Meeting documents

Apologies were received from Mr D Briggs and Mr J Cooper.

There were no declarations of interest.

·         Feedback on Action List – focus on outstanding items

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 6 June 2007 were confirmed as a true record with the addition of Mr R Pushman under ‘Apologies for Absence’.

Feedback on Action Lists

The Action Plan for LAF would be added to the December and March Meetings. A forward plan of agenda items would be discussed at future meetings.

Mr J Lusher, Wycombe Summit Mountain Bike Club.

John Lusher and Richard Rollins attended the Forum to discuss mountain biking and rights of way issues. They are both Members of the Wycombe Summit Mountain Bike Club.

During the presentation the following points were noted:-

• The Club has been funded since 2006.
• The aim of the Club was to help people meet and pass knowledge around.
• 85 paid Members of all ages (16-65) and the membership doubled every year – £15 annual fee.
• They had commercial links with local shops and good links with local clubs.
• There was a diary of events (e.g guided rides twice a week varying in distance).
• Night riding was becoming popular with improvements in lighting technology.
• Hyde Heath wood was leased from the Forestry Commission so that they could use the land specifically for mountain biking and to hold races.

They have responded to the Rights of Way Improvement Plan on the following points:-

• Bridleways were fragmented which made it difficult to complete routes across Country
• There was a need to link up local communities
• The Council should work with local clubs to look at nature/location of bridleway improvements to work towards a connected network and also to help with surveys.
• Joined up routes should be promoted to encourage people to commute to work by bike and to promote visitors to the local area, which would boost the local economy.
• Provide detailed information for multi users on surface conditions, nature of slopes etc, particularly for the disabled.
• Upgrading footpaths to bridleways.

During discussion the following points were made:-

·         There were always users who did not obey the rules and used footpaths inappropriately. The Club always used bridleway routes.

·         Some large groups of cyclists could be seen as intrusive in the countryside and frightening if cycling at speed. The Club were an organised group and always respectful of other users. If a large group turned up for a ride event then they were split into smaller groups e.g 8 was seen as an ideal number. Road cyclists tended to cycle in packs more often.

·         Mr M Walker informed Members of a serious accident where a cyclist had been travelling at a high speed and had hit a ramp which was constructed to help drainage. The Club had not experienced any major accidents and that when conducting races, an ambulance was present. Mr N Harris reported that it was important that the public used the countryside responsibly e.g quarries, pits, bridleways, but there were insurance issues linked to this.

·         Young children who enjoyed extreme sports could have limited access to good facilities without public transport and therefore may take risks in the countryside. In addition some facilities were only available for 16 year olds and over because of insurance issues.

John Lusher and Richard Rollins were thanked for their presentation, their contributions to the Improvement Plan and their offer to work with the Council on improving rights of way.

Report from Jonathan Clark, Strategic Access Officer

Dog Control Orders

The Forum was asked its views on the best way of dealing with Dog Control Orders. LAF should now be consulted by District Councils when making, amending or revoking a DCO. None had been received so far. A leaflet had been produced by AVDC. The options discussed were as follows:-

·         To discuss each Order at Forum Meetings

·         If authority should be delegated to specific individuals to look at the Orders

·         Whether to consult with Local Members, District and Parish Councils about this issue.

The Forum agreed the following response:-

·         To write to District and Parish Councils to remind them of their responsibility to consult with the County Council.

·         A copy of the Order to be sent to all Members and an overall response to be co-ordinated by a specific deadline. If there were any concerns this would be addressed at the Forum Meeting itself.

SSSI Diversion Orders

There are new powers to enable Natural England to apply to a highway authority to divert public rights of way where the public use of the highway is causing damage to a SSSI. The Forum noted that it was likely such applications would be rare.

DEFRA consultation on proposals to improve access to the English coast.

John Elfes had attended the Coastal Access Seminar in Peterborough where Natural England had made it clear that it welcomed the views of "non-coastal" forums since this would give them a wider view of what the public felt about this issue.

During discussion the following points were made:-

·         Was any funding being offered by Natural England to improve access to the English coast?

·         The coastline should be easily accessible by all users.

·         There needed to be adequate paths to and from coastal access routes.

·         Local authorities needed to address local issues.

The deadline for responses having passes:

The Forum agreed that it would put forward a response at the next opportunity.

Open Access Assessment and Monitoring in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire County Council has decided to undertake a survey of its ‘open access’ sites to attempt to evaluate the manner in which sites are being used.

Some Forum Members were attending a Meeting in Oxfordshire and agreed to report back to the Forum at the next Meeting as to whether Buckinghamshire should undertake a similar exercise, particularly bearing in mind cost implications.

Report of Jonathan Clark, Strategic Access Officer on issues from Members.

Verges

Mr R Boas had raised a number of points regarding the maintenance of verges. It was discussed at some length at the Chiltern Society Rights of Way Group. There was a perception that due to a lack of resources the Transportation Service was unable to respond appropriately.

Mark Averill, Transportation Service reported that there was a duty placed upon the Highway Authority to create a footway by the side of a carriageway if it considers one is necessary. This was dependent on a number of factors such as whether use by vehicles was high, if public transport was poor, the usage of footpaths was predominant, or if it was urban fringe. Limited resources will always make it necessary for the Council to prioritise and target the appropriate areas. He agreed to discuss the issue of access in rural areas with other colleagues in Transportation.

