Green lane will be restored for all users

The Green Lane Association has won a court case which will compel Wrexham County Borough Council to restore the surface of an unclassified county road in north east Wales so that all recreational users can access it.

The Association has obtained a consent order under section 56 of the Highways Act 1980 which will see the route brought back into good repair by September 2024. The result builds on the success of a previous High Court legal challenge, raised by the Association and the Trail Riders Fellowship, which quashed an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) which had been imposed by the council to prohibit the public from using vehicles on the Whitestones route.

Users have encountered problems, including blockages, on the route, near Llangollen, in Wrexham County Borough since 2016. Since the success of the High Court action to overturn the ETRO, in August, there has been an improvement in the condition of the lane, with the worst parts repaired. But the success of the latest court case means that the lane will now be repaired to a good surface so that all recreational users will be able to use it again.

The court also ordered the council to pay some of the Association’s legal fees and, significantly, ordered that the council should ensure that its network of green lanes remains open to vehicles.

Green Lane Association Chairman Rob Tongue said: “This is a great result for everyone who wants to access our countryside in a responsible way without encountering accessibility problems. There have been problems on this route for a number of years and we are delighted with the results of these challenges that safeguard access to the stunning scenery of the Ceiriog Valley for all. Both cases underline the importance of taking legal action, where necessary, in order to protect our public rights of way.

“While we recognise this as a significant success in our fight against the unfair exclusion from public rights of way of recreational users, the Association is reminding its members, and other users, that they are expected to comply strictly with the Association or TRF codes of conduct when using the route.”