Local Maintenance Partnership Criteria

Under the Local Maintenance Partnership paths are given a priority status as Gold, Silver or Bronze.

Priority Gold - Immediate Action

• All promoted national or regional trails or important connections to them, to include the SW Coast Path, St Michael's Way and Saints Way. [Note 2]
• All paths (except some 'dead-ends') starting in or within 1km of the centre of a sub-parish settlement of >1000 people. [Note 3]
• Paths providing established access to formal, well visited visitor attractions including identified ancient monuments, significant accommodation centres and businesses, based on ranger knowledge and consultation responses.
• Paths known to be in popular use based on ranger knowledge and consultation responses. [Note 4]
• Paths accessible to people with limited mobility or sensory impairments based on existing promotion, ranger knowledge and consultation responses.
• Useful bridleways and byways accessible to equestrians and cyclists will generally be
  prioritised as gold unless dead-end, requiring excessive investment or subject to legal processes which might negate work done

Priority Silver - Medium Term Action

• Paths with potential to provide new promoted trails or circular routes
• Paths providing important access to or within attractive landscape features
• Important access to or within CROW access land
• Paths connecting to public transport nodes

Priority Bronze - Long Term Action

• 'Dead end' paths without other priority. [Note 6]
• Paths that run parallel with others that have a clearer higher priority
• Paths requiring excessive investment compared to the value of the route
• Paths under legal / definitive map review or possibly subject to diversion / extinguishments which might negate investment made

Notes

1. Health and safety related problems identified through a risk assessment process need to be considered on their own merits irrespective of path priority.
2. Trails include some road sections which will not require attention by the Rights of Way team or funding by the PPS budget. The Cornish Way (National Cycle Network in Cornwall) is also included - most of this is on road and will not require attention by the Rights of Way team or funding by the PPS budget. Off-road cycle trails including the Camel Trail, Coast to Coast Trail, the Great Flat Lode Trail and the Tresavean Trail, together with future Mineral Tramways Trails are included and most will again will not require attention by the
   Rights of Way team or funding by the PPS budget.
3.  Greater than 1,000 as recorded by the ONS data for the year 2000. This definition should be flexibly applied for larger settlements.
4.  Where possible, this should include paths promoted in established books where this does not conflict with other criteria. Should include paths used by children to safely access schools and paths identified as currently being used as safer alternatives to dangerous roads.
5. Gold categorisation should where possible be approached from a 'through-route user viewpoint' rather than from simple consideration of legal path identities on the Definitive Map.
6. Dead end paths are generally those which permit no onward access; minor anomalies where paths meet roads are not included