Search

• Home Page >
• Our Council >
• Council >
• Minutes, Agendas & Reports

Agenda Item No.

 

VALE OF GLAMORGAN LOCAL ACCESS FORUM

 

MINUTES of a meeting held at the Cory Education Centre, Dyffryn Gardens on 8^th May, 2007.

 

Present: Mr. M.R. Harvey (Chairman); Mr. D.J. Field (Deputy Chairman);

Mr. J.V. Custance, Mrs. V.M. Hartrey, Mr. J.J. Herbert, Mrs. H. March, Mr. H.S. McMillan, Mrs. M. Morgan, Mr. N. Moss, Mr. R. Pittard, Mr. R. Simpson, Mr. R. Traherne and Mrs. V. Warlow.

 

Mr. J. Wyatt (Secretary); Mr. F. Coleman, Mr. C. Fray and Mr. C. Jones Jenkins (VOGC).

 

 

(a)            Apologies for absence -

 

These were received from Mr D.T. Hopkin, Mr. D. Williams and Councillor G. John (Cabinet Member, Leisure and Tourism).

 

 

(b)            Minutes -

 

AGREED - T H A T the minutes of the meeting held on 21^st February, 2007 be approved as a correct record subject to the following insertion in the second sentence of the penultimate paragraph of Minute No. (f) after the reference to Mr Custance: “as British Mountaineering Council Access representative for South East Wales.”

 

 

(c)        Report on Draft ROWIP Consultation -

 

The three month consultation period for the draft ROWIP had ended on 10^th April, 2007.  Distribution and advertising had been undertaken in accordance with the CRoW Act and Welsh Assembly Government Guidance.  Twenty one responses had been received, with the issues raised in those responses summarised in a report to the Forum under the following headings:

 

§                Compliments / support for the document

§                Partnerships

§                Resources

§                Strategic context

§                Network composition

§                Network maintenance / installation choices

§                Document format

§                Document format with specific regard to the Definitive Map / Ordnance Survey Map.

 

Generally, a very positive response had been received, particularly for the idea of partnership development, especially from Town and Community Councils.

 

In addition to the above, the Countryside Council for Wales had also submitted an extremely useful response, which was again included in the information considered by the Forum.  Certain of the points raised by CCW were accepted and the document would be reviewed / amended accordingly.  Particular reference was made in the course of the subsequent discussion to the Strategic Environmental (SEA) Directive and to the fact that the Council should consider whether or not the ROWIP should be screened under SEA to avoid any potential future challenge.  It was queried at the meeting as to whether the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission had commented about the issue of the SEA, and agreed that officers would investigate.  Discussion also took place on the desirability of including aspirational targets within the ROWIP - qualified as necessary by practical issues such as e.g. the availability of funding / resources.  Members were requested to submit any suggestions to the PROW Section within a month.  The final draft document would then be presented to the LAF in September for comment.

 

AGREED - T H A T the changes suggested by the Public Rights of Way Team and those comments accepted from CCW be agreed and incorporated in the document, together with any further suggestions from the LAF, for final consideration at the September meeting.

 

 

(d)            Guidance issued under Sections 147 and 147ZA of the Highways Act 1980 relating to the requirement for local authorities to have regard to the needs of people with mobility problems when authorising stiles and gates -

 

The Forum received for information a copy of the above statutory guidance issued by the Welsh Assembly Government.  The WAG advised that local authorities, before authorising a new barrier under Section 147, should be satisfied on the following three counts:

 

·                    that the land was being used, or was being brought into use, for agriculture, forestry or for the breeding or keeping of horses;

·                    that, in order for that use to be carried on efficiently, it was expedient for a structure to be erected on the path or way that crossed the land to prevent the ingress or egress of animals; and

·                    that the barrier being authorised was the least restrictive barrier that was consistent with the need to contain or exclude animals.

 

Discussion then ensued on the needs of landowners given the specific situation within the Vale which housed a diverse and increasing number of landowners and farmers, both large and small scale.  Reference was, however, made to the fact that efforts had been made to address that matter within the draft ROWIP in that, whilst looking at gap, gate, stile in that order the Council recognised the need to consult with and gain agreement from landowners and to work within what was statutory guidance and could not therefore be ignored.  The drawing of attention to the following publications, as alluded to in the guidance, was also noted:  “By All Reasonable Means: Inclusive Access to the Outdoors for Disabled People”; and Countryside for All Good Practice Guide, extended CD edition, published by the Fieldfare Trust in 2005.

