Temporary closures vs permanent access

A pause with boundaries

A temporary closure should identify where, when and why use is suspended.

In England and Wales, an authorised temporary closure of a public right of way is commonly made through road traffic regulation powers. It can protect people during works, a damaged bridge, a landslip, an event or another defined risk. The notice or order should identify the affected section and the period in force.

The closure may apply to the whole right of way or only part of it. It may affect every user or a stated category. An alternative route may be described, but its availability and suitability need to be read from the notice rather than assumed from a dashed line on a third-party map.

What remains

Temporary suspension does not normally erase the highway.

The purpose of a temporary order is to control current use, not to rewrite the definitive map. The public right remains in the legal record while its exercise is suspended for the period and extent authorised. When the closure lawfully ends, the route can ordinarily be used again under its recorded status.

This distinction matters when looking at old GPX files and mapping reports. A recording made before works began can show the legal line but miss the live closure. A recording made during a diversion can show the temporary alternative without making that line a new permanent right of way.

• Temporary orderControls use for the stated period or event while the underlying right remains.
• Informal alternativeMay help during an obstruction, but does not by itself move the public highway.
• Physical barrierShows that passage is blocked. It does not explain whether the legal basis is an order, permission or an unlawful obstruction.
• Old route filePreserves geometry, not the current legal notice or its dates.

A different legal job

Moving or extinguishing the right requires a permanent process.

A public path order can create, divert or extinguish a public right of way under the relevant legislation. The procedure includes notice and an opportunity for representations or objections. The detailed test and decision-maker depend on the kind of order and jurisdiction.

A proposed housing layout, a new fence or a hand-drawn diversion does not move the legal route on its own. Until the required order takes effect, the existing right remains on its legal line, though a separate authorised temporary closure can still prevent use while work is under way.

There is another distinction worth keeping clear. A permanent traffic regulation order can prohibit a particular kind of traffic on a route without extinguishing the highway itself. For example, motor vehicles might be restricted on a byway while walking and cycling rights continue. “Permanent restriction” and “permanent closure of the right of way” are not interchangeable descriptions.

Ask what the instrument changes: current use, permitted users, the legal alignment or the existence of the right.

Before following the route

Use the authority's live record to update the GPX.

1. Locate

   Find the responsible highway or surveying authority.

   The route may cross an authority boundary, so one GPX can require more than one closure register.

2. Match

   Compare references and endpoints.

   Confirm that the notice covers the same path and section as the planned line.

3. Date

   Read the order, not only the search result.

   Check commencement, expiry and any extension or replacement notice.

4. Route

   Use the stated diversion where it suits the activity.

   If no alternative is available, revise the trip rather than improvising across private or unsuitable land.

5. Resolve

   Ask when records and signs conflict.

   Contact the authority's rights-of-way team for route-specific information. A general article cannot determine a disputed closure.