AGENDA ITEM

AREA COMMITTEE: SOUTH

DATE: 2ND OCTOBER 2007

SUBJECT: CONSULTATION DRAFT OF LUTON RIGHTS OF WAY IMPROVEMENT PLAN

REPORT BY: HEAD OF ENGINEERING & TRANSPORTATION

CONTACT OFFICER: KEITH DOVE 01582 547211

IMPLICATIONS:

LEGAL 3 COMMUNITY SAFETY

EQUALITIES ENVIRONMENT

FINANCIAL 3 CONSULTATIONS

STAFFING OTHER

WARDS AFFECTED: ALL

PURPOSE

1. The Government requires the Council to publish a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP) that sets out the current condition and use of Public Rights of Way in and around Luton, and suggests ways in which it could be improved. Government Guidance on the content of a RoWIP indicates that it should cover:

• the extent to which rights of way meet the present and likely future needs of the public; • the opportunities rights of way provide for exercise and other forms of open air recreation and for enjoying Luton and its surrounding area; and • how accessible rights of way are to blind or partially sighted people and others with mobility problems.

2. It is necessary as part of this process to conduct a 12-week consultation on the draft RoWIP to assess the priorities of local residents and other interested stakeholders. The results of this consultation will be reviewed and used to inform the development of the final Plan to be published in late 2007. The purpose of this report is therefore to seek the views of this Area Committee on the consultation draft of the Luton RoWIP, a summary of which is appended to this report.

RECOMMENDATION(S)

3. That the North Luton Area Committee note the report, and identifies the priorities that should be afforded to each of the actions and any other actions not currently included in the plan

REPORT

4. The countryside in and around Luton is one of the town’s prime assets. To the north, east and south of the town, the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) has some of the finest scenery in southeast and is served by many footpaths and bridleways that start at the edge of (and in some cases within) the town. The main exceptions to this are the Upper Lea Valley Walk that runs from the north-west to south-east of the town, and the Way that runs from Blows Down in the south-west to the north-east of the town. These comprise a mix of public footpaths and bridleways, paths through parks, open spaces and nature conservation areas, and footpaths alongside roads.

5. There are a number of parks, playing fields and other green spaces that are an important resource for the enjoyment of people who live in the town. Some of these attract visitors from further afield such as the Museum at , and the Mossman collection at . This Plan therefore goes beyond the requirements of a RoWIP, in that it also covers access improvements to Luton’s parks and open spaces as well as rights of way, an approach now recognised by the Government as “Good Practice”. The formal use of these parks, playing fields and other green spaces in the town is also covered by other Council policies.

6. The Council maintains the Public Rights of Way network in Luton, which consists of 7.2 kilometres of public footpath and 5.6 kilometres of public bridleway, and undertakes Annual surveys of their condition. Some footpaths and bridleways have been improved In the last 2-3 years as part of the Luton cycle network and re-designated as adopted highway, for example those that form the Riverside Walk in .

7. This draft Plan draws on extensive information collected to assess the adequacy of the existing rights of way network in Luton, together with the needs of users and non-users of that network. To investigate the current use of rights of way in Luton, a questionnaire was distributed to 952 local residents on the Citizens’ Panel (a pre-selected random sample of residents which is representative of the population of Luton), with a response rate of 40%. Young people are under-represented in the Citizens Panel, so to overcome this a questionnaire was also distributed to the 1300 people on the Young People’s panel. Results from other surveys on use of Rights of Way and green space were also used, in particular a survey undertaken by the North Chilterns Trust in 2006 at various community centres, where 473 of the 500 people interviewed lived at a Luton postcode.

8. These surveys found that about three quarters of adults and almost all young people use the rights of way network in Luton. However the frequency with which they do so could be higher, and use by certain unrepresented groups such as the unemployed, those without a private vehicle, ethnic minorities, the elderly and people with a disability or mobility aid could also be encouraged. Therefore the general aim of the action plan included within the Luton RoWIP is to:

• develop and safeguard a rights of way network which is more accessible for all sectors of society • encourage use among those who currently use paths and parks infrequently or not at all in order to enhance health and well being • make using the rights of way an altogether safer and more pleasant experience.

9. The Council intends to achieve these aims through specific actions set out in the summary of the draft RoWIP appended to this report, based on five broad themes:

A better signed, maintained and accessible network for the whole community Improved promotion of rights of way Improved health and well-being of residents Enhanced management of green space and rights of way with updated definitive map Safety and security –lighting, underpasses, code of conduct on multi- user routes

10. The Luton Local Transport Plan indicates that in the period 2006/07 to 2010/11, the Councils intend to commit £581,000 of Capital funding to improve rights of way in and around the area. For each of the actions identified under each theme, the action plan identifies those requiring no ( ) or minimal funding, and actions needing higher levels of additional funding.

11. The questionnaire prepared for this consultation therefore seeks the views of residents, users, and other key stakeholders about the importance and priority that should be afforded to each of the actions, and identify any further actions. Consideration of all responses will enable the Council to identify priorities and associated timescales for each of the actions.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

12. There are no financial implications in this report and this has been agreed with the Finance Manager on 16 August 2007.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

13. There are no legal implications in this report and this has been agreed with Viv Mercer in Legal Services on 5th September 2007.

APPENDIX

14. Appendix – Summary of Plan (enclosed separately for Members) Copies will be available at the meeting.

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972, SECTION 100D

There are no background papers relating to this report.