Cambridgeshire Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) Stakeholder Engagement Survey

Overview

Background

Cambridgeshire County Council is your local highway authority, and is responsible for managing over 3,200km of public rights of way.  A public right of way is a legally protected route across land that the general public have a right to freely use.  There are four classes of public right of way:

• Public Footpaths (open to use by people on foot or using mobility aids)
• Bridleways (open to use by people on foot, those using mobility aids, cyclists and horse riders)
• Byways Open to All Traffic (open to use by all types of user, including motor vehicles, but are generally unsurfaced)
• Restricted Byways (open to use by people on foot, those using mobility aids, cyclists, horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles)

You can view a map of public rights of way in the County using our My Cambridgeshire portal, here

The Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) is a statutory document that every local highway authority has to produce.  It sets out how the authority will manage and enhance its public rights of way and countryside access.  The ROWIP must also consider cycle tracks in accordance with the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Every ten years a local highway authority is required to review its ROWIP to assess:

• the extent to which the local network meets the present and future needs of the public;
• the opportunities the network presents for exercise and outdoor recreation;
• the accessibility of the network to people with mobility or sensory impairments.

This questionnaire is to help Cambridgeshire County Council understand the concerns and priorities of key stakeholders in our local public rights of way network, to support us in undetaking the above assessment.

This will allow us to develop an updated ROWIP that identifies the needs of our communities in relation to public access, so we can plan and publish our intended actions to meet those needs over the next ten years.

There will be a full public consultation further on in the process, during which the general public will have the chance to comment on a drafted Plan.

Completing the survey

Wherever possible, please answer the questions on behalf of the organisation that you are representing. When answering on behalf of an organisation, such as a parish council or a chartity, please take care to ensure only one response is provided.

The survey is divided into sections and if you feel a section is not relevant to you/your organisation, you can move to the next section. 

Whilst you are not required to answer every question, please answer as many as you can to enable us to gather a wide range of input.  This will help our understanding of key issues to be as broad as possible. 

If you have any questions about completing this form, or if you require a printed version, you can email rowip2026@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

The deadline for completing the survey is Sunday 11th October 2026.

Data protection notice

You do not have to give us any personal information. We will not publish any personal details you do give us, but may publish your response, and include it in public reports, with personal details removed. Personal data will be held securely, in accordance with data protection legislation. We will only store it for 12 months after the results have been analysed and the report is published.

We may share your responses with our consultants, AtkinsRéalis, our partners in this work. Personal information such as your name or email address will not be shared.

For more information on how we collect and protect your data, please visit: Privacy statement | Cambridgeshire County Council

Why your views matter

By taking part you will help to shape the future of public rights of way and countryside access in Cambridgeshire for the coming years.  We are grateful for your input into this process.