Outdoor Partnerships The Countryside Access Team

Day to day maintenance of the public rights of way network, and some works on the council's sites and parks, is carried out by our in-house Countryside Recreation Team, based at Old Nills Depot, Pontesbury.

The team is responsible for general maintenance of rights of way, sites and parks, including minor surface works, clearance of surface vegetation, and the repair and replacement of most bridges. The team builds and fits wooden kit bridges where these are suitable, but larger structures are contracted out, as are any major surfacing or drainage works on paths.

In addition to dealing with individual reports from the public, over the years the Countryside Recreation Team have managed large capital programmes of works, which include many large projects such as the replacement or repair of large bridges, improvements to existing paths, and the development of new links in the network. In recent years these include The Jack Mytton Way extension, several Ride UK circular bridleway routes, and improvements to the Offas Dyke National Long Distance Trail.

Following the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, the Countryside Recreation Team is working on a variety of projects to help improve the rights of way network. Other areas of work include open access land and involvement with the Shropshire Great Outdoors Strategy Board. You can find out more about these using the related links on this page.