Minutes – Meeting 57 St Johns Church Hall, Drake Road, Newport Thursday 6 July 2017 Present at the meeting: Forum Members: Mark Earp - Chairman Cllr Paul Fuller Mike Slater Alec Lawson Steve Darch Richard Grogan Tricia Merrifield Others: Helena Hewston – Shalfleet P/C Mick Thirkettle – Arreton P/C Darrel Clarke - IWC Public Rights of Way Manager John Taylor – Natural England Ben Phelan – Forestry Commission Matthew Noyce – Quarr Abbey Cllr Rodney Downer – Godshill / Wroxall Ross Edmunds – Wootton P/C Gillian Belben – Gatcombe & Chillerton P/C Terry Nolan – Gurnard P/C Lillian Hopwood - Observing Forum Secretary: Jennine Gardiner - Rights of Way Assistant, IWC Public Rights of Way Section (PROW) 1. Apologies: Apologies were received from: Cllr John Hobart Cllr John Medland John Heather John Gurney-Champion Belinda Walters Penny Edwards Iain Maclennan Emma Douglas Hugh Walding Simon Dabell Resignations: Des Jackman. Unfortunately due to new work commitments Des can no longer attend the LAF meetings. Mark Earp thanked him for his help in assisting at the LAF stall at last year’s County Show 2. Minutes of previous meeting Page 5 section 4 ANOB should read AONB (although ANOB is much funnier) Minutes accepted. Declarations of Interest None Page | 1 Update of actions from last meeting: Forestry Commission - Brighstone Forest, Design Plans, TROTT – Ben in attendance and will update group Planning - Guidance on difference between S106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) & Cllr Fuller to speak to Wendy Perera about the same – Cllr Fuller advised that after careful consideration the IW Council (old administration) had decided to remain with S106 agreements because S106 agreements would raise more additional funds locally than CIL, Island developments were and are much smaller than mainland equivalents and S106 agreements are more flexible in their wider use than CIL. However, as IWC now has a new administration they may want to relook at this as the focus now is regeneration and they will be considering what options will provide the best value for money. The Planning Portal website has in depth reading for both CIL & S106 and all planning matters: See their web site at https://www.planningportal.co.uk/ Possible upgrades to Restricted Byways - Penny / Tricia compile a list of locations for Darrel – Penny was not at meeting and this was not discussed. As this has been on the agenda since 5 March 2015 it will be removed until the Rights of Way team have been presented with the list of possible upgrade sites. Coastal Path - Letter of support regarding River Medina – Mark confirmed a letter of support had been sent to NE from the LAF Undercliff Drive - Future access with or without motor vehicles - Mark did a site visit and talked to some fronting homeowners (14 of them) all want it reopened to “light vehicles”. Jennine had contacted Niton / Whitwell & Ventnor Town & Parish Councils, only Niton & Whitwell replied and they confirmed that the reopening of the Undercliff is the number one priority for them and if it does not reopen then the businesses in the village of Niton will not survive in their current shape. Brief group discussion regarding how practically the traffic could be restrict to “light vehicles” (the previous 6’6 restriction signage before the landslip did not deter coaches and HGV’s using it as a through route and there is a lack of traffic police on the Island to be on site to enforce), and if this was to stay as a single lane would it be one way or on traffic lights? It is disappointing that the local community doesn’t want to keep it the way it is and focus on promoting walking / cycling / horse riding but as the local parish council intend to continue to fight and campaign for its reinstatement to a vehicle through route, then the LAF will remove this item from its agenda. Definitive Map - Write to IWC re public access to digitised map – Darrel advised that the IT department have now taken the GIS files and converted them into a digital map and from next week the map should be live for the public to use, but it cannot be called a Definitive Map, it is more of a leisure map to try and illustrate where routes run and it will have all the changes made since the original Definitive Map book was published in 2000. It will have extras such as cycle routes, and permissive routes. The Rights of Way team will be grateful of any feedback regarding this new map so they can see what needs to be changes to make it user friendly and really helpful. Link to the new map (details found on the Rights of Way page / maps via iwight.com) Rights of Way page