Agenda and minutes

There were no questions from the public.

Apologies for absence were submitted by County Councillors Bill Aron and Hugo Marfleet, Sheila Brookes, Sandra Harrison and Ray Shipley.

No declarations of interests were declared at this stage of the meeting.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 July 2017, be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

(This item was raised at the last meeting of the Forum by a member of the public. It was the wish of the Forum to see Rights of Way and cycle routes incorporated in to any proposed housing development that takes place in the Western corridor, Lincoln. The Forum is asked to consider ways of bringing their wishes to the attention of the appropriate agencies)

Further consideration was given to the proposed development of the Western Growth Corridor, in the City of Lincoln and its implications for the provision of rights of way.

The Forum briefly discussed the history of the proposed development and it was noted that the Environment Agency had objected to earlier proposals because of concerns about flooding.

A member stated that in the most recent planning application submitted this had again caused public controversy due to the traffic implications of the proposals. It was suggested that this was an opportunity for the Forum to respond to the City of Lincoln Council in connection with the need to include sufficient rights of way in their plans for the Corridor.

The Chairman stated that he had attended a consultation meeting and stated that there were three issues which needed to be addressed – 1. The need to provide for traffic free cycling and walking in any new housing development with opportunities to cross the Lincoln to Newark railway line. 2. The need to ensure that the existing rights of way in this area, many of which were incomplete, were completed. 3. To improve National Route 64 (Sustrans) where it crossed the Lincoln to Gainsborough railway line and ran adjacent to the A46. This crossing was inadequate because there was only room for either a cyclist or pedestrian crossing at the same time.

Officers stated that the County Council had been examined the provision of footpaths in Corridor as there were potentially many dog walkers.

The Forum agreed that this was an opportune moment to ensure that public rights of way were included in any plans for the area and that a letter should be sent by the Forum to the City of Lincoln Council requesting this.

RESOLVED

That the Chairman, on behalf of the Forum and in consultation with Colin Smith, write to the City of Lincoln Council to ask them to make provision for public rights of way and cycle routes in any plans for the Western Growth Corridor.

(The Forum is advised that a letter was sent to those people indicated in minute 79(a). No responses or acknowledgments have been received to date)

Further to minute 79(a), the Clerk stated that he had sent a letter to the Chief Executives and the Portfolio Holders for Planning of all the Lincolnshire District Councils in Lincolnshire and, that to date, no responses had been received.

The Forum expressed disappointment at the lack of responses and it was –

RESOLVED

That the Chairman prepare a press statement, on behalf of the Forum, expressing disappointment at the lack of responses from the District Councils.

(Post Meeting note: Helen Pitman stated that she would expedite a response from West Lindsey District Council and the Council had responded. The Clerk had resent the correspondence electronically and several responses had been received which would be reported to the next meeting of the Forum)

(Chris Miller, Team Leader for Countryside Services, will update the Forum on progress of the English Coastal Footpath in Lincolnshire)

Officers gave a verbal update of the English Coastal Footpath in Lincolnshire as follows:-

·         Skegness to Mablethorpe section. This was on schedule and no objections had been received. A report had been submitted to the Secretary of State. Signage had been ordered which would be charged to Natural England and it was hoped that this section would be opened in Easter 2018 to coincide with the opening of the North Sea Observatory at Chapel St Leonards. Boardwalks, funded by "Go Skegness", would be installed in the vicinity of the North Sea Observatory to enable multi-use.

·         Sutton Bridge to Skegness section. It was hoped to use the Internal Drainage Board's bridge which crossed the River Steeping but a major issue in this section were the conservation areas at Frampton and the Wash areas which were both SSSIs. South of Gibraltar Point it would be necessary to use the sea banks with conservation and the potential clash of users of the footpath with grazing cattle raising issues.

·         Mablethorpe to the Humber. This section of the footpath was in its early stages. Natural England were examining routes and talking to interested parties. Donna Nook's seal sanctuary was a potential issue and North Somercotes which was a former airfield could also be an issue as it was currently stopped up and used by wild fowlers.

