Parish Path Initiative

The Parish Paths Initiative has been operating in Berkshire since 1996. Since May 2001 the Royal Borough has had its own PPI liaison officer based in Maidenhead. The officer’s time is divided equally between operating the PPI scheme and general maintenance.

The Initiative was originally intended to cease in March 2002. Due to the success of the scheme it was decided to continue to operate it alongside the mainstream public rights of way work.

The objective of the PPI scheme is to encourage local people to become involved in looking after and promoting their network of paths. Grants are available to member parishes and groups. These can be used in a variety of ways such as:

• Additional clearance of well used and popular routes
• Surfacing and drainage improvements
• Signposting and waymarking improvements
• Replacement of stiles with ‘easy access’ structures such as swing gates
• Production of promotional literature
• Promotion of events such as guided walks
• Volunteer expenses

The fifteen parish councils within the Borough are now all members of the scheme, as well as three local groups. Member parishes are Bisham, Bray, Cookham, Cox Green, Datchet, Eton, Horton, Hurley, Old Windsor, Shottesbrooke, Sunningdale, Sunninghill, Waltham St Lawrence, White Waltham, and Wraysbury. The East Berkshire Ramblers’ Association, the East Berkshire branch of the British Horse Society and the National Trust are all members of the Initiative.

A wide range of work has been carried out under the auspices of the PPI. During 2002/03 this has included surfacing and signing improvements, replacement of stiles with gates, gate painting, vegetation clearance, bridge repair, support for producing a parish paths leaflet and map, replacement of a bridlegate, and volunteer expenses. In total 120 paths have been worked on under the Initiative during 2002/03.

The PPI also organises the Borough’s path condition survey: the survey operates on a rolling basis with a third of the network surveyed every year in two halves (50% Spring and 50% Autumn). Survey work is mainly carried out by volunteers from the East Berkshire Ramblers’ Association, although anyone interested in helping with this task would be welcome.

The success of the Initiative relies on the ideas and commitment of member parishes and groups: as well as resulting in practical network improvements the scheme also creates a sense of ownership between parishes and their path networks. The decision by the Borough to continue to support the scheme reflects both the achievements made to date and the Authority’s commitment to further improving and promoting its public rights of way network using the scheme.