Rolls-Royce Funds New Accessible Footpath to Benefit Local Community

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars confirms the opening of the newly surfaced Footpath 416, linking neighbouring villages of Westerton and Westhampnett
• New, all-weather surface means the route will be fully accessible to all users, all year round, for the first time
• Opening coincided with the start of the new school year, providing a traffic-free walking route for pupils from Westerton to The March CE Primary School in Westhampnett
• Forthcoming link to Footpath 417 will create a new, ‘clean boot’ circular walk around the Parish
• A major contribution from the marque to the local community, over and above requirements of the planning permission for the company’s new site extension, now under construction
• Augments the wealth of other environmental enhancements and community benefits being implemented as part of this economically significant project

“For many years, local residents have walked between the villages of Westerton and Westhampnett along what is today officially designated as Footpath 416. But in every one of those winters, the footpath has become so wet and muddy that it has been completely inaccessible to those with limited mobility. The new, all-weather surface transforms this public right of way into a year-round community asset with vastly increased accessibility and amenity value, while retaining its fundamental vernacular character and place within the local landscape. It is our contribution to our neighbours and the community we’re so proud to be part of.”
Andrew Ball, Head of Corporate Relations and Heritage, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to announce the official reopening of the newly surfaced Footpath 416, a public right of way linking the villages of Westerton and Westhampnett, which lie close to the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood. The official opening took place on 31 August 2024, to coincide with the start of the new school year.

The footpath has been used by local residents and walkers for many years. However, the underlying soil means that, in winter, it became muddy to the point of being entirely inaccessible to those with limited mobility. In a particularly wet season, this situation could persist for months at a time.

Now, for the first time, Footpath 416 will be fully accessible to all users, right through the year. With funding from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, it has been remade with a durable, all-weather surface.

In its upgraded state, the footpath now allows schoolchildren and families to walk from nearby Westerton to The March CE Primary School in Westhampnett without getting their shoes dirty. It will also soon link up with another local public right of way, Footpath 417, to create a new, ‘clean boot’ circular route around the Parish for local residents and walkers exploring this beautiful corner of West Sussex. Importantly, the new surface makes the footpath fully accessible all year round for the first time.

The surfacing and other improvements were conducted entirely at Rolls-Royce’s expense, in close consultation with Westhampnett Parish Council, West Sussex County Council and local residents; the works were not part of the planning conditions for the company’s extension project.

The new extension represents the first major change to the physical footprint and facilities at the Home of Rolls-Royce since it opened in 2003. The project is crucial to the long-term sustainability and prosperity of the company which supports the employment of over 2,500 people at the Home of Rolls-Royce and over 7,500 jobs in the wider supply chain. It also contributes more than half a billion pounds to the UK economy every year, 20% of that locally in Chichester and West Sussex.