 

AGREED – T H A T the aforementioned statutory guidance be noted together with the revised entry within the draft ROWIP referred to above.

 

 

(e)       “Let’s Walk Cymru”: Guidance Note -

 

“Let’s Walk Cymru” was a new Wales-wide initiative (promoted through Sports Council Wales and supported by WAG and CCW) tasked with increasing the number of people undertaking walking as a regular health benefiting activity.  The initiative would support existing physical activity projects as long as they showed additional features in their application for assistance illustrating an extension of the project to include different people, areas or activities.

 

The Guidance Note submitted to the Forum set out details of the following:

 

§                categories of projects which would be funded;

§                eligibility;

§                what a grant could / could not be used for;

§                details of the amount of grant available (i.e. of up to £10k. per annum);

§                timescale.

 

It was explained that despite the above not being a core issue for the PROW Section, ways of promoting the initiative (in partnership or unilaterally) were being discussed.  An example given was the production of walking leaflets based on the Country Parks in the Vale.  Reference was also made during subsequent discussion to the success of the Walking the Way to Health model and Mrs. Warlow, who was involved in the initiative through Valewaves, agreed to keep the LAF informed of new developments in that area. 

 

AGREED – T H A T the position be noted.

 

 

(f)            Update on Coastal Access Improvement Programme -

 

Consideration had been given at the last meeting to a draft outline Coastal Access Improvement Programme (CAIP).  The draft document had now been amended in the light of comments received, investigation into potential schemes and further guidance from the Countryside Council for Wales.

 

Consideration was given to the revised document, within which the initiatives proposed were grouped into three themes:

 

§                Practical Improvements;

§                Investigative Work;

§                Negotiation and Management.

 

Each of the proposals would contribute significantly to improving coastal access and would demonstrate to be in accordance with the priorities given in the Wales Coastal Access Improvement Programme.  More local priorities, based on the workshop session held at the last meeting of the Forum, would be more appropriate to carry forward into the full CIAP document to be prepared later in the year.  Subsequent discussion referred to the practicalities of acquiring the land necessary to replace lost sections of path, which would be dependant upon the level of grant awarded.  It was noted that an optimistic total bid of £177k. had been submitted.

 

It was understood that officers from the Countryside Council for Wales were meeting on 8^th May, 2007 to review all the Local Authority Coastal Access Programme bids, with the outcome of the bids to be made known as soon as possible.

 

AGREED - T H A T the revised draft Outline Coastal Access Improvement Programme be endorsed.

 

 

(g)            Membership of Coastal Access Advisory Group -

 

The Wales Coastal Access Improvement Programme guidance required the establishment of a partnership to progress the Vale of Glamorgan Coastal Access Improvement Programme.  At the last meeting, it had been suggested that a Vale of Glamorgan Coastal Access Advisory Group could be formed from a core of, perhaps, six Forum members, together with a representative from selected organisations, to provide a strategic advisory group and sounding board for coastal access issues.  The suggested organisations were the Country Landowners and Business Association, the National Farmers Union, the Farmers Union of Wales, the Environment Agency, the Vale Marketing Group (representing tourism interests) and the Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People.  Initial contact had already been made with most of these organisations.

 

In addition to the above, direct consultation would need to involve other sections within the Council, specific landowners, user groups and Community Councils.  It might be appropriate to have a wider partnership meeting on an annual basis to discuss issues and progress on the CIAP.

 

The Advisory Group would be facilitated in a similar way to the Local Access Forum, with its proceedings being reported on to the Forum and the Council’s Scrutiny Committee (Economy and Environment) and / or Cabinet as appropriate.

 

AGREED -

 

(1)       T H A T the establishment of a Coastal Access Advisory Group as a sub-group of the Local Access Forum be endorsed, to form part of a core of a wider Vale of Glamorgan partnership to help progress coastal access initiatives.

 

(2)       T H A T the following members of the Forum be nominated to serve on the Coastal Access Advisory Group:

 

                        Mrs. V.M. Hartrey, Mr. J.J. Herbert, Mrs. H. March,

Mr. H.S. McMillan and Mr. R. Simpson.

 

(3)       T H A T any other member wishing to serve on the Group notify the Secretary by 11^th May, 2007.

