NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK and COUNTYJOINT LOCAL ACCESS FORUM
JLAF MEETING THURSDAY 25 APRIL 2019
Venue: Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth, NE61 4AR and Kirkwhelpington Village Hall, Kirkwhelpington, NE19 7RT
AGENDA
Part One – Agenda for Afternoon Session 1330 – 1715 at Wallington
The meeting is in two parts. Part One is the afternoon session and the theme of this session will be “Shared Use Paths” with particular interest in what the National Trust are doing in this regard. Part Two is the evening meeting and this part is open to members of the public. The JLAF last visited Wallington in 2009 and since then Wallington has opened the Dragon Trail and walking route and recently at Gibside, The National Trust hope to build on this approach at all sites and across the region. The aim of the session would be for the National Trust to show us what they have done at Wallington in regard to the aforementioned and to explain the rationale and ideally, to overview any further developments they have for walking, cycling and hopefully horse riding.
See information overleaf for more details of site visit.
Everyone attending the site visit should ensure they wear clothing and foot wear suitable for a moderate walk and take any other personal items which they require such as drinks, etc. Emergency contact number is Pete Trumper on 07881 109 620.
1330 Park and meet in the National Trust carpark in Scots Gap NE61 4EG (through first yard area). The car park is behind the former National Trust Regional Office at Scot's Gap, 1½ miles due north and east of Wallington on the B6343, grid ref: NZ037864.
We will walk 1 km on unsurfaced flat level Y shaped disused railway tracks (DRT), part of 6.3 mile Wannie Line Walk. We will walk up right arm of DRT and back then take a peep up left arm. This is to see the potential these DRTs offer to provide better access to hidden parts of mid Northumberland – not just as part of a 6.5 mile circular walk.
1445 Return to vehicles then drive 1.75 miles to main site.
1500: Meet Steven Crawford, National Trust Active Outdoors Development Officer.
Visit / look at walking and cycling trails and facilities. To look out for: Suitability and attractiveness for a range of users at both site visits.
1600: We will make use of the meeting space in Westwood cottage for a debrief with Q&A after the second walk. Steven has been asked to update us on latest National Trust access thinking and overview progress to date at Wallington and other regional sites including summarising plans for the future.
1645: Drive 4.5 miles to Kirkwhelpington Village Hall
If anyone has time, suggested take opportunity to visit Hartburn Glebe a 10 minute walk each way from parking. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/wood/4146/hartburn-glebe/
1715 Refreshments at Kirkwhelpington Village Hall
1745 Evening meeting
2030 Evening meeting ends (approx.)
Page 1/6
NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK and COUNTYJOINT LOCAL ACCESS FORUM
JLAF Meeting – Thursday 25 April 2019 Afternoon site visit to National Trust Wallington
National Trust Wallington Hall is a 13,000 acre estate covering 5 square miles in mid Northumberland. Please visit the website to find out more about it. Particularly check out access for people with disabilities. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wallington
Below are three statements relevant to the JLAF areas of interest.
1. Wallington offers a relaxing day out, exploring the house and grounds, watching the world go by in the grassy courtyard, letting off steam with your family or simply walking your dog. 2. The Trevelyans loved outdoors and being close to nature. The house is surrounded by informal landscape- lawns, lakes, woodland, parkland farmland, just waiting to be explored. 3. Enjoy being active outdoors with the Dragon cycle trail and newly launch low-cost cycle hire in partnership with British Cycling and HSBC. Take to one of the many scenic walks including the river walk, to refresh your mind and explore more of the wider estate on foot.
Purpose of visit
To see how National Trust at Wallington is meeting the challenge and expectations of visitors of all levels of mobility who specifically want to enjoy, walk or cycle traffic-free on the property.
We will look at these walking and cycling facilities centred on Wallington Hall https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wallington/features/walking-at-wallington- https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wallington/lists/cycling-at-wallington https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wallington/features/cycle-hire-at-wallington
Questions for JLAF members to consider during the site visits
1. How suitable are the disused railway tracks and made-made cycle paths we will see for a range of users at both sites
2. What potential is there to unlock greater use of the disused railway tracks at Scots Gap
Programme - Our visit has two parts - see agenda for timing details and map overleaf
Page 2/6 JLAF Final Agenda 25 April 2019
NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK and COUNTYJOINT LOCAL ACCESS FORUM
NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK and COUNTYJOINT LOCAL ACCESS FORUM
JLAF MEETING THURSDAY 25 APRIL 2019
Venue: Kirkwhelpington Village Hall
Part Two: Agenda for Evening Meeting 1745 - 2030
1. Welcome and Apologies
2. Questions from Members of the Public: To receive any questions previously submitted by members of the public.
3. Declarations of Interest In accordance with Paragraph 6:8 of Local Access Forums (England) Regulations 2002, revised February 2007, members are asked to declare any direct or indirect personal, prejudicial and/or financial interests in relation to items on the agenda for this meeting and shall disclose the nature of those interests to the meeting.
4. Approval of Minutes of previous JLAF meeting held on 24 January 2019
5. Matters Arising from previous meeting
6. Afternoon session:
To summarise the afternoon sessions and agree any actions to take forward.
JLAF Activity Plan
Objective 1: To be actively involved in the ROWIP, open access, coastal access, 2026 and other access projects. Objective 2: Through advocacy, influence and partnership, the JLAF will work to advance access to the countryside. Objective 3: Effectively communicate through provision of advice and information on issues relating to access to the countryside.
