Rights of way improvement plan
Page updated on: 28/09/2026
Following the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000 all local highway authorities were required to publish a rights of way improvement plan (ROWIP) covering all of their area.
The Act also imposed a duty on authorities to review their ROWIPs within 10 years of producing their last plan.
Improvement plans are intended to be the prime means by which local highway authorities will identify the changes to be made in respect of the management and improvement of their local rights of way network to make better provision for walkers, cyclists, equestrians and for those who face barriers in accessing the countryside.
Public rights of way can provide valuable links between communities, to places of work and to local amenities. They are also an essential part of rural tourism and have an important role to play in improving and sustaining health and well-being and in meeting the objectives outlined in the Well-being of Future Generations Act (2015).
Carmarthenshire’s first Rights of Way Improvement Plan reached the end of its term in 2017. A revised ROWIP for the period 2019 to 2029 was subsequently published and is available to view below.
In 2023, we carried out a mid-term review of the 2019 to 2029 ROWIP to assess progress and identify future priorities. The findings of this review are set out in the Mid-Term Review document, which can also be accessed below.
