Consolidated list of Definitive Map (DM) changes since DM2015 to Dec 19 Rosalinde Emrys-Roberts (to June 18) and Richard Cuthbert (Dec 18 on), of the Herts County Council Rights of Way

Service, report on progress with the Definitive Map. In December 2015, we sealed our latest Definitive Map—’DM2015’. In future, the working copy of the Definitive Map available on the web will be updated more regularly – probably on a monthly basis. Since that consolidation, the following routes have been added or existing rights of way changed. They are listed by District and the status of the route and its location described.

Broxbourne  A footpath has been recorded in , leading south from Ashdown Crescent to Cadmore Lane.  The footpath crossing the railway west of Dobb’s Weir in has been diverted over a new railway bridge with steps.  In Goffs Oak, a footpath has been recorded connecting Cuffley Hill (just east of Jones Road) northwards to The Drive.

Dacorum  A new footpath has been dedicated in , leading south east from Footpath 5 alongside the A41 to Footpath 1, adjacent to junction 20 of the M25.  A new footpath has been recorded in Potton End, leading north east from Brown’s Spring through woodland to connect with Nettledon & Potton End Footpath 31.  The width of the footpath leading from Green to Wilstone reservoir has been recorded following enforcement action.  In Kings Langley a path round the perimeter of the field north of Lady Meadow has been recorded as a public footpath (Kings Langley 47).  The definitive line of FP 27 which runs between Waitrose and the River Bulborne was unusable because it is blocked by developments and crosses the river with no bridges. A new line has been recorded which follows existing well used tracks.  Dean Lane runs from Clements End Road, just north of Jockey End in parish to Clements End Road in parish. The section in Great Gaddesden was already recorded as a Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT) but this terminated at the parish boundary. The remainder of the track in Flamstead has now been recorded as BOAT 59. This confirms that the public has a right of way along the entire length of the lane and removes an anomaly from the Definitive Map.  Boxted Farm lies north west of the Gadebridge area of . Two footpaths (Hemel Hempstead FP17 and FP18) have been diverted so that they no longer run through the farm yards.  Two paths have been slightly diverted and a new path has been recorded in Eddie’s Field near Ringshall in parish. The effect is to resolve some long standing questions about the detailed routes of FP2 and FP3 and to add a new FP27 linking the two.  A series of orders have been confirmed affecting the recorded paths in the neighbourhood of Betlow Farm in Rural parish. The effect is to remove some cross field paths and replace them with paths around the field boundaries. (Ref DAC/144)

East Herts  The bridleway crossing the A120 Bishop’s Stortford Bypass south of Wickham Hall is now correctly shown in the Definitive Map records.  The footpath crossing Gardners north of Gardners End, has been diverted to join Back Lane opposite Drinkwater Wood.  A length of restricted byway has been recorded linking Restricted Byways 8 and 9 with the Hare Street Road to the east of the town.  In Bishop’s Stortford, a footpath has been recorded linking Manor Road to the footpath running through Hockerill Anglo-European College.  The footpath running through Farthing Hall north of the Cowper Arms Hotel, Letty Green has been diverted to run closer to the property boundary, without affecting where it starts from the road.  The footpath crossing the railway at the north end of Thorley Street has been diverted over a new railway bridge with steps.  Three bridleways have been recorded in Ardeley and on the boundary with , linking Lye Lane in Wood End, southwards to the road via Sanders Green, and northwards to Back Lane, much of it along the Old Bourne.  In Balls Park, , the footpaths and bridleways around the park—including links between the London Road and Mangrove Road—which were required as part of the development—have now been recorded.  East of , two restricted byways have been recorded at Bucklers Hall Farm near Perry Green, running east to link Bucklers Hall Road with Brook Lane and another nearby BOAT. The record of the alignment of a nearby footpath was also corrected.  In Widford, the continuation of the restricted byway which runs south of Crackney Wood and by the sewage works to Pegs Lane has been recorded.  North of by the parish boundary with Essendon, the footpath linking Bedwell Avenue (bridleway) to Ashfield Farm south of Howe Green has been upgraded to bridleway.  In Wood End near Ardeley, a footpath which led south-eastwards from Highbury Farm to Thrift Wood has been diverted to run northwards from Thrift Wood to join the road just south of Coates Manor Farm. A new footpath link has also been created leading west from Thrift Wood to join the bridleway known as Lye Lane.  A public footpath ( 35) has been recorded running from the B1368 just south of Hare Street eastwards to join Buntingford BR 23 at the parish boundary. This forms a continuous right of way on foot between the B1368 and Owls Lane.  Part of Hertford public footpath FP61 has been recorded as a bridleway (BR61) from its junction with Bridleway 12 at the parish boundary northward to the edge of a copse. Another bridleway (Hertford BR117) has been recorded from this point to join Road (B1000). The effect is to confirm a continuous bridleway between Thieves Lane and Welwyn Road.  Between Buntingford and one path has been diverted and another upgraded. The effect is to create a continuous bridleway north of Aspenden and south of the A10 Buntingford Bypass. It avoids the need to cross the A10 and pass through a sewage works (Aspenden 2 and 11).  The footpath known as 22 and 28 has been diverted so that it no longer runs through the grounds of Halfway House.  In a public footpath (Wareside 95) has been recorded between the end of Kingham Road and the public footpath which runs along the west side of the main road.  The Definitive Map has been updated for 11a to correct a small missing stretch at its western end.  The Definitive Map has been brought up to date to show a long-standing diversion of 13 and 16 in the vicinity of Gilders.

