Bridleways to reopen but landowner is concerned

A decision to give horse riders the right to use established routes has been met with caution by landowners who own a large part of the area.

Raby Estates said it would add to "visitor pressures" around The Wrekin and the permission would need to be "managed carefully and sensitively".

The decision to open up the bridleways came after a public inquiry in September and Sally-Anne Robinson, of Telford Bridleways Association, said it was "the biggest bridleway gain ever in Shropshire".

Horse riders argued they needed safe places to ride after being squeezed out of Telford due to housing developments.

Raby Estates had told the inquiry that use of their land at The Wrekin had been formally contested legally in 1996.

But 80 people gave evidence that they had used a network of routes for 20 years before then, between 1976 and 1996.

The planning inspector concluded there was insufficient proof the rights had been ended and granted permission for the two bridleways to be used.

Robinson said: "Horse riders need safe places to ride and are being squeezed out of Telford due to the housing developments.

"We don't want to go up the Wrekin, it's far too busy, just gently hack around the base with access routes off the surrounding lanes."

The two bridleways will pass through Little Wenlock, Uppington, Wroxeter, and Wrockwardine and there will also be six footpaths upgraded.

Robinson said they would be "a huge gain for horse riders for generations to come" and added: "I can't believe it after all this blood, sweat and tears."

Raby Estates said it respected the decision of the planning inspector, but also said leisure activities needed to be managed to "protect the site's heritage and special interest".

Duncan Peake, chief executive at Raby Estates said company remained "concerned about the consequences of this decision for visitors and the site itself".

He described The Wrekin as "an iconic and highly designated landscape attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year".

But he said it had seen "an increasing number of mountain bikers using the area, in addition to horse riders and walkers adding to visitor pressures".

Because of this, he said: "These activities need to be managed carefully and sensitively to protect the site's heritage and special interest as well as the health and safety of all visitors."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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