11.7km of rights of way asserted

DERRY City Council has asserted eight public rights of way with a total length of 11.7 kilometres under Article 1 of the Access to the Countryside (NI) Order 1983.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood provided the information in response to a query from Green MLA Stephen Agnew. He stated: “While the question refers to Article 1 it is Article 3 that places each district council under a duty to assert public rights of way and to compile and preserve maps of public rights of way in its district. Councils do not have any requirement to report to the Department on delivery.

“This question has however been referred to the councils, all of whom have replied. It has not been possible to verify that each council has interpreted the question in the same way nor to confirm the accuracy of the figures supplied.”

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The Minister also stated that the Council has carried out a consultation on the extent of open countryside in the Londonderry area.

It published the Derry-Londonderry Access Plan 2009 – 2014 ( www.derrycity.gov.uk/access ) which examines the extent of access opportunity in the open countryside.

There were also consultations with DARD, Forest Service, Woodland Trust which identified: “Forest Service properties esp. Learmount Forest; Woodland Trust properties incl. Killaloo, Oaks, Prehen and Burntollet; NIEA (Natural Heritage section) properties incl. Ness and Ervey Woods; NIEA (Built Heritage section) properties incl. Ballygroll; Historical monuments in private ownership throughout the district; Sperrin Mountains from Sawel to Park village; River Faughan from Park Village to Lough Foyle.”