Mid and West Berkshire Local Access Forum
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AGENDA ITEM 1 MID AND WEST BERKSHIRE LOCAL ACCESS FORUM MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE FORUM HELD AT THE VILLAGE HALL, CHIEVELEY, ON WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2009, COMMENCING AT 2.00 PM AND CONCLUDED AT PM Present: Dr J C Bridger, Mr S Brook, Mr N Channer, Mr D A W Gardiner DL, Mr J R Goddard, Lady Hoskins, Mr A Lawson, Mr C N B Marriage, Mr R O’Neill, Dr D A L Shepherd, Mr P D G Todd, Councillor T Vickers, Ms S Wallington. In Attendance: Ms E Baker (Reading Borough Council), Ms E Cox (West Berkshire Council), Ms N Lucas (Reading Borough Council), R F Penfold (Secretary), Ms E Tweed (Wokingham Borough Council), Ms R Walkley (Wokingham Borough Council). Apologies for Absence: Ms S Ellison, Mrs M Pawson, Councillor B Tickner, Councillor S Weeks. 3 members of the public were present. 1 SITE VISIT Prior to the meeting, some Members inspected lengths of Boxford Byway 2 and Beedon Byway 22. 2 ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN RESOLVED: That Lady Hoskins be elected Chairman of the Forum for the ensuing year. (Lady Hoskins in the chair) 23 3 ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIRMAN RESOLVED: That Mr A Lawson be elected Vice-Chairman of the Forum for the ensuing year. 4 MRS J KIELY RESOLVED: That Mrs J Kiely be thanked for her service as a Member of the Forum since its inception in November 2003, and as Chairman from May 2007 until April 2009. 5 MINUTES The Minutes of the meeting of the Forum held on 21 January 2009 were approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record, subject to the addition of the words “including Caversham Lock house” in the first bullet point in Minute 45. 6 MATTERS ARISING ON THE MINUTES 43 Cross Boundary Liaison Ms E Cox undertook to provide advice about the legal liabilities of landowners in connection with informal parking arrangements, at the next meeting. 44 Environment Agency Ms N Lucas undertook to report to the next meeting on the maintenance and cost of safety rings provided by Reading Borough Council on premises it owned or managed. 46 Thames Path It was noted that no work had yet been undertaken on the surface of the Thames Path between Caversham and Reading bridges, in Reading. 24 54 Work Programme of the Forum The Secretary advised that he had yet to make arrangements for Members to visit the Headquarters of the Ordinance Survey, in Southampton. 7 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES The Forum considered a report by the Secretary, reminding it of the processes presently in place for the confirmation and distribution of minutes of its meetings, and inviting the Forum to consider whether it wished to change the procedure. RESOLVED: That the processes for confirmation and distribution of the minutes of meetings of the Forum be adjusted to provide an opportunity for Members to comment on the draft minutes before those minutes are circulated to the 3 appointing authorities. 8 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION The Forum received a report by the Secretary reminding it of its decisions, at its first meeting, regarding public participation at meetings. No questions had been received prior to the meeting from members of the public. The Forum was reminded of the questions asked by Mr G V Smith (Chairman, Ramblers’ Association West Berkshire Group), as recorded in Minute 41 of the last meeting. The report included a draft reply to those questions, approved by the former Chairman and Vice-Chairman. RESOLVED: That the following answer be given to the questions asked by Mr G V Smith: “The response to the first question is “yes”, within the role of the Forum as an adviser to highways’ authorities on the improvement of public access to land in their areas, for open- air recreation and the enjoyment of the area. In this vein, in January 2007 the Forum considered issues relating to the impact of major road schemes on public rights of way. The Forum then decided to request the 3 Councils to notify it of any major road schemes in the areas affecting public rights of way. They will be reminded of this request and the points set 25 out in the minutes of the 3rd meeting of the England Access Forum about rights of way and trunk road improvements.” “The second question is about an internal matter for the 3 Councils. Ideally, as the 3 appointing councils are unitary authorities, a council’s rights of way officers will have access to, and can advise the council’s planning officers on, any planning application before that council. Given, however, the financial constraints facing all 3 Councils, they may not be sufficiently resourced for their officers to act in this way. “Although planning applications may only be determined on planning issues, improvements to public access to open air enjoyment may be achieved by way of developers’ contributions (Section 106 monies), if consent is given for a development.” 