Mum's five-year fight to create new footpath

A footpath could be created through countryside in north Leicestershire after five years of work by a village mum.

During the Covid pandemic, Jacqui Beard's son Harry, of Worthington, needed to study and take exams three miles away in Ashby, but school buses were suspended with most pupils not attending.

With only unsafe rural roads to use, Jacqui had no choice but to say "no" to Harry's plans to cycle - and she set about investigating if an off-road route could extend the existing Cloud Trail from Derby south.

Harry is now an adult, but after five years of gathering evidence and compiling reports, Leicestershire County Council said a consultation on a new right of way would take place in May.

To the north of the village is the Cloud Trail, a 13-mile route on the National Cycle Network connecting Derby Train Station to Cloud Quarry, which follows the route of the former Melbourne Line railway which closed in 1982.

But for villagers wanting to head south, there are no off-road options, said Jacqui.

"Over the years, villages have gone from being quiet country lanes to really quite major roads, and traffic numbers have just gone up and up," she said. "The main route to get into Ashby from here is a very fast road with no pavements, islands in the middle, as well in places drivers can't pull around a cyclist very easily - and it's got a hill.

"When I was looking for my son for routes he could cycle, I said 'I'm sorry but that road is just too dangerous'."

Instead, Jacqui identified a former rail-line route which could connect the village to existing bridleways that run into the centre of Ashby.

The proposed right of way, the first of three needed to fully link the two communities, takes a route through wooded areas between Standing Dale near Worthington and Melbourne Road, Newbold Coleorton, which Jacqui has proven to be well-trodden.

She said: "People were walking repeatedly on the same bit of land, they have a right of gradually turning it into a footpath.

"We were going around trying to find people that had walked that section to collect statements and fill in all these forms.

"Then, because we want to keep people walking the path, I'm now going up there and physically cutting brambles back, chopping and sawing branches that have fallen on the path, trying to keep it usable."

The application uses a process known as a Definitive Map Modification Order, or DMMO.

A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council said it was "ready to make an order to add most of the route" to its rights of way, with a consultation due on this in May.

They said: "The process has involved identifying landowners along parts of the route. Where this wasn't possible, approval was needed from the Secretary of State, which has now been given so the application can move forward.

"We recognise the strong local interest in routes like this and the difference they can make to communities, and welcome their patience while we progress through the legal process."

While the DMMO process would formalise the route as a public right of way, a further body of evidence would then need to be gathered to apply for it to be upgraded to a bridleway to allow cycling, said Jacqui - a process that could take years.

Jacqui is calling on the government to review the DMMO process to make establishing routes for wheeling and walking simpler, to help connect isolated communities, support healthier lifestyles, provide alternatives to car use, and boost tourism.

She said: "The DMMO process is rooted in ancient rules and laws, and it is very complicated.

"Yet, when they want to put a new road through or HS2 or whatever, they have powers. Technically, you could compulsory purchase for a path, but I don't think I've ever heard of anyone doing that.

"The government needs to give more focus on helping local councils to reclaim bits of land.

"There's hundreds of groups all around the country that have been desperately trying for years to create paths but it's just really hard work to create them."

The government told the BBC there are currently no plans to amend the legislation for creating footpaths and cycle tracks, although the Department for Transport (DfT) and Department for Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) are in discussions.

A DfT spokesperson said: "We want walking and cycling to be easy, safe, and accessible for everyone, which is why we are giving local authorities £626 million over the next four years to build and improve walking and cycling routes.

"We have guidance in place to help councils develop these schemes, and Active Travel England provides expert support to councils to support delivery."

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