Officers in response to comments stated that while the County Council was able to add to the logo branding it was obliged to follow the Natural England guidelines. Officers stated that the coastal footpath was not classed as a public footpath but access land with a "National Trail".

Officers stated that the County Council would need to seek an agreement with the Wildlife Trust and Natural England to maintain the "National Trail" and in this respect the partnership agreement to maintain the Cleveland Way provided a good example.

Officers stated that "spreading side" issues with the trail could pose a problem in the Wash and salt marsh areas.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(David Salkeld and Ian Clark from Lincolnshire's Community Assistance Team (LCA) will make a presentation about LCA's involvement and interests in public rights of ways. There will be an opportunity for members to ask questions)

The Forum received a presentation from David Salkeld, Rights of Way Officer, Lincolnshire Community Assistance Team (L-CAT), in connection with the role and purpose of L-CAT. He highlighted the following:-

He stated that L-CAT was a registered charity based in Grimsby with members all over Lincolnshire, providing, amongst others, assistance in emergencies through the use of 4x4s, providing Community First Responders and assisting in finding missing persons and was interested in maintaining rights of way.

David Salkeld stated that he was aware that 4x4s were not always welcomed on rights of way and that L-CAT members were asked to report cases of anti-social behaviour.

Comments made by the Forum and David Salkeld's responses included:-

·         Was L-CAT examining access with other landowners in addition to land owned by the County Council? David Salkeld stated that L-CAT was examining access to land owned by a variety of landowners, e.g. the Forestry Commission and farmers.

·         The Forum noted that the Police did not have knowledge of all public rights of way.

·         David Salkeld stated that L-CAT was currently involved in the clearance of overgrown vegetation on a green lane at Fenton.

·         How many vehicles did L-CAT have? David Salkeld stated that L-CAT had 40 members with the majority having vehicles.

·         How was L-CAT funded? David Salkeld stated that L-CAT was funded by donations and fund raising activities. He stated that it would be possible to obtain funds from the Local Resilience Forum but most members just enjoyed getting involved on a voluntary basis. Members paid an annual membership fee which was used to pay for public liability insurance and a uniform. The organisation hoped to raise funds to buy a defibrillator and a gazebo.

·         Did L-CAT have a code of practice for the use of green lanes? David Salkeld stated that he was not too sure if L-CAT had a written code of practice but he was aware of training leaflets for drivers of 4x4s to prevent damage to green lanes and to their vehicles.

·         Was there an overlap of membership of L-CAT with other bodies? David Salkeld stated that L-CAT had tried to affiliate to other bodies, e.g. LARA (Land And Recreational Access).

There then followed a brief discussion on the membership of the Forum and it was noted that the Forum did not have a representative from motorised users of the rights of way. Officers agreed that it was difficult to achieve a balanced membership and that there was a need to conduct another recruitment drive as one had not been carried out for some time.

RESOLVED

That David Salkeld be thanked for his interesting presentation about L-CAT and consider becoming a member of the Forum.

(A report by John Law, a representative on the South Lincolnshire and Rutland Local Access Forum, in connection with Countryside for All Routes. The Forum is asked to consider the various recommendations in the report)

The Forum received a report from John Law, a representative on the South Lincolnshire Local Access Forum, in connection with the latest developments in "Countryside for All". The Forum's attention was drawn to two actions in the report as follows:-

·    Countryside for All Routes Leaflets – Officers stated that the County Council agreed that its logo should be moved to the back of the leaflet and to the back of any new folders when produced and paid for by an external sponsor. Both Forums agreed to this action.

·    Accessibility Guide – The Forum suggested that disability groups, U3A and Age Concern should be used to promote the Accessibility Guide for Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The opportunity should also be taken to make use of members of the Local Access Forums to promote the guide.

RESOLVED

(a) That the report be noted.

(b) That John Law be informed that the Forum is in agreement to the actions brought to the attention of the Forum.

