Suffolk County Council has a statutory responsibility to
maintain and update the Definitive Map on which all public rights
of way are recorded.
Recording of a route on the Definitive Map is conclusive
evidence in law of status, position and existence of the Public
Right of Way.
There may however, be unrecorded public rights of way in
existence whose legal status can only be determined by
evidence.
Access to the Map
The Working Copy of the Definitive Map can be viewed at County
Hall or at your local Area Rights of Way Office. Your District or
Parish Council also has copies relevant to their areas, but they
may not be as up to date. The working copy Definitive Map is
held on parish based negatives at 1/10,000 scale.
If you would like a map for walking we recommend Explorer maps
available at your local book or camping shops.
The Definitive Statement
The Definitive Map is accompanied by a definitive statement
which defines the position or width of a right of way shown on the
map, and any other limitations or conditions such as stiles or
kissing gates. The definitive statement is held at County Hall and
the Area Rights of Way Offices and can be viewed on request.
Changing the Definitive Map and Statement
Anyone can make a claim to the county council for a route that
they believe to be a public right of way to be added to the
definitive map or for one currently recorded either to be altered
in status, position or deleted.
Evidence of public rights of way come from historical documents
and/or from a continuous period of public use.
There are a number of ways to change the Definitive Map, further
information can be obtained by selecting the link 'Public Rights of
Way - A guide to changes' under Related Services below.
If you wish to prevent a claim on your land you can download the
form 'Public Rights of Way – Statutory Declaration' by selecting
the link 'Public Rights of Way - Claims and statutory claims
package' under Related Services below.