths from the list, and we'll get in touch to take a statement.
- "Fishersgreen Lane", from Hitchin Road, generally westwards near Sainsbury's over the railway bridge and across the common to Fishersgreen Road opposite Symonds Green Road. (Please quote our reference: EC474)
- Bridge over Gresley Way, Aston. From Dene Lane, Aston, over Gresley Way. (Please quote our reference: EC221)
- From North Road, Stevenage, to Church Lane, Graveley. (Please quote our reference: EC475)
Results
3 Oct 08: The Order to record Fishersgreen Lane hs been made. We now wait to see whether there are obejctions! We still ahve to collect evidence until the order is confirmed, just in case it will go to a public inquiry. If you use the route, please let us know.
(File reference EC474)
Sep 07: Following the Society' application for Fishersgreen Lane to be recorded, the County Council advise that they have completed their investigations, and agree to make an order. (Note that the legal safeguards don't apply until the order is made, the objection period has passed, and the order is then confirmed. We need to continue to collect user evidence until the order is confirmed.) This route runs from Hitchin Road, generally westwards near Sainsbury's over the railway bridge and across the common to Fishersgreen Road opposite Symonds Green Road.
(File reference EC474)
19 Sep 06: 'English Partnerships', the organisation that handles land that used to be held by the Stevenage Development Corporation, dedicated a bridleway from Stevenage 22 FP to Stevenage 17 FP. They had been in discussion with the County Council about dedicating a footpath, but the Society presented evidence of riding as this is part of the Stevenage Horse and Pony Route, and as a result they executed a deed to ensure it would be recorded at bridleway status. (The Society awaits the County Council's processing of its application for Stevenage 22 to be recorded as a bridleway.) This is part of the Route running East from North Road, just north of Granby Road. The Society thanks English Partnerships and the County Council for their assistance.
(File reference EC384)
21 Mar 01: The route from Hitchin Road (opposite Sainsbury's) to North Road was recorded as a bridleway. This followed a BHS objection to the extinguishment of the nearby Stevenage 90 bridleway. The dedication of this section of the Horse and Pony Route came about in order to persuade the Society to wthdraw its objection, so the planned houses could be built.
(File ref. EC192)
Further Information
If you would like to see up-to-date information as the
scheme progresses, please book mark this page.
© 2007 The British Horse Society and Phil Wadey
