Public rights of way: the law on unrecorded historic rights of way
Please note that this guidance is intended to be used for general information purposes only, is not intended to be a definitive guide to the law and cannot be a substitute for independent advice. NFU members can obtain free initial legal and professional advice from NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458.
This Business Guide provides a summary on the law relating to unrecorded public rights of way (“PRoW”) being reinstated, or upgraded where there is historic evidence of a public route.
It also sets out the application procedure, and the evidence you would usually look at in order to object to a PRoW being reinstated or upgraded.
For information about new PRoW being created based on the public’s long use, please see Business Guide 401: “Public Rights of Way: preventing new rights of way arising through long use”.