9 MEMBERSHIP OF THE FORUM The Forum received a report by the Secretary on its membership, as a result of the part reconstitution with effect from 1 May 2009, at which 3 existing Members of the Forum had been reappointed and 1 new Member appointed. Details of the Members are listed in the Appendix hereto. The Chairman welcomed Mr S Brook to the Forum. The report also advised that Mrs C Vallis had resigned as a Member on 14 April 2009. Members observed that there were 4 vacancies, 3 amongst users of local rights of way or rights in relation to access land and 1 in respect of “any other interests”. It was also noted that no Member, excluding Councillor Weeks, was resident in the Borough of Wokingham. Later in the meeting, in connection with the feedback from the conference for local access forum members, it was felt that it would be advantageous if the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was represented on the Forum. The Secretary was requested to explore this further. NOTED 26 10 MEETING OF THE FORUM The Forum had before it a report of the Secretary inviting the Forum to set the calendar of, and venues for, future meetings. The report also enquired whether site visits and presentations should be incorporated with some future meetings. Members agreed that the existing pattern, of 3 afternoon meetings per year, should be continued, but that, in order to reach a wider cross-section of the population of the Forum’s area, a 4th, evening, community engagement, meeting should be arranged. RESOLVED: 1 That meetings of the Forum be arranged to be held as follows: Wednesday 23 September 2009, in the Borough of Wokingham at 2 pm Wednesday 20 January 2010, in the Borough of Reading at 2 pm Wednesday 19 May 2010, in the District of West Berkshire, at 2 pm, incorporating presentations and site visits, as appropriate. 2 That a community engagement meeting be arranged during an evening in June 2010, on the basis of recommendations to be submitted to the next meeting by the Education & Communications’ Members’ Working Group. 11 CROSS BOUNDARY LIAISON The Forum was reminded that, in accordance with the guidance given by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs for Local Access Forums, it had nominated persons to attend, as observers, meetings of the neighbouring local access fora. Dr J C Bridger reported orally on 2 meetings of the Hampshire Countryside Access Forum, when that Forum had discussed, inter alia: • Hampshire County Council’s Path Watch Project; • the charges levied by the Forestry Commission for equestrians to use certain paths in forests; • the County Council and the Forum’s work with parish councils. Lady Hoskins advised that there had been a meeting of the Oxfordshire Countryside Access Forum, but she had been unable to attend. 27 Dr D A L Shepherd reported that there had been a meeting of the Wiltshire & Swindon Local Access Forum, which he had been unable to attend, but advised that that Forum had discussed working with parish councils and the impact of local government reorganisation in Wiltshire. The Forum was reminded that there remained vacancies for observers at meetings of the Bracknell Forest Countryside Local Access Forum and the Windsor & Maidenhead Local Access Forum, but no Members volunteered for those appointments. RESOLVED: That the reports of Dr J C Bridger and Dr D A L Shepherd be noted. 12 WORKING GROUPS Councillor T Vickers reported orally on a meeting of the Education & Communications’ Group and Mr C N B Marriage on a meeting of the Development of New Access and Maintenance of Existing Rights of Way Group, both held earlier on 20 May 2009. Councillor Vickers and Mr Marriage advised that the groups had made good starts to their work. NOTED 13 RIGHTS OF WAY IMPROVEMENT PLANS The Forum considered a report, by the Secretary, reminding Members that every local highway authority should have, by 21 November 2007, prepared a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP), and updating the Forum on the progress made by the 2 remaining authorities towards the publication of those plans, Reading Borough Council having published its Plan on 30 November 2007. Ms E Tweed advised that the Wokingham Borough Council Plan was shortly to be submitted for approval at councillor level. Ms E Cox reminded the Forum that public consultation on the West Berkshire Council’s Plan had ended on 30 April 2009. Officers were presently reviewing the responses received to the draft Plan, after which it was expected to submit the Plan to councillors, for adoption. 28 The Forum was reminded that, in connection with the West Berkshire Plan, it had authorised its West Berkshire ROWIP Group to respond to the Council on behalf of the Forum.