In 2010 the then Northamptonshire County Council made an order to create a right of way on Wharf Lane, Yardley Gobion.  There is ample evidence to prove that the lane should be a right of way, but over 15 years later this order has still not been confirmed because the council would not provide the resources to complete the process and for a public inquiry which is likely to be necessary because of landowner objections.

Until recently walkers have used the lane without being challenged, but now the stile and waymarks have been removed, private land signs have been erected and the gate is padlocked.  This makes the popular and useful public footpath SH29 across the Tove Valley unusable, as well as bridleway SH30. Wharf Lane is also the only convenient route to access the canal towpath from Yardley Gobion for villagers and boaters.

We call upon West Northamptonshire Council to confirm the Wharf Lane Definitive Map Modification Order without any further delay and set a target date in 2026 for the process to be completed.