Rights of Way Improvement plan
Leicestershire County Council is responsible for over 1915 miles (3084km) of public rights of way, including paths in both the countryside and urban areas. They are important for leisure, travelling to work or school and health and wellbeing. They’re part of what makes Leicestershire a special place to live, work and thrive.
Although Leicestershire’s rights of way network has developed over hundreds of years, we recognise that it must meet the current and future needs of the public. Every council that is responsible for public rights of way must have a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP). This spring, we will be reviewing our ROWIP, producing a draft document which sets out a long-term vision to develop and manage the public right of way network in Leicestershire.
What is a public right of way?
A right of way is a public highway that anyone, by law, has the right to use. There are four types:
- Footpaths for walking, mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs
- Bridleways for walking, horse riding, cycling, mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs
- Restricted byways for walking, horse riding, cycling, mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs and horse-drawn carriages
- Byways for all modes including motorised vehicles
Have your say
Your views will help us to make sure that our new Rights of Way Improvement Plan meets the needs of communities within Leicestershire
If you use public rights of way, we’d like to know about your experience and how important they are for you.
If you don’t use public rights of way, we’d like to know what prevents you and what, if anything, we can do to support you in using them.
In addition to the Survey, you can also use the Social Pinpoint Map feedback tool to highlight specific rights of way routes you use and let us know how they could be improved.
Your feedback will help to develop the priorities and actions of the draft Rights of Way Improvement Plan, which will be produced in spring/summer 2025 and will be published for formal consultation.
How to use the interactive map
- The map comes preloaded with several layers of information. To choose the layers you want to see, simply click on the 'layer' tab in the top left corner of the map, and from the drop down menu switch the layers off and on.
- You can add a marker on the map and as with layers, you can select the markers you want to see by clicking the marker tab in the top left corner of the map and choose your selections from the drop down menu. Click on the "add marker" button located in the lower right corner to place your marker in the required location. Please note, you can add more than one marker.
- When viewing the map you have the ability to scroll in and out and you can make the map larger by clicking the arrows in the top right corner of the map.