Councillor Jeremy Hunt, West Sussex County Council, was the guest of honour during a ceremonial walk, hosted by Werner Lulay, Director of Finance at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, to mark the official opening of the newly opened footpath.
Running parallel to an existing bridleway, the new footpath connects two historic rights of way – Footpaths 416 and 417 – for the first time, to create a ‘clean boots’ circular walk around Westhampnett and the Home of Rolls-Royce.
Over the past year, both footpaths have undergone comprehensive upgrades to provide year-round, all-weather access. Before these improvements, they were narrow, badly overgrown, and so muddy as to be all but impassable in wet weather.
Footpath 416, which links the villages of Westerton and Westhampnett, was opened in August 2024 following resurfacing, coinciding with the start of the new academic year. Similar works to widen, resurface, and landscape Footpath 417 were completed in December 2024 and inaugurated by local Chichester MP Jess Fuller-Brown.
Both footpaths have already proved popular with residents, particularly children attending The March CE Primary School in Westhampnett, as well as their families, and visitors exploring this beautiful corner of West Sussex.
The improvements to the existing footpaths and the creation of the new link have all been instigated and funded by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in close consultation with Westhampnett Parish Council and West Sussex County Council.
Comments are closed.