Hampshire County Council has received an offer for the dedication of public footpath rights by Abri housing association on a newly constructed path running parallel to Rowlands Castle Road, in the parish of Horndean. The dedication is linked to the development of an area of land east of Horndean (planning reference 55562/013). The path is shown in the Google Streetview images at Appendix 1 (below) and on the accompanying dedication plan at Appendix 2. 2. The path, which has a tarmac surface, has already been constructed. Its provision was a condition of an agreement under section 106 Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Schedule 3 of the agreement includes a clause which states that “The owner covenants with the county council to maintain the footpath in as built condition from the date of this deed until the footpath is adopted by the county council pursuant to a footpath dedication agreement”. 3. The agreement will be progressed via a public path creation agreement under the provisions of section 25 of the Highways Act 1980. The path will become publicly maintainable highway upon completion of the agreement, and it has been agreed that Hampshire Highways will take on this responsibility. The developer has undertaken to cover the County Council’s reasonable costs associated with progressing the agreement. 4. The path is shown running between A-B on the accompanying dedication plan. It is 1.9 metres wide approximately 125 metres long and runs in an east-west direction alongside Rowlands Castle Road. Its western end terminates on Rowlands Castle Road at a tactile pedestrian crossing, whilst at the eastern boundary of the site the footpath continues into an adjacent development (this path is due to be adopted via a section 38 agreement). 5. It is a requirement of section 25 that before entering into any agreement the County Council consults any other local authority in whose area the land concerned is situated. Officers at East Hampshire District Council have been consulted, and have confirmed they have no objection to the proposal in principle.