Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of opening paths on disused railway lines to increase public access to nature.

The management and maintenance of public rights of way (RoW), including keeping them free from obstructions, are the responsibility of local highway authorities. These authorities are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding for rights of way activities accordingly.

Local authorities are required to maintain a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP), which sets out how they intend to improve the rights of way network in their area for all users. These plans include assessments of the condition of the network and are typically available on the authority’s website.

Where disused railway lines exist within a local authority’s catchment area, it is for the authority to consider whether these can be integrated into the existing rights of way network. Decisions regarding such integration rest with the local highway authority, not central Government.