Agenda and minutes

Following the resignation of outgoing Chairman, Mr R Pushman, it was proposed by Mr D Briggs, seconded by Mr A Clark and

RESOLVED

that Mr N Harris be elected Chairman of the Buckinghamshire Local Access Forum.

Apologies were heard by Mr Glynn Thomas and Mr Alan Lambourne.

There were none.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 2^nd November 2022 be agreed as a correct record.

Following a question from Mrs A Heath, Jonathan Clark confirmed that clarification would be sought on the provisions included to accommodate equestrians within the High Wycombe cycling and walking infrastructure plan and will feed this information back to the LAF in due course.

It was also agreed by the LAF that a letter of thanks would be written to the outgoing Chairman, Mr Richard Pushman, thanking him for his efforts and contribution to the work of the LAF during his time as a member and Chairman.

Neil Jackson, Conservation & Landscape Officer; joined by Annette Weiss, Head of Engagement and Partnerships, Chiltern Conservation Board.

Neil Jackson (Conservation & Landscape Officer) gave a presentation to the LAF discussing the funding that had been issued through the HS2 Additional Projects Funding Board. The slides from their presentation had been circulated in advance of the meeting as part of the agenda reports pack and published to the council’s website. The following key points were raised in his presentation:

During the Parliamentary process to grant Royal Assent to the HS2 project, the legacy local authorities had been given assurance of the HS2 route through the Chilterns Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Chiltern’s HS2 Review Group was established with an Additional Projects Fund of £3m to secure environmental integration and enhancement measures along the specified route (in addition to the mitigation measures undertaken by HS2), as well as oversee the creation of detailed design principles which would influence the specific design of the route.

Four projects had been supported from the fund to date:

Landscape and Biodiversity Connectivity (£500,000) – overseen by the Chilterns Conservation Board (CCB) working alongside farmers and landowners. Projects included willow pollarding; hedge creation and restoration; woodland planting; wildflower rich grass margins established to increase pollinator numbers; owl and kestrel boxes; and new signage to help visitors recognise, enjoy, and respect the farming and wildlife they saw while enjoying walks across the area.

Ridgeway Riding Route (£136,000) - awarded to the Ridgeway National Trail who had ambitions to adapt seven sections (between North Stoke and the Ashridge Estate) of the existing rights of way network; and to provide new links with sections of the Ridgeway National Trail already open to horse and bike riders. Funds had also been put towards improved surfacing for accessibility purposes.

Wendover Canal Towpath Upgrade (£291,500 awarded April 2021, further £380,000 awarded November 2022) - to upgrade the badly deteriorated towpath within the parishes of Wendover and Halton. The upgraded towpath would become part of the Grand Union Canal triangle.

Misbourne Greenway (£330,000) - awarded to complete the final 1km of the 4km route between Great Missenden and Wendover after delays and inflationary pressure meant that the original Department for Transport award would not be sufficient to complete the route.

Following questions, points of clarification were made for the LAF:

The CCB was supporting and working alongside farmers and landowners situated outside the immediate HS2 construction corridor as part of the Heritage Lottery funded landscape partnership scheme within the central Chilterns area. The projects through which this support was being given would be detailed online over the coming weeks, but Neil Jackson confirmed that he was happy to circulate the background reports to the LAF in the meantime.

The Ridgeway Riding Route project included improvements to the walking route, though it was clarified that the two remained largely separate. It was hoped that existing access tracks currently used by HS2 for maintenance purposes between Frith Hill, Wendover Dean and Rocky Lane, as well as the cut and cover tunnel between Bacombe Road and Ashley Road, could be incorporated into the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Sarah Wright, Ridgeway National Trail Officer.

Sarah Wright (Ridgeway National Trail Officer) updated the LAF on the ongoing celebrations commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the Ridgeway National Trail, which had been opened in 1973 by Lord Nugent. This included a variety of social events throughout 2023. The slides from her presentation would be appended to the minutes of the meeting.

The following key points were raised in her presentation.

The anniversary events aimed to celebrate the Ridgeway’s history, as well as look forward to the next fifty years, and take input on what changes people would like to see in the future. This included efforts to preserve the Ridgeway, teaching people the countryside code and how to be a friendly, caring visitor to keep the Ridgeway special.

Mary-Ann Ochota (anthropologist, broadcaster and author) had been promoting the anniversary across various media appearances. She would deliver a talk about the Ridgeway at the Chiltern Heritage Festival in September 2023, as well as participate in a University of Oxford day course on 18^th March 2023.

A leaflet highlighting the key features, history and heritage of the Ridgeway was available as free download and would also be made available to tourist information centres locally.

Sarah left members with four questions to consider and feedback ideas to Jonathan Clark, who would pass suggestions to her following the meeting. These were as follows:

1.    Can you suggest VIPs to invite to the September event at Coombe Hill? Please use your influence to attract VIPs to this event as Buckinghamshire has a key role to play at this location.

