Rights of way in Barnet

The London Borough of Barnet has Green Belt land that penetrates into the residential area between Chipping Barnet, Mill Hill, Totteridge and Woodside Park, as well as extensive parkland in other parts of the Borough. This countryside is crossed by a network of rural rights of way and permissive paths. There has been a Public Rights of Way Officer since February 2021, reflecting the much higher priority now given to walking and cycling. Priority has been given to maintenance of the rural network to make it safe, and a lot has been done to improve drainage and the quality of surfaces, which has greatly improved winter walking conditions.

Their first public Rights of Way Improvement Plan (2025-35) is now available here under "PROW policies". Rights of Way, and all "non-motorised" access must be taken into consideration in future planning and development.

Definitive Map and Statement for Barnet

Barnet is currently working on the legal consolidation of their Definitive Map, which has not been updated since the original DM was produced. An on line version of the rights of way as they will be recorded in the consolidated map is available here. This shows the currently recorded rights of way in the rural network. Many of the urban paths that were never recorded before will be added to the DM before consolidation.

At the moment, the legal map is still in the original hard backed books, held at the Barnet Council office at 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale. You can make an appointment to look at it there, as it is a legal requirement to make it accessible, but because of the state of the old maps, you are likely to be asked to view a copy.