PRESENT:
Cllr D Wells, Cllr B Regan, G Hoey, M Jenkinson, H Armstrong, S Ball, K Hammond, F Ross, A Towns, E Anderson, D Dukes.
Also in Attendance: C Wilkinson (Environment Team) and D Lilley (Secretary to the Forum) North Lincolnshire Council.
APOLOGIES: R Alderson
Notice of resignation from the Forum had been received from J Haynes.
46. DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL OR PERSONAL OR PREJUDICIAL INTEREST – There were no declarations of personal or personal and prejudicial interest in respect of items on the agenda.
47. MINUTES – Resolved – That the minutes of the proceedings of the meeting held on 16 February 2005, having been circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the chair, subject to the addition of apologies from F Ross for the May meeting.
48. MATTERS ARISING –
(i) Membership/Attendance - There had previously been discussion on the matter of non-attendance by members, and also there needed to be consideration to the fact that two members of the Forum had submitted resignations.
It was agreed – That C Wilkinson look into publicity and advertising for replacement members.
(ii) Maps – It was suggested that maps be provided to accompany future agenda items, for those members not familiar with the local area. It would not always be practical to provide large scale maps to individual members, but these would usually be available to view at Forum meetings.
49. ANNUAL REPORT – The draft Annual Report 2004 was presented to the Forum for approval. Because this document was late being produced, it was acknowledged that the Annual Report 2005 would be required after the next meeting.
It was agreed – That the Annual Report 2004 be published on the Council website with the addition of maps for the local areas.
50. ALKBOROUGH FLATS – C Wilkinson informed the meeting that there had been few developments since the Forum meeting in February. There was further discussion on establishing the route as a bridleway from the start rather than as a footpath initially and then seeking an upgrade to a bridleway, even if the route was to become a cul-de-sac if access could not be established at the Whitton end.
C Wilkinson distributed DVDs of Alkborough Flats to members of the Forum.
Concern was raised as to whether the preservation of wildlife was being considered during works. Reassurance was given that an Environmental Impact Assessment would have been carried out.
It was agreed – (a) That C Wilkinson report back to the next meeting regarding bridleway designation, and (b) that the responsible officer for Alkborough Flats be invited to speak at a future meeting, and possibly representatives from other agencies.
51. RISBY WARREN – E Anderson informed the meeting that there was little to report since the last meeting of the Forum. There had been meetings with English Nature and the Inspector of Mines. There had been no response yet from the Countryside Agency and outcomes of the appeals were still awaited.
It was agreed – That E Anderson report back on the situation at the next meeting.
52. RIGHTS OF WAY IMPROVEMENT PLAN – It was reported that there had been little progress since the last Forum meeting. The Local Transport Plan, which would contain information on Rights of Way, was due for publication in 2006 and the Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) was scheduled for November 2007.
Concerns were raised regarding the lack of progress with the ROWIP and it was suggested that more Council resources be allocated to addressing the work required on what was a statutory document.
It was agreed – (a) That the Chairman of the Forum write a letter to North Lincolnshire Council management to request that staffing resources be increased for the Environment Team to enable progress to be made on documents like the ROWIP and Milestones Statement, and (b) that hard copies of the DEFRA ROWIP document be provided to all Forum members.
53. DEFINITIVE MAP – ANOMALIES AND APPLICATIONS FOR ORDERS – C Wilkinson updated the Forum on outstanding work. One byway appeal had been resolved and another one was imminent. There was a deadline for Byways Open to all Traffic (BOATs) to be added to the Definitive Map. Rights of Way fell into three categories – footpaths, byways and BOATs, it was recognised that these were important and could act as economic stimulants for areas.
The present Definitive Map Officer was due to leave the council shortly, but it was hoped that the position would be advertised and re-filled as soon as possible.
54. ACCESS POINTS TO OPEN COUNTRYSIDE – C Wilkinson informed the meeting that he had met with the Countryside Agency and that funding grants were available for Access areas through the Access Management Grant Scheme. North Lincolnshire Council had submitted a bid to produce the Access Plan and was hoping for confirmation shortly. Funding was set at £2 per hectare, and 75% was available in the current financial year, falling to 50% in the following year. At 534 hectares it was anticipated that the grant would amount to around £870. A major thrust would be to emphasise health benefits, social inclusion and conservation, in attempts to attract funding.
C Wilkinson provided the Forum with a list of those Access areas identified. It was hoped that there would be positive contribution from Forum members and it was important that all aspects were considered complementary to each other. Ordnance Survey was to include Access areas on OS maps. It was anticipated that there would be publicity released to raise awareness of Access areas. This could be on the council’s website and also possibly feature in the Direct magazine, and could coincide with general Local Access Forum publicity and appeal for new members (minute 48 (i)).
55. ITEMS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS
- Greenways and Quiet Lanes Project
- Lost Ways Project
- ROWIP Timescales
- Presentation on Alkborough Flats
56. DATES AND TIMES OF FUTURE MEETINGS – Resolved – That the next meeting be held on 17 August 2005 at Pittwood House, Scunthorpe. Two further meetings were proposed on 19 October 2005 and 18 January 2006, venues to be confirmed.