Guidance on Stiles, Gates and Gaps

General

The landowner, by law, has a duty to maintain structures such as gates and stiles on rights of way on their land.
The County Council can provide grants of up to 25% towards the cost of replacing stiles and gates.
Where possible gates and stiles should conform to British Standards (BS5709).
Generally, new stiles can not be erected where there were none previously. Please contact the access rights of way officer for your area if you have any queries regarding this.
Temporary electric fencing must have a suitable crossing point where it intersects a right of way (see illustrations below).
The County Council can erect gates to restrict public access on the grounds of antisocial behaviour as well as crime. More information can be found on the Alleygates in County Durham web page.

Stile

Gates

Gates must open freely, for example; be properly hinged and have a suitable fastening device (latch, loop or bolt). Gates that are tied shut with twine, wire or locked in any way are considered an obstruction.
Gates can not be erected across a right of way where none previously existed, other than for controlling stock. If gates are required for containing stock your local access and rights of way officer must be consulted prior to installation.

From an accessibility point of view, wherever practical, a gap is always preferred over a gate and a gate is preferable over a stile.

There are various designs of stile and gate for Footpaths and Bridleways and to suit different boundry types. New or replacement stiles should confirm to British Standard specifications, however they can be adapted to suit the location and topography.

Click on the links below to see more detail drawings, please note, some of these images have a larger file size, therefore they might take longer to load over a standard internet connection:

Stile Standard Stiles