APPENDIX A
COTSWOLDS ACCESS SEMINAR NOTES
Table 1
General points:
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We are all in this together. Show responsibility.
Need to better coordinate action between interests. Strength in partnership(s)
Highway Authorities:
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Highlight the value of PRoW within authorities, up to cabinet level: economic importance.
Significance to rural economy
Farmers:
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Rights of way a shop window to the farm: show what we do, local products etc. Selling
job to do with the farming community – a task for the NFU and CLA.
Encourage more toll rides for horse riders.
CCB:
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Produce briefing note on economic and health & welfare benefits of network in the
Cotswolds. ‘sell’ to LEPs, LNPs, Health & wellbeing Boards, LAFs.
CCB to take lead in facilitating joint action.
Harnessing the enthusiasm of volunteers
Build on the success of the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens – partnership with other
volunteer groups
Parish Wardens - need to complete coverage
Parish Councils:
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Key role for Parish Councils in going forward
Are there lessons to be learnt from the Parish Paths Partnership?
All Parish Councils to be encouraged to have Public Rights of Way Sub-committee
Table 2
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Comment: huge steps forward. Partnerships, landowners, Ramblers Association etc etc.
Don’t throw out existing works, ideas.
90% of landowners can pick up phone and talk to – good relations.
Carriage Drivers ask landowners if they can park – never been turned down and have
occasionally been offered permissive access.
Key to sustainability is the cost benefit to health and economy. Need to show benefit to
the economy.
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Good bridleway network around Winchcombe but awkward to access due to roads and
breaks in continuity.
Can we do ‘Cyclist Welcome. Approach
Value of Cotswold Wardens, have the skills and leaves PRoW teams free for more
testing jobs.
Local village group (in Wilts) does PRoW work for highway authority.
Elsewhere – need a nucleus of volunteers to get going
BIG IDEAS:
Increase local engagement
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Parish Councils
Support existing CVWS/RA/Bridleway Groups
New groups
Explain value to:
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Government
Local authorities
Local business
Health sector
Parish Councils
(people deliberately underplaying value)
Create and promote strategic links across the Cotswolds
Table 3
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De-prioritise some paths at disproportionate cost – don’t spend local authority money
maintaining paths that aren’t used.
Visitor payback scheme for business benefit – either compulsory or voluntary
Contributions from walking publication sales
‘it’s mine’ – branding is personalised e.g. My Cotswolds
CCB take on highway authority role e.g.maintenance – still needs funding. Like NP.
Change legislation to allow this.
Need a better analysis of finances and benefits
More information supplied by volunteers to Las but need better guidance to do so. Also
need quality control.
Ask the customer!
Use new technology e.g develop an app to record issues opportunities with RoW.
Parish Councils can play bigger part in identifying land owners or resolving issues.
What is feminist critique of RoW. Mostly men here.
Solitude is good! Why are we encouraging more people?
Government campaign – Britain on Foot – funds to be made available.
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Don’t need more PRoWs, we have plenty. But need to teach people to read maps!
Focus on little connections to make PRoW better joined up across the network.
CAP do better funding
Ask the health service to pay – education service?
Rationalise the network – quality not quantity.
Sort out and simplify the RoW legislation.
Include the full value to an asset/property once a route is re-routed.
Have different schemes aimed at different sized enterprises/farms
Everyone needs to know their rights and responsibilities e.g role for CCB to
inform/supply guidance.
Set up very local forums for users, parishes, landowners – with neutral facilitator
Make efficient use of volunteers
Table 4
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Could we pay landowners to take full responsibility for RoWs across their land?
Permissive access can work, but offers no protection for access.
Link RoW and access management into the health agenda.
GCC Highways has a fund, ‘Highways Your Way’ which offers 50% match funding for
community led access improvements – could be used in conjunction with Paths for
Communities to provide improvements linked to health and wellbeing.
Links between health and access could be made by investigating partnerships, and
using a cohesive approach with a single organisation such as CCB as the lead;
This could take the form of an AONB wide health and access partnership, but return on
investment would have to be quantifiable and explicitly shown.
Levels of precept charges are not capped for Parish councils, and some of this potential
could be directed to RoW maintenance and improvement.
Problems exist with unifying parishes wrt access management;
WaW could help to solve this, but it has to be from the ground up and not led by a town /
parish council.
More could be made of visitor giving and tourism, linking visitor attractions with visitor
management wrt access;
For example, capitalising on the many festivals across the AONB, and promoting visitor
giving with festival organisers.
Visitor giving is good in principle, but contributors need to know where their money’s
going. Walking festivals are a good way of putting visitors in touch with the cost of RoW
management.
Themed packages based on the RoW network should be offered as part of a tourism
offer, e.g photography walking holidays – preaching to the uninitiated.
Much concentration is on enjoyment and walking; we should also be encouraging people
to stop and enjoy silence – the tranquillity of the countryside in which RoWs immerse
people.
Greater concentration should be placed on educational access, for example linked to
Stewardship funding to farmers and landowners, perhaps encouraging them to adopt a
section of path to manage as part of an educational / volunteering package.
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Development of a series of ‘Cotswolds on a bootlace’ itineraries aimed at breaking
down the perception that the Cotswold walking / access holidays are only for larger
budgets.
Table 5
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Extend Voluntary Warden network to the rest of Gloucestershire – concern about
different standards. Avon example extending to South Gloucestershire.
Cotswolds good standards already compared with other areas.
Need for more young people – the Voluntary wardens
Improve links with communication with highway authorities. Use of Apps.
Example of Walkers are Welcome – community lead approach.
Breaking down the boundaries – look beyond the boundaries.
Theme walks – link to Cotswold Landscape, farm diversification
Signage – too much/not enough
Education – RoW-local authorities
Pilot – education with Outdoors Trust
Youth and the outdoors – safety matters
Connecting the health agenda – needs effort
CLA cooperative approach looked for.