Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Paralympic Room, Buckinghamshire Council, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury HP19 8FF. View directions

Contact: Rebecca Binstead 

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Members heard apologies from Chris Hurworth and Alan Lambourne.

2.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

Councillor S Broadbent declared a personal interest in relation to item seven, as the Cabinet Member for Transport and the Buckinghamshire Council representative on the East West Rail Consortium Strategic Board.

3.

Matters Arising pdf icon PDF 440 KB

Minutes:

No matters arising.

 

It was agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 2nd March 2022 be agreed as a correct record.

4.

Public Spaces Protection Order Consultation pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Jonathan Clark, Snr Strategic Access Officer.

Minutes:

Members considered a report requesting feedback from the Local Access Forum regarding a proposed renewal of a PSPO to temporarily close Footpath HWU/80/1 for an additional 3 years to combat antisocial behaviour. The footpath was situated between West End Street and Desborough Avenue, High Wycombe.

 

Councillor L Clarke OBE attending the meeting as an interested party, expressed support for the proposal, informing the meeting that anti-social behaviour had been rife when the footpath was open, and the residents of properties with gardens backing onto the footpath had been regularly disturbed throughout the night and into the early hours.

 

Members discussed to what extent the closure of the footpath could be attributed to the reduction in anti-social behaviour, and the chances of the issues returning were the footpath to reopen. Councillor A Turner confirmed that he had a good understanding of the area, and that the footpath would likely be used again for anti-social behaviour in the event that the footpath was reopened.

 

Consideration was also given to the balance between the number of residents adversely affected by the anti-social behaviour, and those potentially inconvenienced by the footpath’s continued closure. It was clarified for Members that the footpath ran along the back of a terrace numbering between twenty and thirty properties. The LAF had not been notified of any petitions for the reopening of the footpath, and walkers were not greatly inconvenienced by the closure. Jon Clark confirmed that whilst there were no diversion signs displayed near the footpath, the diversionary route would be obvious to walkers.

 

Following the discussion, members of the LAF

 

RESOLVED

 

by nine votes in favour to one against, to recommend the renewal of the PSPO to temporarily close Footpath HWU/80/1 for an additional 3 years. Councillor S Broadbent abstained from the vote.

 

Councillor S Broadbent asked if there would be any means by which the footpath could be permanently closed, to avoid the repeat submission of the item to the LAF every three years. Claire Hudson (Definitive Map Officer) confirmed that a permanent footpath closure would require evidence that the route was no longer necessary for public use, and unless the footpath was open, this evidence could not be acquired. It was suggested that the Rights of Way team might provide a recommendation at the next meeting about how the footpath could be permanently closed in the future. Members were agreeable to the suggestion.

5.

Flexi-Pave pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Peter Beavon, KBI UK.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members received a presentation by Peter Beavon (KBI, UK) concerning KBI’s surfacing products and their uses. The slides detailing the full presentation were appended to the minutes of the meeting.

 

The key points from the presentation were as follows:

 

·       KBI produced two primary surfacing products, Flexi-Pave and Flexi-Stone (Flexi-Fix had also been developed for pothole repairs)

 

·       Flexi-Pave was produced with rubber from old tyres, mixed with stone and a custom polyurethane binder patented to the company. 24% of the product was void, making it porous (not permeable) and allowing water to flow through the product, minimising standing water and ice on Flexi-Pave surfaces. The product was hand-laid to maintain the porosity that would be lost by application by machine/power tools. The use of tyre rubber in the product helped to reduce the number of tyres burned and the resulting CO² emissions.

 

·       Flexi-Stone retained the same porosity as Flexi-Pave but contained no rubber element and was thus less flexible and environmentally friendly. However, the product could be used for heavy-duty purposes where machinery or larger vehicles would move over the surface or remain stationary. The hand-laying method of application for the product remained the same.

 

·       Both products utilised any existing hard surface as a sub-base, which would reduce price and installation costs. The sub-base would have small holes drilled into it which would be filled with Pea Shingle gravel to allow water to flow through.

 

·       Both products could be line-marked.

 

·       KBI offered a ten-year guarantee on its products.

 

Members thanked Peter for his presentation.

6.

Staff Update pdf icon PDF 504 KB

Joanne Taylor, Rights of Way Operations Team Leader & Claire Hudson, Definitive Map and Highways Searches Team Leader.

Minutes:

Joanne Taylor (Highways & Technical Services Team Leader) gave a brief update to the LAF regarding the current make up of the Rights of Way team. It was confirmed that the team consisted of one team leader, one Bridge Structure Inspector, a Rights of Way Officer (North) supported by two assistants, and a Rights of Way Officer (South) supported by one assistant. There was also a temporary, half-time post for running capital works projects.

 

Joanne confirmed that there was one vacancy in the team, which was a new post for a Rights of Way Officer (Central). It was hoped that filling this position would reduce the high workload for the rights of way officers for the north and south areas.

 

Claire Hudson (Definitive Map and Highway Searches Team Leader) informed the LAF that the two vacancies in her team were for new posts created following an internal structure reshuffle. The vacant posts were for a new Strategic Access Officer to assist Jon Clark on major planning applications/HS2, and a Highways Research Assistant. The deadline for applications had been extended to ensure a strong selection of candidates for the posts and concluded on the day of the meeting.

7.

