The definitive map was undoubtably the savour of our rights of way network. Without it, many paths would be been lost. Indeed, having done extensive research the Victorians were adept at destroying rights of way whilst also enclosing land – no doubt shocking to contemporaries. The definitive map was first drafted in 1949 and has been maintained since as the map of all rights of way recognised by the council (of rights of way can still exist but will not be maintained until registered on the map).
However, the creation of the definitive map was somewhat flawed in that the parish councils were given total control to determine routes. Indeed, there was probably no other way but it means routes which cross parishes may only have been recognised, and registered, by one parish and not the other. This has created a vast number of routes which simply stop in the middle of nowhere are of no use what so ever to the public.
Sometimes, routes which don’t cross parish boundaries also stop in the middle of nowhere. In some cases, this is a result of issues when digitising maps or may be because it joined a road which was considered public in 1949 but is no longer.
We need to fix this! I (Rafe Roughton) focus on East Anglia and almost every parish has at least one dead-end route. Indeed, I am in the process of claiming a number of them using a new strategy which may allow for speedier resolutions. Having the deadline to register rights of way removed this gives us the ability to fundamentally alter the definitive map to give massive benefits to the commons.
I am attempting to create a method to allow researchers to identify dead-end routes and collate them into a central database. In turn, this will allow rights of way campaigners, including myself, to challenge this glaring error and reinstate the route on official maps.
Please keep checking back here for future updates!