The southern section of Bishop’s Stortford Footpath 002 from Dane O’Coys, reopened to the public earlier this year. The northern section remains closed, subject to a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO). This latter section will not reopen until a new access road into the estate from the bypass has been constructed – we have no idea when this will be.
The reopened section of footpath has a reasonably wide sealed surface that bears little resemblance to the earthen path that once crossed open fields. Several people have commented that the footpath now looks like any other on the estate and question why it has been signposted as a shared path for both pedestrians and cyclists. It’s a reasonable question but the answer will be rather surprising to some.
When Stortford Fields was planned the developers chose not to make any legal changes to the status of the existing public rights of way. This path consequently remains a public footpath but the landowner at its discretion can permit other users access to it without having to change its legal status. It’s a neat way of extending access to other users without having to go through the longwinded legal process of upgrading the path to a bridleway which requires public consultation.
