Bridleways are like hens teeth in West Yorkshire. As multi user routes they are (theoretically) open to a much wider range of users. You might imagine they’d be protected or enhanced during the planning process. You would, of course, be wrong.
In a classic example of not paying any attention at all planners and highways officials at Calderdale have allowed 2 bridleways to have estate roads,footways,gardens,driveways and even a house built over them. The development (at Fountain Head Road) was granted planning permission in 2005 and there is little to show how public rights of way across the site, which also include a footpath, will be dealt with in the planning documents. Don’t forget public rights of way are(theoretically) a material consideration in the planning process.
There is mention of rights of way being a limitation and a plan showing the bridleways and footpath along with the development. Some 16 years later the plan more or less reflects where the houses and roads have been built over the rights of way. Presumably, the plan should have had the opposite effect?
These bridleways are now lost for ever but not because the developer has built over them. The local planning & highway authority, Calderdale Council, have failed to consider the bridleways as part of the 2005 planning process. Subsequent to this they have failed to prevent the stopping up of the bridleways by the development.
They are fully aware of what has happened at this site but the council’s shoddy performance continues in how it is now dealing with the obstructed footpath. More on this story later.
Path Watch 