Hertsmere  Footpaths 27 and 31, which run through the fields separating the village and the M25, and were affected by the motorway widening works, have been diverted.  Nightingale Lane, skirting the Moatfield recreation ground in and linking Bournehall Lane and Bushey Footpath 23 with Bournehall Avenue has been recorded as a bridleway.  The last section of the bridleway (formerly footpath) linking Radlett Lane (south of Park tea rooms) and Woodhall Lane to the west of Shenley has now been recorded.  Two footpaths have been recorded in Bushey, off Sparrows Hearne, to the south of the police station. One links south-westwards to Primrose Gardens, and the other northwards through to Highland Drive.  A bridleway has been added in on the Munden House estate, linking the bridleway through the ford of the River Colne at Drop Lane, along the south side of the river to join the bridleway which runs on the south side the pumping station.  Two alleyways in Bushey have been recorded as public footpaths. One runs between Primrose Gardens and Sparrows Herne (Bushey FP73) and the other between Sparrows Herne and Highland Drive (Bushey FP74).  An alleyway between Sparrows Herne and Wren Crescent in Bushey has been recorded as a Public Footpath (Bushey 75).  The Public Footpath Shenley FP23b which used to run from a junction with Shenley FP20a to Mimms Lane along the western side of the Catherine Bourne has been diverted to a new route along the Eastern side of the Catherine Bourne. The new route has the designation Ridge FP43.  In Aldenham paths have been diverted in the neighbourhood of Netherwylde Farm. The effect is to make the legal lines of the rights of way coincide with the physical routes on the ground. (Aldenham 20, 72, 73 and St Stephens 54.) As part of the negotiations for these changes the landowners agreed that where it crosses marshy ground the legal width St Stephens 54 would be defined to be 4 metres.

North Herts  The short length (less than 100 yards) of footpath running through gardens between Horn Hill and Buttons Lane, Whitwell has been extinguished.  An unadopted road in leading from the High Street to Cowards Lane called ‘the Opening’ has been recorded as a Restricted Byway.  The continuation of the track known as Lilleyhoo Lane in Lilley, has been recorded as a Restricted Byway. It runs north-westwards from the public road to join the footpath and bridleway, filling in what was a gap in the records.  In Holwell, the bridleway starting opposite Lordship Farm on the Pirton Road has been diverted. Its junction with Pirton Road has been moved a short distance to the south.  In Barley, the footpath running north-westwards from opposite Horseshoe Farm to the B1039 has been upgraded to bridleway.  A bridleway has been recorded along the parish boundary between Reed and on the east side of Bush Wood, linking a BOAT to a bridleway.  West of the A1 at , a new footpath has been created linking Park to Norton Green. At the same time, two footpaths have been extinguished; the first along the driveway to the north of the house from Lake Lodge to the gates and the second (an historic route) from near the church north to the A1 at junction 7.  North of Lilley, the footpath leading northwards from opposite Pond Farm to the Icknield Way has been diverted out of the gardens of the cottages close to Pond Farm.  A restricted byway (Barley RB18), almost 1.2 km long, has been recorded running from Bogmore Road at Shaftenhoe End near Barley southward to Bell Lane.  The public footpath FP7a has been diverted so that instead of running across the garden of Thatch Cottage it now follows the boundary of that garden.  Two restricted byways have been recorded in Lilley, both of which fill missing links in the recorded rights of way network. Lilley RB25 completes the link between FP1 and West Street. Lilley RB2 completes the link between FP2 and West Street. In addition a public footpath (Lilley FP26) has been recorded between RB2 and St Peters Churchyard.  The route of Barley FP14 has been diverted so that it no longer runs through Old Manor Farm at its north end and Abbotsbury Farm at its southern end.  The route of Codicote FP31 has been diverted so that it does not pass through buildings near Arnolds Farm.