7. JLAF Activity Plan Objective 1
a) Updates from appointing authorities:
i) Northumberland County Council (M Jeffrey) ii) Northumberland National Park Authority including The Sill (L Lazzari)
b) Working Group One including RoWIP (N Rossiter) c) Maintenance of roadside verges as a means of connecting ROW which are currently blocked by main roads (S Rogers)
d) Britannia Greenway – resurfacing a disused railway line to create a multi-user trail (T Liddle/M Allan) (see links to surface materials here and here )
e) The Sill Working Group: topic – Health & Access and agree way forward including date for next Sill Working Group meeting
Page 4/6 JLAF Final Agenda 25 April 2019
NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK and COUNTYJOINT LOCAL ACCESS FORUM
8. JLAF Activity Plan Objective 2
a) Working Group Two update (S Radcliffe)
b) Natural England update
c) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty updates: Northumberland Coast AONB meeting (V Brown) North Pennines AONB Access and Recreation Group (T Liddle)
d) Other updates Kielder Water and Forest Park (A Earnshaw) National Park Management Plan update (A Earnshaw) 2026 deadline: cut-off date for adding historic paths to Definitive Map (S Rogers) Planning Advice update (L Bray)
9. JLAF Activity Plan Objective 3
a) Working Group 3 update (A Earnshaw)
b) Urban mobility - (V Rook) https://www.lowcvp.org.uk/news,government-sees-moment-of- opportunity-to-transform-urban-mobility_3929.htm
c) Position statements – update on content and timeline to be agreed: i. Volunteering (V Rook and P Cotton) ii. Shared Paths (T Liddle) iii. Influencing Dog Owner behaviour in town, coast and countryside (I Glendinning)
d) Consultations: i. Banks Group (for information): Dewley Hill surface mine plans ii. Forestry Commission England: Access restrictions: Drove Rigg; Beacon Hill; White Side; and Bloodybush Road. iii. Forestry Commission North East Region: new woodland planting at Rushy Knowe.
10 JLAF Communication and Activity Plans
a. Taking Communications and Activity 2019 – 2020 plans forward based on 24 January 2019 workshop discussions and findings and any actions from afternoon discussion and other meeting actions attendance at events e.g. County Show
b. agree working group topics and tasks going forward.
11 Question time: opportunity to raise any other items not discussed at the meeting.
12 Any other business
a) To note future meetings and topics: Thursday 18 July (Northumberland Coast AONB); Thursday 17 October (Kielder Water and Forest Park); and 23 January 2020 (Hexham).
Page 5/6 JLAF Final Agenda 25 April 2019
NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK and COUNTYJOINT LOCAL ACCESS FORUM
Joint Local Access Forums in England
Under Sections 94 and Section 95 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, and in accordance with provisions of Regulation 7 of The Local Access Forums (England) Regulations 2002 (amended February 2007) the meetings of the Northumberland National Park and County Joint Local Access Forum (JLAF) are open to the public. Para 4.4.1 of the ‘Guidance on Local Access Forums in England (March 2007) further states that “Subject to certain exceptions, Regulation 7 requires forum meetings to be open to the public. This means the meetings are held in public but does not mean that they are public meetings. A person who is not a forum member may be allowed to participate in discussions on specific agenda items at the discretion of the person chairing the meeting”. Questions can be sent in writing to the Administrator, up to ten working days before the meeting.
The agenda and minutes are available on the JLAF pages found at: http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/about/the-authority/members-committees/joint-local- access-forum/ For copies of available meeting papers or for any other enquiries please contact: Marion Hume, JLAF Administrator (01434 605 555) or please e-mail: [email protected]
JLAF members 1 May 2017 – 30 April 2020:
Alex MacLennan, Amanda Earnshaw (Chairman), Ian Glendinning, Liz Bray, Mike Bell (NPA), Moray Allan (Vice Chairman), Nick Rossiter, Philip Cotton, Rob Turner, Sarah Radcliffe, Stephen Blake (Observer member January 2018), Susan Rogers, Ted Liddle (Vice Chairman), Cllr Catherine Seymour (NCC March 2018), Victoria Brown, Violet Lou Rook.
Working Groups May 2017 – April 2020:
Working groups meet between meetings as and when required. Members are welcome to join other working group meetings if the topic being discussed is of interest or if they have relevant experience and knowledge to inform discussions and actions.
1. Objective 1 - Working Group One: To be actively involved in the ROWIP, open access, coastal access, 2026 and other access projects:
Liz Bray, Violet Lou Rook, Ian Glendinning, Nick Rossiter, Phillip Cotton and Moray Allan
The Sill working group – Nick, Moray, Ted, Violet, vacancy.
2. Objective 2 - Working Group Two: Through advocacy, influence and partnership JLAF will work to advance access to the countryside:
Sarah Radcliffe, Rob Turner, Ted Liddle, Vic Brown, Catherine Seymour and vacancy
Volunteering Working Group: Roger Morris, Liz Bray, Sue Rogers, Alex MacLennan, Nick Rossiter
3. Objective 3 - Working Group Three 3: Effectively communicate through provision of advice and information on issues relating to access to the countryside:
Steve Blake, Alex MacLennan, Sue Rogers, Amanda Earnshaw, Mike Bell and vacancy.
Communications Working Group: Chairman and the two vice chairmen
Page 6/6 JLAF Final Agenda 25 April 2019