NYCC Local Access Forum working group - Rights of Way and the planning process

Prepared by Will Scarlett and Rachel Connolly 050323

Sent to Countryside Access Services (CAS)

Q1  Roughly how many planning applications, pre-filtered to those having access issues, are referred by district councils each year?

Q2  Does CAS check some or all of the District Council weekly lists in addition to these?

Q3  If yes, why is this necessary and roughly how many extra applications does this entail annually?

Q4  How much departmental time is needed for this job, weekly?

Q5  Is this job carried out by one officer, or a series of people i.e. the DMMO team, then paths team etc..?

Q6  When checking planning applications does ROW dept consider opportunities to enhance the nearby ROW network or NMU travel connections? Sometimes/Always/Never ?

Q7  If sometimes or never, is this

a)  because it is too time-consuming to do,

b)  because NYCC discourages anything which might incur additional costs or

c)  because sustainable travel ‘isn’t our problem’ it’s a highways matter   

a, b, or c? or mix of them.

Q8   Do you think there is sufficient liaison between highways, planning and rights of way at the moment?

Q9  Looking to the future, can you suggest how the new Council might improve access awareness within highways and planning in response to the emphasis on the health benefits of active travel to best effect?