Public Rights of Way - Stockton Borough Council

The Authority has a statutory responsibility to produce and maintain the records of all public rights of way with powers to promote and publicise access to the countryside particularly in relation to leisure and recreational activities.

The Council has a statutory duty to "assert and protect" the rights of the public to use and enjoy all public rights of way. The principal duties can be summarised as follows:

To assert and protect the rights of the public to use and enjoy all their highways
To prevent so far as possible the stopping up or obstruction of all highways
To enforce the restoration of footpaths & bridleways unlawfully ploughed or disturbed
To signpost & waymark footpaths, bridleways & byways
To keep the Definitive Map under continuous review. This shows the location of all public rights of way
To make modification orders to take account of events requiring the map to be modified
To keep copies of the Definitive Map and statement, together with copies of any subsequent modification and reclassification orders, available for the public inspection
To draw the attention of the public to this availability and the right to apply for modification orders to be made
To review and publish plans for improving rights of way in the Authority's areas
Establish a local access forum for the area

Also see Frequently Asked Questions

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