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CPAC3

CPAC3: Bridleway and cycle route access

Capital Items open_in_new View on RPA Website

£158.00

per 100 metres · yearly

info Summary

This Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) action provides and maintains new permissive access for cyclists, horse-riders, and pedestrians, free of charge, to deliver public health and wellbeing benefits. It involves creating and maintaining safe routes, installing signs, managing animals, and ensuring regular safety inspections.

format_list_bulleted What to do

  • Provide and maintain bridleways and cycle routes that are wide enough for walkers, cycles, and horses on a safe, even surface.
  • Create and install signs and maps at entrance points, and waymarks along routes.
  • Keep risky animals away from permissive access routes.
  • Carry out site inspections for tree safety on woodland access and regularly inspect non-woodland routes for safety issues, taking remedial action.
  • Maintain sward height for easy walking and riding.
  • Link access routes with other public access (e.g., Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) open access land, or public rights of way).
  • Do not close access routes for more than 10 days a year or on a public holiday.
  • Do not interfere with or block permissive access routes.

schedule When to do

  • Perform this action each year of its 5-year duration.
  • Complete all preparatory work and gain necessary permissions at the start of your agreement.
  • Install any required infrastructure within the first year of your agreement.

checklist How to do and evidence required

You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence.

You must supply the evidence if they ask for it, including:

  • field operations at a parcel level
  • associated invoices
  • photographs relevant to the action

tips_and_updates Additional Advice

  • Choose access areas that link with existing public access, are close to users, and avoid impacting neighbours' privacy. Consider using farm and woodland tracks.
  • Plan routes around field perimeters and links to open access, considering user-environment interactions and the location of potentially aggressive animals.
  • Install infrastructure ideally within the first year and discuss with your adviser.
  • Check existing insurance and consult with your provider.
  • Use MAGIC to check for existing access rights.
  • Establish routes with safe, even surfaces, wide enough for side-by-side use with passing places.
  • Install maps, signs, and waymarkers at entrances and along routes.
  • Manage access by closing routes for essential maintenance for up to 10 days (not public holidays) and regularly walking routes (monthly for woodland) to keep them safe and usable.
  • Check and replace signs and cut back vegetation, considering the height of cyclists and horse riders.

View Official Guidelines

Access detailed information about this action on the RPA website

open_in_new Visit RPA Website

info Additional Information

CPAC3: Bridleway and cycle route access

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You must read the CSHT guidance before you apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£158 per 100 metres (m) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to provide and maintain new permissive access for cyclists, horse-riders and pedestrians. You’ll provide this access free of charge to the public.

The purpose is to deliver benefits for public health and wellbeing.

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on most permanent land types. You’ll need to agree what land can be included with your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer.

You cannot do this action on land that has existing access rights.

Eligible land

All land use codes are eligible for this action.

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

What to do

Your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.

To get paid for this action, you must:

  • provide and maintain bridleways and cycle routes which are sufficiently wide enough for walkers, cycles and horses to pass side by side on a safe and even surface
  • create and install signs and maps at entrance points, and waymarks along routes
  • keep animals known to pose a risk to the public away from permissive access routes
  • carry out the necessary number of site inspections to make sure woodland access complies with tree safety – read the Countryside Code advice for land managers on creating a safe environment
  • inspect other access routes (non-woodland) regularly to ensure there are no safety issues and take remedial action where necessary
  • maintain sward height to allow easy walking and riding
  • link access routes with other public access, such as Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) open access land, or public rights of way

You must not:

  • close access routes for more than 10 days a year
  • close access routes on a public holiday
  • let any activities on land within your control interfere with permissive access
  • block existing access routes across the holding

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its duration

You should complete all preparatory work and gain the necessary permissions at the start of your agreement unless stated otherwise. You should install any infrastructure within the first year of your agreement.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence.

You must supply the evidence if they ask for it, including:

  • field operations at a parcel level
  • associated invoices
  • photographs relevant to the action

Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you may need:

You may also need to get:

  • advice from your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
  • a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat

All archaeological and historic features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).

If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.

Capital grants to support this action

You can also apply for capital items to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.

Advice to help you do this action

The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.

Horse and cycle routes are also available for walkers to use.

Choosing where to provide access on your land

When choosing where you’ll provide and maintain permissive access on your land for cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians to use, make sure these areas:

  • link with and complement existing public access
  • are close to likely users but avoid areas where new public access might impact on neighbours’ privacy

You can use farm and woodland tracks.

Think about:

  • routes around the perimeters of fields and any links to open access areas
  • the interactions between users and the environment when planning access – it’s important for users to be able to enjoy the countryside and benefit from being close to nature
  • the location of any potentially aggressive animals (such as bulls) – read guidance on cattle and public access

Ideally, install any infrastructure within the first year of your agreement. You can discuss this with your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer.

You may wish to check your existing insurance cover and discuss your permissive access plans with them.

Check MAGIC for existing countryside and rights of way open access rights on your land.

Establishing access

Provide and maintain bridleways and cycle routes with a safe and even surface. Make sure they are wide enough to allow 2 people to cycle or ride comfortably side by side with occasional passing places.

Create and install maps and signs at entrance points. Use signs and waymarkers to show routes the public can follow.

Read guidance on how to make the permissive areas of your land accessible to as many people as possible.

Managing access

When you need to carry out essential maintenance or other operations, you can close access routes for up to 10 days a year but not on a public holiday.

Walk your permissive access routes regularly (monthly for woodland), so you can keep them in a safe and useable condition.

Check and replace any lost or damaged signs and cut back surface and overhanging vegetation. Think about the height of cyclists and horse riders so they can use the routes safely. [CSHT]: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier  [CROW]: Countryside and Rights of Way  [RPA]: Rural Payments Agency  [SSSI]: Site of Special Scientific Interest  [HEFER]: Historic Environment Farm Environment Record  [MAGIC]: Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside 

Questions about CPAC3?

Ask Tom anything about this subsidy, eligibility, evidence requirements, or compatibility with other actions.