The ‘Clip CLOP’ Appeal – Result/History

LATEST UPDATE May 2026

Shropshire Council have now installed wooden bridleway signs at each end of the route and waymarkers along it, spoken to the landowner about keeping the double gates near Ollerton Lodge unlocked, and added a long reach handle to the wicket gate at the boundary of Peplow Hall and Ollerton Park.

As such, the route can now be considered as ‘open’ and thus suitable for public use.

If you wish to view the route on the SC definitive map, use this LINK – then select Public Rights of Way as your ‘filter’, and type Peplow into the search box. Otherwise you can see it on this diagramatic map:

If you wish to travel by car to walk the route, there is some roadside (verge) parking by Peplow Chapel and (the adjacent) Home Farm, or within Ollerton. When parking, please do not obstruct any accesses.

IMPORTANT – Users can play their part in helping to ensure harmonious relations with the landowners by: respecting the privacy of the land/properties alongside the route; keeping dog(s) on a lead/under control (and if they poo cleaning up and taking it home for disposal – as there are no dog poo bins nearby); as well as not depositing litter, and leaving any gates as they are found.

Important

Should users encounter any problems/issues with the route, please alert SC direct using the contact form on their website HERE or emailing outdoor.recreation@shropshire.gov.uk – and in either case quoting the formal number of this right of way, which is: 0227/UN2/1

Note. Although the work of the campaign team is now, hopefully, over; for the first few months of use, any concerns raised with SC could usefully be copied to the clerk of Stoke upon Tern Parish Council, using:- clerk@stokeuponternparishcouncil.gov.uk

UPDATE March 2026

We have now heard from Shropshire Council (SC) that the landowners involved have not sought to challenge the inquiry decision in the High Court, which is fantastic news as it means the route is now legally confirmed as a bridleway – and for all time! This is a fitting result for all those who participated in a campaign that involved a lot of people, over a lot of time – in fact just over 10 years.

Whilst the route is partly useable, we are awaiting some practical works by SC to fully sign the route, and adjust some gates along the way.

UPDATE – DECEMBER 2025

Shropshire Council (SC) have now published an order making use of this new bridleway legal for public use – effective from 3rd November 2025.

SC have also advised that the right to use the route* is not conditional upon any further legal steps an affected landowner may, or may not, wish to take (e.g. to challenge the inspector’s decision).

A copy of the order can be viewed HERE

Key points to be aware of in the order include:

A/ The gate at Eastern Bridge is not an authorised structure on the route and, as a potential illegal obstruction to use of the route, will either need to be removed or formal permission to keep it sought. Pending removal, should it be found to be padlocked shut that would constitute an additional illegal obstruction to use^.

B/ The double gates near to Ollerton Lodge are an authorised structure but must not padlocked shut, as that would constitute an illegal obstruction to use of the route^.

C/ The landowner could, if they so wish, install a further gate (but not locked) by Ollerton Lodge to replace a gate that was acknowledged to be there in the past.

The key fact is that use of the route, in part or whole, will no longer constitute ‘trespass’ – as the public now have a legal right to be there and to use the route without challenge/obstruction.

It is to be hoped that all involved can now move on from the past, and that harmonious relations between users and landowners become established. Users can play their part in this process by respecting the privacy of the landowners &/or their tenants, i.e. not wandering off the route into private areas, keeping any dog(s) on a lead/under control (plus cleaning up after them, and taking poo home for disposal as there are no dog poo bins nearby), as well as not leaving litter and leaving any gates as they are found.

NOTES

1/ *With the Xmas break upon us, SC do not plan to take action to formally appraise the landowners of their (new) responsibilities, erect suitable signage and deal with any potential route obstructions/issues until January 2026.

2/ ^ Should you find a gate locked you could (legally) climb over it (if able, and ideally choosing the side nearest the gate hinges) or alternatively, if practical, you could (legally) depart from the mapped bridleway and take any reasonable alternative route to get around the obstruction. Any such barriers to access encountered should be reported to SC – email (emily.parsons-jones@shropshire.gov.uk)

3/ At the inquiry it was established that whilst the owners of the route in front of/alongside Peplow Chapel are unknown, various landowners have a legal right of access over it. So, if you are parking there (using the limited parking on the highway verges) it is important to not cause an obstruction. 

4/ There is no parking by Ollerton Lodge, so it would be necessary to park in Ollerton itself.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2025

Monday 3rd Nov could be a date that lives long in local memory, after it was today confirmed that the inspector has decided the recent public inquiry in our favour.

Needless to say thanks are due to so many many people who have assisted in this long and detailed process, and full details will be included in a formal communication that will shortly be sent by email to all participants/supportive interested parties. However, it is fair to say that without the basic faith/financial support of Stoke upon Tern and Hodnet Parish Councils, plus funding from the ClipCLOP appeal and the British Horse Society we would not have been able to use our excellent rights of way consultant – Mr Robin Carr, and without him we would have been most unlikely to properly make our case.

NEXT? This does not mean that the public can legally use the route just yet, as Shropshire Council will need to formally publish the final order recognising the route first.

Further news will follow in due course, but in the meantime let’s salute all those who have helped get us to this point!

A copy of the order decision report can be downloaded HERE

UPDATE OCTOBER 2025

As planned, the public inquiry took place in September.