St Albans  A footpath has been recorded in leading southwards from Salisbury Road to the Lower Luton Road.  A short section of urban footpath has been recorded in leading south west from Bassett Close to Crown Street.  The bridleway joining the A414 by the nursery at Burston Manor Farm (north of Junction 21a of the M25) has been widened.  A restricted byway has been recorded in running to the west of Symondshyde Great Wood between Hammond Lane and Fairfold Farm.  Just north of Smallford, as part of a development a new bridleway has been dedicated leading eastwards from Oaklands Lane to join the rights of way network in the old Hatfield Aerodrome area.  Woodrake Lane which runs from Barley Mow Lane in south to the A414 has been recorded as a byway open to all traffic (BOAT 60) for most of its length but as a bridleway where it crosses the verge of the A414.  The eastern part of Featherbed Lane in St Stephens’s parish has been recorded as a byway open to all traffic (BOAT 96) between Blunts Lane and the M1. A permissive path along the eastern side of the motorway provides a through route north to Bedmond Lane.  Three footpaths have been recorded linking Tyttenhanger Green and Colney Heath FP16 via the recreation ground north of the Charles Morris Memorial Hall. They are designated Colney Heath FP64, 65 and 66.  In Harpenden a public footpath (Harpenden 43) has been recorded linking Whitings Close with FP61. This resolves an anomaly in the Definitive Map.  In St Stephens a public footpath (St Stephens 87) has been recorded in the Frogmore Lakes area. It runs along the west bank of the River Ver between the river and the northern lake.

Stevenage  North of Stevenage existing footpaths Stevenage 17, 18, 22, 23 and Graveley 7 have been upgraded to bridleway status. The effect is to eliminate discontinuities in the bridleway network and create a continuous bridleway route from North Road in Stevenage to Church Lane in Graveley near to Manor Farm.

Three Rivers  A section of Rickmansworth Footpath 65 has been diverted to run on a more direct line between the bridges over the two arms of the River Colne.  In , Gypsy Lane which leads north from the Road to the railway bridge has been upgraded from footpath to bridleway.  A footpath has been recorded running around the Sports Ground south of Yorke Mead Primary School in , together with a link from Fuller Way by the school.  On the county boundary of Rickmansworth, a Byway Open to All Traffic has been recorded along the line of the old Uxbridge Road at West Hyde House. A restricted byway has also been recorded along the line of Shire Lane along the county boundary; and the recording of Shire Lane in Buckinghamshire and has been clarified where it will be affected by HS2.  In Rickmansworth, the footpath leading eastwards out of Caravan Lane between the railway and St Joan of Arc School has been diverted out of the playing field, and upgraded to bridleway.  Three paths, formerly listed as public footpaths, have been recorded as public bridleways. They are BR25 and Rickmansworth BR18 and BR19. Together they form a continuous bridleway from Copmans Wick in Chorleywood to Long Lane in Rickmansworth close to Junction 17, M25.

Welwyn Hatfield  A short section of footpath has been recorded in Digswell linking Mornington Crescent with New Road.  Two footpath cul de sacs, left over from development at the university, have been extinguished by the District council and removed from the Definitive Map.  The Definitive Map has now been changed to show the diversion of the footpath running to the north of Tudor Road in Welwyn to avoid the tennis courts.  In Cuffley, a footpath has been recorded joining Starling Lane, via Oak Lane, to Tolmers Road  In Hatfield, west of the A1M at junction 3, the footpath affected by various road widening schemes has now been extinguished.  FP25 which runs between the Ayot Greenway and Homerswood Lane has been diverted at its eastern end to run north of Brick Kiln Cottage.  Three bridleways, Ridge BR44, BR90 and North Mymms BR91, have been recorded and part of North Mymms footpath FP1 has been upgraded to a bridleway. The effect is to confirm alternative routes for walkers and a continuous bridleway for cyclists and horse riders between Tollgate Road in North Mymms via Redwell Farm to the B556.  A number of footpaths in Hatfield town centre have been extinguished, i.e. they are no longer public rights of way, to allow the centre to be redeveloped (Hatfield FP5, 5a and 136).

The routes listed should now be open and signposted for use. Please contact us if you find anything that needs to be reported.