Meeting documents

Including

·         Walk your local paths

·         Byways issues

Mike Walker, Group Manager, Rights of Way and Access

Mike Walker (Group Manager, Rights of Way and Access) spoke to members about current Rights of Way initiatives.

‘Walk your Local Paths’ Initiative

A letter had been sent to Parish Councils, encouraging residents to walk the local path network and to let Mike Walker’s team know if there were any problems with paths.

Byways open to all traffic

A public inquiry had been held in the previous year regarding applications to upgrade routes to byways open to all traffic. The law had now changed, and applications of the same kind could no longer be made.

A Member congratulated Mike Walker on the outcome of the Public Inquiry looking into three Byway applications at Chesham.

Village Green applications

This was a growing issue, and many applications were being made as a way of preventing development. An application had been made in Bellingdon and a public inquiry would be held in February 2010.  Each public inquiry could cost between £10 000 and £20 000.

A Member said that the application in Bellingdon was delaying an application by the Parish Council for affordable homes.

‘Simply Walk’ Initiative

This had been running for six years and was growing very large. Some funding (£25 000) for Simply Walk came from the District Councils, Adult Social Care, and the PCT. However the Programme costed £40 000 annually, and was therefore currently running at a loss.

Volunteer Leaders were trained for the walks, and five walks were held in Chesham. There were c. 1200 volunteer leaders, and the response had been very good. However resources were necessary to keep the walks running.

The walks were run in conjunction with Social Care as they helped to achieve the mental health targets. The benefits of walking were social as well as physical health. The Programme was currently celebrating its third wedding of people who had met on the walks!

Rights of Way Strategy

This was linked to the Local Transport Plan. Work on accessibility had been successful, and kissing gates were now being fitted on routes instead of stiles. The ‘Donate a Gate’ Programme run by the Chiltern Society was also going well and was up to its 200^th donor. BCC had promised to match every gate donated. The donor of the gate could have their name put on the gate and choose its location.

In addition to the above, the Rights of Way Team also produced Parish newsletters.

A Member said that they were concerned that the wider gates which had been put in place for wheelchair users had meant that if the gates were left open, livestock could escape more easily. It had also made theft of livestock and horses easier.

Mike Walker said that they wanted to work with farmers on this issue. The gate described sounded like a gate for mobility scooters, and the gate should be operated by radar from the scooter. Mike Walker said that he would look into this.

A Member asked which other local groups had been contacted about ‘Walk your Local Paths.’ Mike Walker said that the Parish Councils had been the first organisations contacted, but that this could be spread further. The Member suggested the Ramblers Association.

A Member asked whether the policy was to replace all stiles with metal kissing gates.

Mike Walker said that timber gates caused many more problems in installation and maintenance.

A Member asked about the remit regarding registered land.

Mike Walker said that there would be a new Commons Registration Act in 2010 which would in theory make it easier to register land. There was no intention to review all registered land in the County, as had been done in the early 1960s.

A Member referred to Bridleway 51, and said that there was an issue with the maintenance of the surface and who was responsible for this.

Mike Walker said he would look into this, and said that he was aware of the problem of flooding and water erosion on the Bridleway and the concerns of a neighboring householder.

A Member asked who was responsible for clearing hedges from Rights of way. Mike Walker said that anything that grew naturally (i.e. weeds and nettles) was the responsibility of the County Council as highway authority. If adjoining hedgerows overgrew a path, this was the responsibility of the landowner/ owner of the hedge. BCC did have a regular path clearance programme. Much of this work was now done proactively on routes susceptible to underhgrowth, before the routes became very overgrown.

The Chiltern Society helped with clearance, with 50-60 of their members meeting to carry out works on rights of way. BCC provided resources for this, and ensured health and safety checks and risk management were carried out.

Kerry Stevens asked whether people on the Simply Walk programme could help with maintenance of the routes. Mike Walker said that the people on the walks were often elderly or less agile, so this would not be possible, especially given the level of health and safety obligations that apply.