2.    Do you know someone who would be engaging and can interpret the view from Coombe Hill at our September event?

3.    What groups in Buckinghamshire could help us draw new audiences to The Ridgeway? We want to retain our existing visitors but also attract new visitors.

4.    What does your LAF want to see along The Ridgeway in 50 years’ time? What should stay the same and what needs to change to cater for a different society? What role should Buckinghamshire stakeholders play over the next 50 years?

James Spratley, Strategic Access Officer, Buckinghamshire Council.

James Sprately (Strategic Access Officer) gave an overview of the Slow Ways initiative, which aimed to connect populated places across Great Britain via a network of walking routes. The slides from his presentation would be appended to the minutes of the meeting. The following key points were raised in the overview:

Slow ways were not just a single right of way, but a combination of several rights of way to create links between populated spaces.

The project was volunteer lead, with slow ways ‘swarms’ identifying and registering slow ways on the website. This process included a survey and verification system to help potential future users of a Slow Way identify which particular route between places would work best for their needs.

The project aimed to fill a gap by bringing a comprehensive list of rights of way, similar to a traditional Ordnance Survey maps into the digital space. James identified that younger walkers were used to using Google maps to navigate, but that this did not have quite the depth that Slow Ways could offer.

A meeting had been held with Dan Raven-Ellison, the founder of the Slow Ways project, and it had been made clear that there was an aim to move away from a purely digital presence. This could take the shape of signage, waypoint markers and physical maps for some Slow Ways routes in the future.

At the time of the LAF meeting, thirteen places in Buckinghamshire were navigable via one of fifty-nine Slow Ways. Seventy-five routes could be chosen by potential ramblers, as some Slow Ways had more than one route option, and seventeen of those routes had been verified (having had three or more positive reviews).

It was hoped that 100% verification could be achieved for Slow Ways in Buckinghamshire with the help of the LAF to promote the project through volunteer networks and supporting events. Any feedback and ideas were warmly received and could be passed on to James Spratley following the meeting.

Following questions, the following was clarified for the LAF:

As Slow Ways heavily used the rights of way network, it was possible that some routes would have stiles and steps, which could cause accessibility issues for some users. It remained an aim of the Rights of Way Improvement Plan to remove any stiles from the rights of way network. James suggested that for those unable to navigate a route using stiles or steps, a filter on the Slow Ways map to remove such routes might be a useful feature which he would seek to raise. It would also be within the power of the council to require a step and stile free route for any physically marked Slow Way, should one be identified in the future.

Slow Ways were less intended for circular, recreational walks, and were meant as a way to replace driving between two places. It was hoped that the number of start/finish nodes across Buckinghamshire would increase to ensure that as many people as possible had access  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

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

Claire Hudson (Definitive Map and Highways Searches Team Leader) gave an overview of the report which had been circulated prior to the meeting and offered to respond to questions:

It was confirmed that the Bernwood Jubilee Way was not suitable for use by horse riders or carriage drivers on section not designated as bridleway or restricted byway.

Jonathan Clark drew attention to the Strategic Access section of the report which included the following:

A planning meeting had been held regarding RAF Halton to discuss the strategic layout for the site in preparation for a draft Supplementary Planning Document to shape a residential development for around 1,000 new homes once the MOD vacate the site.

The Wendover section of the Buckinghamshire Greenway would open in mid-summer 2023. The requirement to divert Footpath GMI/70/4, which removed pedestrians from passing across the railway line at Road Farm, Great Missenden, had been confirmed by the Secretary of State and would be closed (and diverted towards Town End Farm, Aylesbury Road) when the greenway was brought into use.

Rights of way maintenance, definitive map, and strategic access officers continued to inspect and reopen rights of way which had closed to allow East-West Rail construction work to proceed.

Joanne Taylor (Rights of Way Operations Team Leader) confirmed that the Rights of way team was currently operating at near full complement, with seven full-time equivalent posts following the appointment of Phill Fox as the new Area Rights of Way Officer covering the south-east Buckinghamshire.

The 5% network BVPI survey was ongoing, with insufficient data as of the meeting to provide interim results.

Jonathan Clark gave an overview of the report which had been circulated as part of the agenda reports pack prior to the meeting and uploaded to the council’s website. There were no questions.

David Briggs queried whether there was any means by which the usage of public footpaths was monitored, as he has experienced a higher percentage of walkers across his farm since the end of the COVID-19 lockdown. The increase in footfall had been causing concerns about the structural suitability of the footpaths, and it was suggested that it might be necessary to budget for future footpath improvements if this was reflected across the wider rights of way network. Jonathan Clark suggested that this could be discussed further at the next meeting to allow time for officers to examine the issue before responding.

10am Paralympic Room, The Gateway, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF

·       19th July 2023

·       1st November 2023

It was noted that the LAF would meet at 10am in the Paralympic Room at The Gateway, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF on the following dates:

• 19th July 2023
• 1st November 2023