Kieran Foster Address: Cycling UK, Railton Road, Guildford, Surrey Postcode: GU2 9JX
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Comments for NP/S/0718/0606 (ref: NP/S/0718/0606) Name: Kieran Foster Address: Cycling UK, Railton Road, Guildford, Surrey Postcode: GU2 9JX Type of comment: Support Comments: Ref: Application Number: NP/S/0718/0606 Sir, I am writing regards planning application NP/S/0718/0606 - which seeks planning permission for the development of a series of permissive paths and a family mountain bike trail at Langsett Reservoir. I am the national Off-Road Cycling Advisor for Cycling UK, a national cycling charity with 65,000 members. Formerly known at CTC or the 'Cyclists Touring Club’, our organisation is recognised as a formal consultee on rights of way issues in existing regulations and DEFRA guidance. I wish to offer our organisations wholehearted support for the proposals. We believe that the addition of a family friendly off-road cycling facility in this area would be highly beneficial to off-road cycling and countryside recreation in the area. in 2016, Cycling UK organised a large national survey into the behaviour and habits of the off-road cycling community, with 11,482 responses, we discovered that: The vast majority of respondents said that off-road cycling is "very important" (58%) or "fairly important" (32%) for their physical health An even higher number (66%) saying it is very important for their mental health and well-being. 61% said off-road cycling is their primary form of exercise, while 12% of respondents said they have a disability or chronic health condition. Other popular activities undertaken by our respondents were rambling and low-level hiking (56%), hill-walking or mountaineering (46%) and dog-walking (31%). Over half find that the existing off-road cycling provision often makes it difficult to put together a ‘legal’ route; Whilst the most popular types of trails for off-road cycling were ‘singletrack’ over 1/3 of respondents prioritised wider tracks and family routes for their style of riding. We suggest that the above data shown why the creation of new facilities like this, especially for novice and family cyclists, would be beneficial to a significant portion of the community. The health and wellbeing impact of outdoor recreation, including cycling and walking, is well proven and documented in numerous publications, including a number of research projects by Natural England on the importance of green exercise. 1 At Cycling UK we want cycling to be a safe and convenient activity in rural areas; something which is seen as a natural means of recreation, enjoymen t, travel, and fun. This isn’t just important for those venturing into the countryside, it’s also vital for those who live there, so they can go about their daily lives on foot and by bike without having to use the busiest roads. That means developing and promoting traffic - free routes, and making sure those routes connect with safe quiet roads and the wider rights of way network We note that in their 25 year plan for the environment, the Government states that one of its aspirations is to connect more pe ople with the natural environment, We believe that routes such as this play an important part in broadening the demographic of those who partake in countryside recreation, we also note that the UK Government's vision and circular for National Parks, issued in 2010, states specifically that: Authorities should make the most of visitors they receive to increase understanding of the natural environment, promote healthy outdoor recreation and inspire lifestyle choices that support a diverse and healthy natural environment. In particular, children have less contact with nature now than at any time in the past. Contact with nature improveschildren’s concentration and self discipline, and playing in a natural environment improves their social, mental and physical development. People who spend time in the natural environment as a child are more likely to continue visiting it as an adult and more likely to value these places and the many benefits they offer. The Government (Department for Children Schools and Familie s) sponsored Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) initiative promotes the idea that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances . The Parks contain a huge range of landscapes, habitats, history and rural communities, providing excellent opportunities for learning, recreation and exercise in beautiful natural surroundings. Authorities should promote opportunities for children and yo ung people to experience the natural environment in the Parks and seek to inspire a lifelong commitment to enjoying, understanding and caring for the natural environment. The Authorities should also work with partners to achieve a deep understanding of wha t people want from the natural environment and what will motivate lifelong behaviour change, and should use this to inform their work in this area. We believe that the delivery of the proposed family friendly walking and cycling trail at Langsett Reserv oir offers an ideal opportunity to fulfil this vision. Similarly, we believe that the proposed trails would help support the goals identified in the recently updated national planning and policy framework document, which states that planning policies and d ecisions should enable: a) the sustainable growth and expansion of all types of business in rural areas, both through conversion of existing buildings and well - designed new buildings; b) the development and diversification of agricultural and other land - based rural businesses; c) sustainable rural tourism and leisure developments which respect the character of the countryside; and d) the retention and development of accessible local services and community facilities, such as local shops, meeting places, sports venues, open space, cultural buildings, public houses and places of worship. Finally. We draw particular attention to th e duty under section 62 of the environment Act 1995 for the planning authority to consider and have regard to the dual priorities of the National Park. to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Parks, and: to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities (of the Parks) by the public. Of particular importance to the delivery of these duties, we would highlight the existence of Countryside Research Note 93, Issued by the forerunner of Natural England in 2005, which states that "National Park Authorities have been ambivalent at best, and at worst quite negative about their second purpose” and that: • An assessment of National Park Management Plans indicates that the second purpose has often been interpreted to emphasise the environmental education aspect of the purpose (i.e. ‘understanding’), rather than the pure recreational element (i.e. ‘enjoyment’). Management Plans tend to focus on education, visitor management, and NP As’ statutory access duties, rather than a pro - active approach to outdoor recreation. • This defensive approach is mirrored in other documentation. Straightforward promotional recreation policies or strategies are very limited. Public information and promo tional material emphasises the resolution of potential 2 conflicts and management of visitor behaviour, rather than positive, welcoming messages. Such promotional material that does exist is often dated and restricted in its distribution. • User groups’ and other stakeholders’ perceptions of NPAs reflect this view that NPAs have been negative about recreation in the past. Relationships with some recreation user groups are good (the British Mountaineering Council is a good example), but productive partnerships with other user groups are less consistent. The study also found that few NPAs have a good relationship with Sport England in their regions. • Most significantly, NPA staff themselves concur with the view that they have been less than pro - active concernin g outdoor recreation activities in the past, and probably focused too much on potential conflicts with their conservation purpose without good evidence on which to base these fears. The report goes on to state that "There is some evidence that participat ion in both cycling and horse - riding would increase if the infrastructure and support facilities were improved” As such, we believe that the proposed development is entirely in keeping with both the governments identified priorities for National Parks, a nd the legal duties to promote opportunities for outdoor recreation such as opportunities walking and mountain biking within the National Park area. Consequently we would urge you to authorise the application as submitted. Yours Faithfully Kieran Foster National off - road advisor Cycling UK Parklands Railton Road Guildford GU2 9JX Sent Thu 2/08/18 at 19:40 3.