(c) That members of the Forum take every opportunity to circulate details of the Accessibility Guide to businesses and that John Law be informed of the other groups suggested by the Forum

(A report by Matthew Chaplin, North East Lincolnshire Public Rights of Way Mapping Officer, in connection with the Council's ROWIP 2)

The Forum was informed that North East Lincolnshire Council was in the process of preparing its Rights of Way Improvement Plan 2 (ROWIP 2)

Officers stated that the County Council was not preparing a ROWIP 2 as there was nothing to report and that it had only been necessary to make amendments to ROWIP 1 as little had changed since its publication.

The Chairman stated that ROWIP 2 had been discussed at the East Midlands Local Access Forum's meeting and that there was agreement amongst members there that its production was not a priority.

Officers stated that due to the reductions in resources in the Countryside section since 2010 it was not possible to produce a second ROWIP on the scale of ROWIP 1.

The Forum agreed that in the event of any ROWIP 2 being produced there was a need to avoid the inclusion of "grandiose" schemes. The Forum suggested that the views of the 500 Parish Councils in Lincolnshire should be sought on how the public rights of way network should be managed. It was suggested that they should be sent an extract of the footpath network in their respective areas.

The Forum noted the implications of the removal of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme following a recent decision by the European Union were to be examined by Defra and this provided an opportunity for the Local Access Forums to submit their views on their future when the UK left the EU.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(A report by Catherine Beeby, Senior Definitive Map Officer (Countryside), in connection with the Council's Definitive Map Modification Orders)

The Forum received a progress report on the County Council's Definitive Map Orders.

Officers drew the Forum's attention to the list of "active" modification order cases detailed in Appendix A, in particular Case No's 72 (Market Rasen), 49 (Hogsthorpe) in which a date for the Public Inquiry had yet to be arranged and 182 (Coningsby) which was an interesting one for any member of the Forum to attend the Public Inquiry because of its contentious nature.

A member of the Forum stated that it would be useful to have a report on those cases where evidence was being reviewed and when the cases were activated as it would be interesting to know how long the cases had remained on file and to provide some idea of progress and if there was no progress then the reasons why.

In response to an enquiry about whether "exception criteria 7" under the Highways and Traffic Guidance Note HAT33/3/11, detailed in the report, was ever used, officers stated that while its use was irregular the County Council was currently considering some cases which came under this criteria.

RESOLVED

(a) That the report be noted.

(b) That the Forum receive a report on those cases where evidence was being reviewed, when the cases were activated, how long they remained on file, to provide some indication of progress and if there was no progress then the reasons why.

(A report by Matthew Chaplin, Public Rights of Way Mapping Officer, in connection with the Council's Definitive Map Modification Orders)

The Forum received a progress report from North East Lincolnshire Council on their Definitive Map Modification Orders.

The Forum's attention was drawn to Case No. DMMO 7 (Vicarage Gardens) where the Council was examining what could be done to keep the current access open.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(A report by Catherine Beeby, Senior Definitive Map Officer (Countryside), in connection with the Council's Public Path Orders)

The Forum received a progress report from the County Council on its Public Path Orders.

The Forum's attention was drawn to a proposed meeting with Network Rail to discuss a proposal to amend the right of way in Claypole and Stubton Parishes to avoid crossing the main East Coast railway which was dangerous. It was proposed to amend the right of way so that it crossed a bridge 200 yards from the current route.

The Forum welcomed this development adding that the strategic option should always be investigated as rights of way which ran along major transport routes raised particular issues.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(A report by Matthew Chaplin, Public Rights of Way Mapping Officer, in connection with the Council's Public Path Orders)

The Forum received a progress report from North East Lincolnshire Council on their Public Path Orders.

The Forum's attention was drawn to PPO 4 (Waltham FP 72) which had been on-going for a number of years and was now required to go to Committee because objections had been received about the location of an electricity sub-station.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(The Forum normally meets four times a year – January, April, July (AGM) and October)

The dates and times of future meetings were agreed as follows:-

2.00pm on Tuesday 23 January 2018 at the County Offices, Lincoln

2.00pm on Tuesday 17 April 2018 at The Stanhope Hall, Boston Road, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6NF (Please note that the Admiral Rodney was unavailable)