1. I must admit that I was dismayed to find these alterations taking place without any consultation whatsoever. Any alteration to a definitive right of way must be open for comment at least.

2. Although the path they were enclosing had the minimum statutory width of three metres it had cut across the route we had all been using, and had been used since time immemorial. Paths over open common land are seldom straight as people tend to wander to the left or to the right.

3. However, in the reply to my first email I was being told that they did know about the alteration to the path, and it had been assumed there would be no problem and he would look at it in the next few weeks! Ignorance was pleaded about the opening paragraph of my email.

4. 8th November 2007. The first paragraph of that email was about a 20-year user claim I had submitted for bridleways on Broxhead Common. The claim described the paths which we had often used some of which had become too overgrown with gorse for continued use. Mark Yates the Planning Inspector for the claim of 20-year user, had concluded that he could see nothing in Hampshire County Council’s lease which prevented us from accessing the common in any case.

5. After this decision Hampshire County Council wrote to say they would seek to improve access for horse riders to the common, but as you can guess, nothing changed.

6. I emailed a reply with a detailed explanation of my concerns.
   2007 MC to Rob Thompson
   
   

Next time: to be continued.

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