From GPG

Supplementary Guidance Note Advice to Highway Authorities — How to Write an Effective Rights of Way Improvement Plan

This article was designed to offer advice in writing a ROWIP. It provides a suggested template and presents extracts from published ROWIPs as examples of good practice.

Please note the examples are taken from published ROWIPs and may not include examples from ROWIPs that have been published since March 06. This does not mean the more recent ROWIPs do not include examples of good practice, merely that they have not been added to the site.

See also Writing a ROWIP part 1 — Background, Introduction and Getting Started
Writing a ROWIP part 2

Publishing a Rights of Way Improvement Plan

The Draft Plan

Local highway authorities must publish a draft ROWIP and publish, in two or more local newspapers, notice of how a copy can be inspected and representations made. (DEFRA guidance 2.5.1)

Local highway authorities are encouraged to use such other means as are at their disposal to bring the draft plan to the attention on the public. (DEFRA guidance 2.5.3)

Over half of all authorities have yet to start preparing the draft plan. Only 15% have published a draft in a variety of formats. The majority of authorities have made their draft plan available on the authority's website. See Lancashire County Council's site and Worcestershire's request for comments on the draft plan.

Dealing with representations

DEFRA consider that a minimum of 12 weeks should be allowed for representations to made on the draft plan.

Local authorities must consider any representations made. All representations should be acknowledged. (DEFRA guidance 2.5.4)

Only 7% of authorities have reached the stage of considering representations on the draft plan. The final ROWIP may need to refer to representations which have been made, and what impact they had on the final plan. In some cases a summary of representations may be included as an appendix, or made available in a different format for example on the authority's website.

Lancashire, Blackpool & Blackburn took a number of steps to ensure that the availability of the draft Plan was made known to the public.

• a letter was sent to 378 individuals and organisations, indicating how a copy of the Plan could be obtained and a response submitted. These consultees were identified from a series of lists supplied by the three authorities;
• 185 copies of the report were dispatched (47 to libraries);
• the draft Plan and accompanying questionnaire was posted on the website of Lancashire County Council with a direct link from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's website. (The Lancashire County Council website received 320 hits in December alone);
• advertisements were placed in at least three local papers (the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, Lancashire Evening Post and the Bolton Evening News).
• an article was printed in Lancashire County Council's "Vision" magazine.

Anyone asking for a printed copy of the Plan was supplied with one free of charge. (Lancashire Blackpool & Blackburn's ROWIP, 5.6 Public Consultation). View Lancashire, Blackpool & Blackburn's information on dealing with representations.

Publishing the plan

When draft plans have been amended and plans agreed, they should be published. Authorities should inform those who contributed to their plans that they have been published. (DEFRA guidance 2.5.6)

The plans must be available on request to anyone wishing to obtain a copy. The few authorities who have published a final plan have published them on the authority's website.