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.
