Equine Planning Solutions have today received detailed planning approval for a new all-weather outdoor arena on a site within the Lake District National Park. This particular application involved the diversion of a Public Right of Way (PROW).
In most instances we would suggest that new facilities are sited to avoid impacting on PROW’s but on some sites this is simply not an option. PROW’s come under County Council jurisdiction as opposed to local authority, this means any works including diversion, permanent or temporary closure of PROW’s will be subject to a separate application to the County Council. The timescales for these applications can be up to six months which is reason enough to try and avoid impacting on public footpaths.
Where works to a PROW are required it will be a matter of applying for a diversion order from the County Council, this is a similar process to a detailed planning application and will involve public notices being displayed and public consultation being undertaken before any diversion order can be granted. Once approved it will be necessary to undertake works to the PROW in advance of carrying out any works on the main project. In the case of this particular project that meant creating a new PROW, closing off the existing PROW before construction could begin on the new outdoor arena.