Three of us and visiting relatives went for a walk over Christmas just before the cold spell set in. We walked up Little Lane which is a delightful little walk. When we got back home one of the walkers got my Ordnance Survey map of the area out. He pointed out that Little Lane (a track used by motorised vehicles for access) became a bridleway past the farm, and the map clearly showed that. He then went on to tell us that the bridleway just stopped at the point of the A52 Lings Bar Road, but a footpath continued on the opposite side of the dual carriageway. This intrigued one of our party who has a long – legal – history of getting local authorities to correct Rights of Way errors they may have made over a number of decades.
Over the next few days we set out to ask questions of some of the residents who have lived in the oldest part of the village for 70-80 years. It turns out that the bridleway used to run from the centre of the village ~ defined as a point equidistant of the two manor houses – to Holy Rood Church, Edwalton, that’s the old village of Edwalton
The next thing one of our number wanted to know was – they’ve only lived in the village ten years – did the Parish Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council, and the County Council follow the correct legal process regarding protecting and preserving the bridleway, which should have been classified as an ancient right of way?
Before that question was answered, someone else asked if protecting the bridleway would have prevented the A52 Lings Bar Road from being built? The answer to that one is no. If the Parish Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council, and Nottinghamshire County Council had followed the correct legal process, a Right of Way tunnel would have been built to pass beneath the A52, to allow the bridleway to continue its path. This is the correct procedure in England and Wales and is evidenced in many parts of the country/ies.
Another question was asked: did the relevant authorities follow the correct legal process when it came to downgrading the status of the bridleway to the north of the A52 to a footpath?
So what we have on the table is a bunch of questions and no answers. The group thought it would be interesting to do a little investigative work. The logical place to start would be the Parish Council but, frankly, they haven’t covered themselves in glory in recent years, so instead we’re going to begin with the County Archives and work our way backwards to get to the full story.
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