Have you ever walked/ridden between Peplow and Ollerton? If so please read.

From Stoke Upon Tern Parish Council.

WANTED – People who have walked or ridden between Ollerton and Peplow

For many years some residents of this area have used a route (indicated A – B on the accompanying map) to walk, cycle or ride horses between Peplow Chapel and Ollerton Lodge, and vice versa.

In 2016 (conscious that the described route does not appear on official maps as a recognised public right of way) Stoke upon Tern Parish Council lodged an official claim with Shropshire Council to have this route legally recognised – and thus protected for future use.

The legal process involves examination of historic documents, but rests heavily on past users of the route completing a simple ‘user statement’ – covering matters such as the route used, the years it was used and whether or not its use was effectively ‘as of right’. Some 28 statements were submitted, which the Parish Council felt was a considerable number from a small rural area.

Recently Shropshire Council completed their official investigation, but unfortunately turned down the application. Their reasons for this appear to centre partly on a lack of historical evidence but, more importantly, also from a stated lack of user statements from people who have no connection with Peplow Hall’s tenanted homes or previous owners/occupiers of land at Ollerton Park.

The Parish Council feels that the case for this route being recognised is fairly strong and that, for various reasons, Shropshire Council’s decision is flawed. Accordingly we have lodged an appeal to have the case reviewed by the Planning Inspectorate. This process provides a brief opportunity* to submit new/further evidence, and with that in mind we URGENTLY need EVERYONE who has ever used this route, and may wish to do so again, to complete a user statement.

If you have not already completed a statement please do get in touch with the Clerk (details below) immediately and the necessary forms will be sent to you. After completion they can be scanned and emailed back or posted. In either case the Clerk will arrange for them to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.

Any documentary evidence/photos of the route in past use would also be welcome, especially any relate to claims already received of past use by the military, e.g. troop movements between Peplow Railway Station and RAF Peplow (aka Childs Ercall/Eaton upon Tern airfield) during and after WWII.

If you’d like to help secure this route for future generations please consider whether you or others in your household could complete a statement, or if you know of relatives, friends or neighbours who may have used it and could do so– even if they’ve since moved away.

*Documents need to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by 27thNovember 2020.

If the appeal is lost there will be no opportunity to revisit the subject, so please don’t delay ACT TODAY!

Graham Bould.

Clerk – Stoke Upon Tern Parish Council

Email: stokeparishcouncil@hotmail.co.uk or Phone: 01952 594758