Despite the dates being known for months, on the opening day the inquiry was told that the opposition land owners’ two principal witnesses (Mr Hollins and Lord Newborough) were on holiday and ‘not available’!

After a bit of an ultimatum initiated by our representative, Robin Carr, it was agreed they would appear by internet video call on the day after the formally scheduled 3 days for the inquiry, i.e. on the Friday.

In a further delay to proceedings, the opposition’s barristers asked for closing statements to be submitted later (online), and after a discussion a date of 6th October was agreed for that.

Now all the evidence has been submitted we await the result of the inspector’s deliberations.

UPDATE AUGUST 2025

After a nearly 10 year legal process to try and get the route (shown below) added to the legal map of Shropshire’s bridleways, the Planning Inspectorate are set to begin their formal Public Inquiry into this matter at 10.00 on September 9th 2025.

It is being held over 3 days at the Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, and those with an interest in the outcome may wish to attend to hear all, or just part, of the competing claims about the nature and past use of this route by the public over many, many years.

The purpose of the inquiry will be to hear/test evidence supporting the making of the order to add the route (made by Shropshire Council in August 2022), but against which the opponents (landowners) appealed.

The outcome will not be announced until sometime after the inquiry concludes. We hope we have a compelling case, but if we lose, that’s it. If the opponents lose they may still have limited grounds for appeal to the High Court – and one result of that could be an order to re-run the inquiry !

Whilst it’s too late for any further evidence to be submitted, it’s not too late to lend your suppport by, like many others, helping to fund the final costs of the inquiry process (still uncertain – but we are working with an estimate of up to £10,000). You can do so by making a donation to the Clip CLOP appeal fund – see below, and we hope you’ll consider doing so, or if you’ve already done so making a further contribution. Any amount welcome, as they all start to make big difference if done by many!

Clip CLOP APPEAL

The Clip CLOP* appeal is being jointly run by the Hodnet and Stoke upon Tern Footpath Groups to help finance professional representation at a Public Inquiry (PI) into a claimed Public Right of Way (PROW) between the two villages.

The claimed route (until blocked by new landowners) had been used for many decades by people living in Ollerton and Peplow, as well as others from further afield, and had been used on foot, by horse or by bike. See ‘more information’ below for full details.

If we can successfully make our case at the PI, local residents and the wider public will obtain permanent legal access to a safe/traffic free route between the two villages. It will also open up connections between existing nearby PROW, enabling longer rides/walks in the local area.

Please help us to fight for your future right to use this route

*The appeal’s name alludes to the use of the route by Bicycles (i.e. bike ‘clips’) and Horses (i.e. ‘clop’ of horses hooves) – as we hope to have the route confirmed as a public bridleway, i.e legal use by horse or bicycle riders as well as those on foot.

THE KEY WAY YOU CAN NOW HELP

Is by making an (anonymous) donation, using the BACS details (SINCE REMOVED) below, to help fund representation of our case.

Thank you.

MORE INFORMATION

Route Map: The claimed route crosses the River Tern on the only bridge for some miles in either direction, and runs between Ollerton Lodge and Peplow Chapel. Part of it parallels an existing path, FP9, that terminates at no particular destination and is, for all intents and purposes, unused.

History: For a long time people used an established track between Ollerton Lodge and Peplow Chapel to cross the River Tern – and in doing so access each others communities or services within them. Even though another similar route was partially claimed as a footpath (shown as FP9 on the map), and thus legally recorded when the first official PROW maps were drawn up in the 1950’s, the route the subject of this campaign was not – even though it was widely recognised at the time to be in use. As such, its continued use by the public relied upon the tolerance/goodwill of the respective landowners of Ollerton Park and Peplow Hall (now in separate ownership, but in the past all owned by Peplow Hall).

Action: Worried that expected changes to land ownership at each end of the claimed route might jeopardise future use, a group of residents got together in 2015 to start to collect evidence of past use and submit a claim to Shropshire Council (SC) to have the route formally recognised via a Definitive Map Modification Order (DMMO) – i.e. amending the official public rights of way map to show it. This work was later taken over by Stoke upon Tern Parish Council, and endorsed by Hodnet Parish Council (the route spans two parishes), with the claim formally submitted in 2016.

Nothing happened for a year or so (other than the new landowners erecting gates and challenging/preventing use), but SC eventually declined to make the requested order – largely on grounds of insufficient submitted/discovered evidence. An expanded working group was then established by Stoke upon Tern PC, which led to a formal appeal being made: with large amounts of extra evidence obtained (past user statements and historical research) and submitted – with user statements being a key item of evidence.

After lengthy consideration, the Planning Inspectorate upheld the appeal in late 2021, and SC were instructed to issue a DMMO, making the route official, by August 2022. The landowners involved exercised their right to appeal the order, resulting in a Public Inquiry (PI) being ordered. ‘Seed’ money to finance the required PI work has been provided by Stoke upon Tern PC, with matching funding from Hodnet Parish Council. However, with final costs uncertain we do need to raise a separate fighting fund – hence the Clip CLOP appeal.

Note. Funds raised by this campaign will be directly applied to cover necessary PI costs/expenses; but in the unlikely event that the funds raised are not fully required, any balance will be donated to other bodies engaged in similar work, e.g. The Ramblers or the British Horse or Open Spaces societies.

If you’ve read this far, thank you – and if it has inspired you to share our message and/or contribute to our campaign, thank you very much.