Mr R Boas reported that there were particular concerns about specified stretches that linked footpaths that were potentially hazardous to walk and could become unusable because of hedge overgrowth. In response to this it was noted that the Council was consulting about reducing provision of rural grass cutting. The next contract would commence in 2009 and it was hoped that savings would be achieved through the contracting process. There was currently a minimum of 3 cuts a year. The Council also needed to liaise with adjoining landowners about cutting back hedges on their land. Under Section 154 of the Highway Act 1980 the Council has powers to require landowners to cut hedges where these encroached on a footpath and made it impassable. Members of the Forum were asked to feedback to Officers any problems with overgrown hedges on highway verges, to the Transportation Service so that arrangements could be made for them to be cut back promptly.

The Forum agreed that the Transportation Service would address the problem of the maintenance of verges in association with interested parties, and by meeting with the Chiltern Society.

In addition the following points were noted:-

·         It would be useful to engage with Local Area Technicians regarding their particular area.

·         Such issues were also discussed at Local Area Committees.

·         Once hedges were cut this could often leave rubbish exposed which looked unsightly.

·         A Weekly Programme of works was submitted to all District Councils.

·         A list of specialist sites is provided to contractors so that wildlife habitats are protected.  However, safety was paramount and hedges would be cut back if necessary.

·         Drainage channels could be difficult to see and could sometimes be hazardous. Work was being undertaken to make these visible and to deter grass growing up around these channels. They were however, an essential part of the highway drainage system.

Report from Paul Battye, Strategic Access Team Leader

Rights of Way Improvement Plan

The Rights of Way Improvement Plan has been produced and distributed to a wide consultation list (approximately 500 copies). The consultation is due to end on 31 October. Four District consultation events are to be held to allow parish members and the public an opportunity to discuss matters with officers. Responses so far have been almost entirely positive, particularly in respect of the Plan’s readability, its tabular actions and the connections to the Council wider policies and plans. Some respondents felt that the Strategy is too broad, and needs to include more partner contributions and focus on certain users.

Members of the Forum have been asked to volunteer to attend one of the District events. The timetable for the Plan was noted as follows:-

There was some discussion as to whether the Working Party should be reconvened. It was agreed that this was not necessary as the response from the consultation could be co-ordinated by Officers.

Recommendation.

All LAF members are asked to RESPOND in writing, to the Improvement Plan, before the 31 October deadline, either online or by letter, focusing primarily on the statement of actions. Members are also invited to attend the consultation events where applicable.

Growth Area Funding and Green Infrastructure

A variety of green infrastructure workshops have been held, aimed at developing bids for DCLG funding. The funds are all related to the projected housing growth around Aylesbury. Two bids have been submitted that will bring benefits for rights of way, open spaces and the countryside and Members will be kept informed of progress.

Buckingham Riverside Walk Project

This is a new circular walk around Buckingham and is due to be launched in Buckingham on 22 September.

Any Members who wish to attend the Launch should contact Paul Battye for further details.

Open Access Work

Natural England has confirmed that the Council is to receive a grant this financial year for the delivery of further Open Access Projects in the County.

Right to Apply

A response had been circulated by the Council on the consultation document on the implementation of the right to apply for orders to extinguish and divert public rights of way. There was some concern that the new legislation in its current format was unworkable and this had been addressed in the response.

The deadline for responses fell between LAF meeting dates and during the holiday period. However, DEFRA did not agree to any period of extension so the Forum had not formally responded, although individuals had written in with their views. Some Members suggested that the legislation was an improvement; some suggesting a repeal would be preferred and therefore it was difficult to co-ordinate an overall response.

Open Access to Richmore Hill and Grays Lane Bank

These two parcels of land were originally included  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

·         Access Newsletter – Please find attached the latest issue

·         Byways Open to all Traffic (BOATS)

Neighbouring LAF Meetings

The Forum noted that it would be useful to attend other Council’s LAF Meetings as part of a benchmarking exercise. Some Members of the Forum were attending a Meeting in Oxfordshire and a volunteer was required to attend the Meeting in Northamptonshire on 26 September 2007.

The Forum agreed that Members would then feedback at the next meeting.

Byways Open to all Traffic

Members noted that the Council has decided to formally object to orders that it has been directed to make by the Secretary of State, the effect of which would be to upgrade three routes currently recorded as Bridleways to Byway Open to all Traffic.  There have been in excess of 200 objections to the Orders and the matters are likely to be determined at Public Inquiry in 2008. 

LEADER Bid (Links between Actions for the Development of the Rural Economy)

Mrs C Aston reported on the three bids for the Chilterns, N Bucks and the Colne Valley. The bids had been worked up and were being dealt with by Business Link. The bids addressed issues such as forestry, local food and leisure in the countryside. Members should contact Mrs C Aston if they wanted any further information.

The next meeting of the Forum will be held on Wednesday 19 December 2007 in Mezzanine Room 3, County Hall Aylesbury.

Dates of future meetings:

2008

5 March

11 June

17 September

17 December

The next meeting of the Local Access Forum will take place on Wednesday 19 December 2007.