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Core Path Planning

The Council is currently putting together a plan of a basic framework of paths that will serve the needs of residents and visitors throughout Dumfries and Galloway. This is our 'Core Paths Plan', required by the Scottish Government under the Land Reform Act. In the future these paths will be featured on the OS 'Explorer' maps as a purple dotted line.

To see a map of the proposed core paths please click the Core Paths Viewer

Page updated: 13/10/11


Formal Consultation

The draft plan was made available for public inspection from the 13th of July to the 2nd October 2009.  547 representations were received during this period, of which 338 said that the Dumfries and Galloway Council draft Core Paths Plan was 'sufficient to give reasonable outdoor access throughout Dumfries and Galloway'. In addition, 17 new responses were submitted relating to matters which arose following the statutory consultation, for example, where an objection was made on the grounds that a certain path had been omitted from the plan and the land-manager objected to its subsequent proposed inclusion.  Therefore a total of 564 comments were made on the draft plan. 

Dumfries and Galloway Council focused on trying to resolve objections through management solutions or amendments to the plan.  128 responses requested changes to the plan but were withdrawn following dialogue with council staff.  265 responses resulted in a total of 65 changes being proposed, (sometimes one change is proposed as a result of multiple requests).  71 responses were comments not requiring a change to the plan.

The residue are 100 'unwithdrawn objections' relating to 23 specific issues.  These include responses requesting that additional paths are included and that specific paths are not included.

In addition 93 errors were identified and corrections proposed.  The majority of these were minor mapping errors. 

The Dumfries and Galloway Outdoor Access Forum was consulted on every proposed change, both those resulting from the consultation and through the identification of errors.  Community Councils were consulted where local information was required or issues were felt to be controversial.  Where new paths were proposed by members of the public, land-managers were contacted directly to find out if they had any objections.

A list of those who responded is available here pdf icon summary of responses [444kb]

The draft plan along with the proposed changes and the unwithdrawn objections are now being considered by the Department for Planning and Environmental Appeals.

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Background

BackgroundCore Paths Viewer
see all the path proposals
on a map of
Dumfries and Galloway

pdf icon Draft Core Paths Plan [397kb]

List of core paths in:

pdf icon Annandale and Eskdale [41kb]
pdf icon Nithsdale [42kb]
pdf icon Stewartry [40kb]
pdf icon Wigtown [37kb]

TimetableFAQsContact Us
Final Draft Core Paths Plan: Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

The Scottish Government has asked Dumfries and Galloway Council, like all local authorities, to map the paths considered to be key to the area. These are termed 'Core Paths', and should give residents and visitors reasonable access throughout Dumfries and Galloway. To do this, the Council has looked at a set of routes identified by the public at events organised by community councils. Paths which have good community support, serve one of a number of functions and can be brought into a reasonable condition within three years are being proposed as core paths. Paths which compromise the safety of those taking access aren't included, nor those which duplicate existing routes in an area.

Most of the proposed core paths already physically exist and they can include existing rights of way, off-road paths, coastal routes, farm tracks or even minor roads. The paths provide a mixture of functional and recreational uses including walking, cycling, horse riding, access to water and other forms of non-motorised recreation. They should be well sign-posted, maintained and welcoming. In addition to providing a network for reasonable access, core paths will help to realise a wide range of additional benefits including promotion of healthier lifestyles, reduced car usage, increased tourism and assisting landowners to manage visitors.

The Core Path initiative is a duty arising from the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. For more information on the Act, please go to Scottish Natural Heritage - Access

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Timetable

Information on access in Dumfries and Galloway gathered from the public2005/06First Stage of Public Involvement
Information put onto electronic mapping system and most popular routes chosen for assessment as potential core paths2006-08   
Land-managers and the general public consulted about the paths being assessed2008/09Second Stage of Public Involvement
Access staff and trained volunteers assess the physical state of the paths and the accuracy of the mapping2008/09
Access staff write the draft core path plan

May 2009

Statutory consultation on draft core path plan13th July to 2nd October 2009Third Stage of Public Involvement
Amendments and corrections made to the draft plan; objections withdrawn where possible

2010

Outstanding objections sent to the Scottish Government; Ministers decide whether to hold a public enquiry, or to adopt the plan as it stands

December 2010


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Final Draft Core Paths Plan: Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

The Environment Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires all plans and programmes to undergo Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). This applies to plans and programmes in certain sectors (e.g. forestry and town and country planning) which are determined to have significant environmental effects. SEA provides a systematic process for identifying, predicting, reporting and mitigating the environmental impacts of proposed plans and programmes. A pdf icon Strategic Environmental Assessment [7Mb] has been carried out to assess the environmental impact of developing the draft Core Paths Plan."

Annandale and Eskdale:
pdf icon Scheduled Monuments Gardens Designed Landscapes [1Mb]
pdf icon Conservation Sites [11Mb]

Nithsdale:
pdf icon Scheduled Monuments Gardens Designed Landscapes [1Mb]
pdf icon Conservation Sites [8Mb]

Stewartry:
pdf icon Scheduled Monuments Gardens Designed Landscapes [1Mb]
pdf icon Conservation Sites [4Mb]

Wigtown:
pdf icon Scheduled Monuments Gardens Designed Landscapes [1Mb]
pdf icon Conservation Sites [3Mb]

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Contact Us

To make sure that you are notified of opportunities to contribute to the core path planning process, please complete the online form.

Related Information

Contact Details

 

Countryside Access Officer - East

Militia House
English Street
Dumfries
DG1 2HR

Tel: 030 33 33 3000 Ext: 62997
Fax: 01387 260111
Email this contact

Countryside Access Team - Nithsdale

Militia House
English Street
Dumfries
DG1 2HR

Tel: 030 33 33 3000 Ext: 64342
Fax: 01387 260111
Email this contact

 

Countryside Access Officer - West

Council Offices
Daar Road
Kirkcudbright
DG6 4JG

Tel: 030 33 33 3000 Ext: 66466
Fax: 01557 332536
Email this contact