EXMOOR LOCAL ACCESS FORUM
To: The Members of the Exmoor Local Access Forum
A meeting of the Exmoor Local Access Forum will be held in The Main Hall, CARE village, Blackerton, East Anstey, Devon (location map/plan attached PDF, 205KB) on Wednesday, 8 November 2006 at 6 pm.
The meeting will be open to the press and public in accordance with the provisions of reg. 7 of The Local Access Forums (England) Regulations 2002 (under s 94 and 95 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000).
#The normal Public Question Time procedures will not apply at this meeting, given that a large part of it is a public forum for local communities in the area to express views on access, rights of way and general recreation – see Item 5 below.
Martin Palmer
Secretary, Exmoor Local Access Forum
A G E N D A
1. Welcome
To welcome members of the public. Forum members and officers from the National Park Authority will briefly introduce themselves and their backgrounds and interests.
2. Apologies for Absence
3. Declarations of Interest
Members are asked to declare any direct or indirect personal interests (including financial) in relation to items on the agenda for this meeting and shall disclose the nature of those interests to the meeting.
(NB. The regulations do not prohibit any member having such an interest from remaining in the meeting and participating in the discussion).
4. Minutes
(1) To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Forum held on 9 August 2006 (Item 4 PDF, 75KB).
(2) To consider any Matters Arising from those Minutes.
5. Meet the Community
An invitation from the Local Access Forum for members of the public (including those who represent specific groups) to air your views on how the new right to open access land is working, how the local rights of way network is perceived and what improvements are considered to be necessary and also how access to other recreational pursuits may be improved.
There are a number of local access and management issues on West Anstey Common, which Mark Jones, Natural England, and Paul Hawkins, Recreation Manager for Exmoor National Park Authority, will explain. The Forum and members of the public present will be asked to provide views on possible solutions.
6. Items Requested by Jason Hooper, Forum member, concerning:-
• The decision made by the National Park Authority at its meeting on 5 September 2006 not to agree the Local Access Forum’s recommendation that Somerset County Council be asked to speed up the process for completing Definitive Map Modification Orders on Restricted Byways in the National Park (Exmoor LAF Minute 22(1) of 9 August 2006).
• A point raised by the Exmoor Society at the National Park Authority’s meeting on 5 September 2006 suggesting that, in order for decisions made by the Local Access Forum to be credible, there needed to representation from the various interests that comprise the membership (with recent lower attendance levels being cited).
(The
details of Jason Hooper’s concerns on these matters are set out in the attached letter from him – Item
6 PDF, 95KB).
7. Restricted Byways Update –
to be provided by Alison Kent, Senior
Ranger/Paul Hawkins, Recreation Manager, Exmoor National Park Authority
8. Exmoor’s Moorland Initiative
Further to the presentation given to the Forum at the last meeting (Minute 20), a representative from Land Use Consultants who are developing the National Park Authority’s bid for Heritage Lottery funding will describe work on the Access Plan and seek input from the Forum.
9. Active Exmoor
Mike Bishop from Active Exmoor to give a presentation on the organisation’s provision of recreational activities and training opportunities within Greater Exmoor and beyond.
10. Rights of Way Improvement Plan Update – to be provided by James Maben, Access Officer, Exmoor National Park Authority.
11. Diversion Orders – Alison Kent, Senior Ranger, Exmoor National Park Authority to update.
12. Military Access on Exmoor National Park Authority Land – Paul Hawkins, Recreation Manager, Exmoor National Park Authority to provide details for the Forum.
13. Frequency of Forum Meetings and Dates of Meetings in 2007
14. Any Other Business of Urgency