East West Rail Update pdf icon PDF 979 KB

Claire Hudson, Definitive Map and Highways Searches Team Leader; Jonathan Clark, Snr Strategic Access Officer.

Minutes:

Claire Hudson informed the LAF that her team was working closely with East-West Rail to monitor the various rights of way that had been impacted by construction works. Claire confirmed that sixteen routes had been diverted and eleven crossings were being negotiated. Footpath number three in Middle Claydon was to be permanently closed.

 

The Definitive Map and Highway Searches team had also received a new route for path number two in Twyford, which had been signed-off. There had been no hand-back for the total thirty-six routes set for temporary closure and detailed conversations would continue with East West Rail to ensure the routes were satisfactorily reinstated. It was hoped that following Phil Turner’s retirement, the new Strategic Access Officer would lead on East-West Rail going forward.

 

Glynn Thomas queried when the East-West Rail line could be expected to open, as the initial 2019 deadline had passed. Claire explained that the temporary closures for the rights of way would expire in summer 2023, and so it was possible that the line could open before this time. Councillor S Broadbent posited that track laying could be expected in late 2022, with the first public trains being available by 2024 or 2025.

 

It was suggested that an update on this progress could be provided to a subsequent meeting of the LAF by the East-West Rail team. Members were agreeable to this suggestion.

8.

Rights of Way Group Update pdf icon PDF 631 KB

Claire Hudson, Definitive Map and Highways Searches Team Leader; Jonathan Clark, Strategic Access Officer; and Joanne Taylor, Rights of Way Operations Team Leader.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Claire Hudson drew members’ attention to the report accompanying the item and offered to take questions.

 

Claire confirmed that an application had been received to add a public footpath to the definitive map along Northcroft Road in Weedon.

 

Jon Clark would discuss Richard Pushman’s concerns about the footpath running alongside the A419 at Cryers Hill following the meeting and raise them with the Highways Team.

 

Jon informed the LAF that the volunteer for the Chiltern Society’s Donate-a-Gate project had resigned on 27th April 2022 and that the project was therefore on hold while a replacement volunteer was found. However, the North Buckinghamshire Donate-a-Gate project was still running, and the Ramblers had recently contributed £5,000 from their raised funds to the council. It was agreed to write to the Ramblers to thank them for their voluntary efforts.

 

Joanne Taylor informed the LAF that the BVPI Rights of Way Condition Survey had concluded. The results were as follows:

 

·       Percentage of paths rated ‘Easy to Use’ - 73.5%

·       Percentage of structures rated ‘Easy to Use’ - 92.7%

·       Percentage of paths signed from road - 92.6%

 

Members also received an update on the ongoing effort to replace the Berry Hill Footbridge along the Taplow Public Footpath TAP/12/1, which had been closed to the public since May 2021 following structural deterioration. Joanne informed the LAF that the Environment Agency were likely to sign off on the design submitted as a replacement, but due to their own major works on the same stretch of river which took priority, construction would not be possible this financial year. It was however hoped that other projects including bridge replacements in Stoke Poges, Wexham, Gerrards Cross and Ashendon, as well as surface repair works in Stewkely and Penn could be completed within the financial year.

 

Progress on summer clearance works was slow owing to hot weather exacerbating the workload undertaken by the four clearance teams.

 

A voluntary effort to rejuvenate the route of the Bernwood Jubilee Way was being undertaken by the Ramblers.

 

Roy Johnson (Ramblers Association) raised a query about the use of ‘Out of Time’ resolutions to sign off reports on path problems. It was clarified that this was used where there had not been sufficient time to confirm that a reported issue with a footpath had been resolved by the landowner, and the footpath reinstated. Joanne also clarified that many clearance requests reported to the team were not able to be addressed due to lack of resources. In addition, where footpaths had been cleared, it was possible that following the growing season, the footpath became inaccessible again due to regrowth, thus forming a cyclical problem. It was estimated that between five and eight percent of the 3,353 km of the rights of way network was cleared per year.

 

9.

LAF Members' Report pdf icon PDF 513 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jon Clark drew members’ attention to the LAF Member’s report attached to the reports pack, which included the following key items:

 

Following the feedback from the LAF in January 2022 to Natural England’s Open Access Consultation on land management restrictions at Chawley Manor Farm, Bledlow, it was confirmed that Natural England agreed with the LAF on their comments, ‘that the public be allowed unrestricted access to the whole open access parcel without needing to use the scrubby, fenced-off corridor when cows were present. Nevertheless, walkers with dogs should, all times, keep dogs on a lead and stick to the “marked route”, which is now along open land to the west of the fenced corridor. This simplifies the restriction and resolves trying to keep on top of the scrub growth with limited resources’.

 

Jon expects to hear from Chiltern Railways by the end of 2022 on the outcome of their application for funding to provide disabled access improvements at Great Missenden Train Station, which had been championed by the LAF.

 

It was hoped that Neil Harris (National Trust) would comment further on an invitation for the LAF to provide comment on general felling operations related to Ash dieback at Windy Haugh, West Wycombe, but he was not present at the meeting. The item could be revisited at a subsequent meeting of the committee. David Briggs (NFU, CLA) commented that the scale of the task of managing Ash dieback would be considerable.

10.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

None.

11.

Date of the Next Meeting

2nd November 2022.

Minutes:

Wednesday 2nd November 2022.