 

 

(h)        Local Access Forum Volunteers’ Performance Indicator Survey: August 2006 -

 

By way of background it was explained that the Performance Indicator for Public Rights of Way asked for the percentage of total lengths of rights of way which were easy to use by members of the public in order to measure trends and progress.  Guidance currently recommended a survey of a minimum of 5% of the length of the network each year to achieve the desired result.  Since commencement in 1997, the surveys had been carried out each Spring by volunteers from members of the two Ramblers’ Association groups in the Vale.  It was noted that the individuals carrying out the surveys had largely remained the same throughout the 10 year period.  The continuity achieved as a consequence had been taken as an indicator that any apparently random swings in results (as evidenced in the graph appended to the report) could not be put down to different surveyors being employed in different years.   Instead, it was considered that the apparent swings were the result of 5% being too small a percentage for the length of path in the Vale and efforts had been made to increase the size of the survey from a minimum 5% to 10% each year.  This opportunity arose in 2006 when seven members of the LAF volunteered to undertake the surveys.  A further minimum 5% random sample of the PROW was then generated and split seven ways.  Six of the seven volunteers completed the task and the results therefore were derived from 4.61% survey as opposed to the recommended minimum 5%.  The surveys had been carried out in August / September 2006 and showed an overall 50.7% pass rate.  In the Spring of 2007 the next regular survey had been undertaken by the Ramblers’ Association groups and the result submitted to WAG as the current year’s PI return.  It was noted that the Summer LAF result had been significantly below that measured by the Ramblers in the Spring and, accordingly, the LAF result would be recorded only internally alongside the Ramblers’ Association returns for the immediate future to allow trends and consistency to become apparent.

 

Those surveying indicated that many of the footpaths had failed to meet requirements because of the lack of way-marking and signposting and suggested that an action plan should be drawn up to rectify that position.  In response, it was pointed out that the purpose of the survey was to identify trends and that a planned programme of maintenance work was drawn up.  That programme concentrated in the main on those paths most used / closest to centres of habitation etc. and the diversion of severely limited resources to bring the paths subject to the survey up to standard would be an inappropriate use of those resources.  It was, however, accepted that those undertaking the survey should be permitted to install way-markers as part of their remit where required.   It was also reported that the WLGA proposed changes to the way in which the PI in question was undertaken and a report requested on the same for consideration at the next meeting.  Other potential new footpaths PIs were also being mooted and a further report would be submitted to a future meeting once that information had been received. 

 

AGREED –

 

(1)       T H A T a similar exercise to that undertaken in Autumn 2006 and Spring 2007 be carried out in the late Summer / Autumn 2007 with a view to completing a regular PI survey every year to supplement the Spring 5% return and to moving towards incorporation into Action 10 of the ROWIP which sought a 10% annual sample survey.

 

(2)       T H A T volunteers to undertake the survey be asked to forward their names to the PROW Section.                               

 

 

(i)            Countryside Council for Wales / Welsh Assembly Government Work Plans for 2007/08 -

 

CCW and WAG anticipated that they would refer the following matters to LAFs during the year although they had made the point that the list was for guidance only and might change to reflect work priorities. 

 

AGREET – T H A T the list as shown below be included in the Forum’s Annual Report 2006/07 as reflecting its programme for 2007/08 onwards:

 

 

 

 

 

(j)         Local Access Forum Annual Report 2006/07 -

 

The content of the Annual Report was commended and would, following suggestions from the floor, be enhanced by the inclusion of suitable photographs prior to its publication.  Members were requested to submit any further suggested amendments to the text by 11^th May, 2007.  The final document would be made available on the Council’s website and in hard copy at the Council’s offices.  Copies would also be sent to all Town and Community Councils.

 

AGREED - T H A T the draft Annual Report be endorsed for publication.

 

 

(k)        Dates of future meetings -

 

AGREED - T H A T meetings be held as follows (all meetings to commence at 18:00):

 

19^th September, 2007

16^th January, 2008

14^th May, 2008.

 

 

(l)            Publications -

 

Mr. Custance provided copies of a book published by the South Wales Mountaineering Club – which contained references to climbs in the Bridgend area – for members’ perusal.

 

Mrs. March drew attention to a recently published book entitled “Penllyn” which had been produced by the villagers themselves.

 

 

(m)      Frank Coleman -

 

The Chairman referred to the imminent retirement of Mr. Coleman and to his tireless work on behalf of the LAF.  Members on the LAF joined the Chairman in wishing him a happy, healthy and long retirement.