|
1
|
Footpath Secretaries
The group has two footpath secretaries, one covering Epping Forest District and the other covering the London Borough of Waltham Forest. They are part of a larger team of Footpath Secretaries who between them cover the whole of Essex (including those London Boroughs which were at one time part of Essex).
They are:
Epping Forest District:
Roger Gibbs
26, Brook Road,
Loughton, Essex.
IG10 1BP
Tel: 020 8508 1546
London Borough of Waltham Forest:
David Boote,
email:
david_boote@yahoo.com
Tel: 0845 009 0073
|
Footpath Secretaries'
Responsibilities
The responsbilities of a footpath secretary are:
to receive from the appropriate local authority information about proposed diversions and extinguishments of PROW and to respond to them (this may involve attending and giving evidence to public inquiries);
to receive information about developments affecting PROW and to comment on them (in Epping Forest district this is done in conjunction with the Countryside Officer – see elsewhere in this website);
to receive and act upon problems and complaints about PROW notified by members of the public;
to inform him/herself about and as appropriate become involved in other matters related to PROW in the district, including claims for the inclusion of paths not currently shown on the definitive map as PROW;
to meet with, discuss and coordinate actions with the footpath secretary for the Essex Area of the RA and other district Footpath Secretaries, and to contribute to RA consultations relating to PROW.
|
Typical Path Problems reported to our secretaries
While most PROW are usable, they are subject to a number of problems, of which the most common are as follows:
1 Broken, missing or obscured finger-posts;
2 Obstruction by ploughing and the growth of crops over paths;
[In our district, where arable farming predominates this is probably the main problem that walkers face. According to the law the farmer can plough a cross-field path where he/she has traditionally done so, buy has to make good the surface and restore the visible line of the path to the minimum statutory width (1 metre for footpaths) within 14 days. Headland paths (paths along the edges of fields) must never be ploughed and must be maintained to a minimum width of 1.5 metres). But note that the Highways Authority is responsible for vegetation growing on the line of the headland path, which often forces people to walk in the crop. It is rather obvious that the law on ploughing and cropping is very frequently ignored; legally, failure to comply creates an obstruction].
3 Lack of clarity of route due to absence or damage to way-markers;
4 Obstruction of paths by materials dumped on the path, overgrown hedges, locked gates, illegal barbed wire or electric fences etc;
5 Broken, damaged or overgrown stiles and bridges;
6 Threats from dogs and other animals.
[NB land-occupiers can keep animals in fields crossed by PROW – including non-dairy bulls where cows or heifers are also present – but are liable if they harm a person walking on the path].
if you encounter any problems when out walking please contact one of our footpath secretaries. He will then discuss the matter with the parish adopter and if necessary with ECC's Footpath Officer, or with the appropriate official in Waltham Forest.
Alternatively or in addition, in the case of paths in Epping Forest district, contact directly ECC's Footpath Officer for Epping Forest district at the West Area Office, Warwick House, 1 Roydon Road, HARLOW, Essex, CM19 5DX Tel: 01279 642500
|
|
2
|
Parish Adopters
Each of the 27 parishes in Epping Forest has an 'Adopter', who is a volunteer member of the West Essex Group, who keeps an eye on the state of the paths in the parish and reports problems as a basis of undertaking remedial work.
The adopters have a good knowledge of their parishes and are aware of which problems are longstanding and intractable and which can be dealt with fairly quickly. The London Borough of Waltham Forest is not included in the adopter scheme.
Normally the footpath secretary refers complaints from members of the public to the relevant Adopter to check them, and then the Adopter passes them on (in many cases the complaint will refer to a problem that has already been identified). This report is usually passed to the Coordinator for the adopter system.
|
Three main courses of action which Adopters can take to remedy problems
1 The standard procedure is to report the matter to the official in the HA who is responsible for ensuring that PROW are kept in good order. If the land-occupier does not reinstate a path or remove a crop or other obstruction the council can arrange to have the work done and then charge the land-occupier, and the person can be prosecuted.
2 In co-ordination with the local authority some kinds of work (such as bridge building, erection of stiles, building of steps on slopes and clearance of vegetation) may be undertaken by the Working Party (see further below).
3 In some cases it may be possible to make a direct approach to the land-occupier or owner.
|
|
3
|
The Working Party
The working party consists of volunteers from within the group who meet once a month normally on the second Tuesday to carry out footpath improvement work. It works in close cooperation with Epping Forest Countrycare, a department of the district council.
Achievements
Since the working party started it has installed over 200 waymarker posts as well as 75 bridges and 10 rambler stiles or kissing gates. Over 50 major path clearances have been undertaken.
|
Winter
In the winter months the work consists mainly in clearing overgrown paths, particularly those which run between hedges and are very prone to becoming choked with brambles, nettles and young trees.
Spring
In the spring, when birds start to build nests in the hedges, the work changes to the installation of footpath furniture, ie, footbridges, waymarks and gates.
Steps for Slopes
Paths on steep slopes often benefit from the installation of steps.
|
Step over Stiles, Kissing Gates, Rambler Stiles
In recent years we have largely given up installing the traditional type of stile with its one or two steps since these can be an impediment to the less agile walker or even dangerous when they fall into disrepair. If there is a need to control animals a preferable solution is to install a kissing gate (one which swings within a box) or a rambler stile, which has swinging arms which allow one to walk through when they are pushed aside.
Installing a Footbridge
When a footpath crosses a stream or ditch it is usually beneficial to have a footbridge so that people can cross safely and easily. These are all built from timber kits to a standard design and vary only in length. A team of four people can install one in half a day.
Waymarker Posts
Waymarker posts help to make the route of a path clearer and are particularly helpful when paths go through gardens or by the side of houses where one might think one was trepassing or over large open fields where the line of the path is indistinct.
|