https://www.iwight.com/Residents/Environment-Planning-and-Waste/Rights-of-Way/ Map Page https://www.iwight.com/LocalViewPub/Sites/row/ Gurnard Seafront - Cllr Fuller to investigate obstruction to path near beach huts – Paul advised Gurnard Parish Council had undertaken a Disablity audit and a raft of proposals had been made. There were a few quick wins within these proposals which may be able to be implemented, such as a ramp to the hardstanding where the seats are located, but all the recommendation will be put before the Parish Council. Access Fund – The AONB team had published a walks leaflet. AONB website http://www.wightaonb.org.uk/explore/walking-and-cycling/ Page | 2 LAF Members Re Send draft advert to members – Done, one reply from a current LAF member regarding updating the wording of the advert. Advert was made in the County Press 5 May 2017 within the Farming & Countryside section (copy of advert for information) but we did not get any new people applying to join. 3. Role of members of the LAF – Mark Earp Voting : Only LAF member’s i.e. those people who have completed an application form to become a member and appointed members (these are the two councillors the IWC elect to serve on the LAF) can vote. Observers : LAF meetings are open to the public to come along and observe and if invited to take part in discussions, but observers cannot vote. Role of Members : The 1 st duty of members is to represent the best interests of the Isle of Wight in respect of ways to improve public access and open-air recreation for the benefit of all and then that member should be best advising regarding their represented category such as general user, walker, cyclist, horse rider, landowner / business owner or environmental / ecology specialist. No member of the LAF is paid as everyone is a volunteer. 4. IW Forestry Commission – Ben Phelan Ben attended the meeting to update the group on a number of matters on the public access / leisure side of FC owned and managed land on the Island. Main concern is the poor TROTT provision with unacceptably out of proportion fees compared to the mainland and what that fee can give access to and that there is no way of this being enforced over here on the Island. Also the confusion that the IW FC landholding plan map from the previously published Forest Design plan caused (as part of this still shows leasehold in the Brighstone area yet LAF was under the impression all was now freehold). What if any is the access in Shalcombe Down, can we gain improvements in access in leasehold land such as Burntwood, and try to understand the grant opportunity’s (old and new) for improve public access in leasehold land as some parcels of leasehold land do not invite walkers or any sort of public use. It was agreed that a special LAF meeting needs to be arranged at the FC offices at Lyndhurst in order that a few representatives of the LAF such as Chairman Mark, Paul in his capacity to represent the IW Council and AONB and Tricia representing Equestrians can meet with Ben and Page | 3 other senior managers such as Angus Clarke who can then give information on woodland grants, FC regulations and to try and find a way forward to our concerns. LAF members are frustrated at what they feel is a lack of communication and action, not with Ben as the matters are above his authority and are really about how the FC has organised its management and set up for the Isle of Wight in that it only has part time rangers who are based on the mainland who can’t give the time and attention our woodlands deserves in respects practical management and working with groups on ideas for improved public access. ACTION – meeting to be arranged at FC offices in Lyndhurst 5. IW Coast Path, Natural England – John Taylor John is the lead advisor for the Isle of Wight section of the Natural England Coast Path, and is currently working on his own at the moment. He has started to meet with groups and associations and is in the process of obtaining landowner details. He anticipates letters maybe start to be issued in October to those landowners adjacent landward and seaward side of potential coastline routes. Letters will introduce the scheme and offer the opportunity to come along to drop in sessions. The drop in sessions will be advertised and the public, Town / Parish Councils and the LAF will all be made aware of them. John thinks these will be held in about 8 locations Island wide around November, locations and dates to be confirmed. If a landowner cannot make the drop in session they will still have one to one contact. There is a lot of needless worry about the implementation of this scheme which John hopes the drop in sessions will help to put to rest.