Hampshire County Council Draft Countryside Access Plan 2025-35

Policies and actions to improve countryside access in Hampshire

The public consultation for the draft 2025 to 2035 plan has now started. The consultation opened on 14 May 2025 and closes on 6 August 2025.

In accordance with the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, each Local Authority is mandated to develop, publish, and update a Rights of Way Improvement Plan every decade. The existing plan is set to expire in 2025, as such the draft version for 2025 to 2035 has been developed with engagement from key stakeholders and is now out for consultation. The current plan will remain effective until the new version is adopted later in 2025. The updated plan aims to incorporate new focus areas, including Planning and Transport Systems, Health and Wellbeing, Accessibility for All (encompassing physical, mental, cultural, and socioeconomic aspects), and Climate Change/Resilience and Environment.

Countryside access plan 2015-2025

Our path network includes rights of way, permissive paths and areas of public green space. It is highly valued by local people and visitors, with benefits to health, well-being and the local economy. Whilst people tell us they are generally very satisfied with the standard of our paths, we have produced the Countryside Access Plan to respond to society’s changing needs in a way that provides the widest benefit.

The plan describes how rights of way and access to the countryside will be managed over the coming years.

There are three themes:

  • Focusing resources on those paths which provide the most benefit to the most people
  • Working with other organisations, including volunteers
  • Listening, informing and education

Hampshire Countryside Access Plan 2015-2025

The 2015-2025 CAP should be read in conjunction with the seven area plans from 2008, which are rich in detail and provide the background on which this plan is based. These are retained, unchanged, for reference and to provide information about how the strategic policies may be implemented at a more local level: