Agenda item

Ian Kelly introduced Andy Brown and Beth Brown, the officers responsible for managing the Access Maintenance and Definitive Map Teams respectively, to the Forum and went on to present the Countryside Access Service (CAS) Annual Report for 2023-24.

Members heard that 2023-24 had been a challenging year for CAS with some key members of the team either absent or leaving the Council, causing a consequential impact on capacity and workload.  However, despite this, the service had had some excellent achievements over the twelve-month period to include: -

·       Secured temporary funding to bolster existing base budgets on maintenance and improvement projects.

·       The ongoing creation of a new national trail on the Coast to Coast long-distance walk, to be opened in 2025.

·       Secured capital funding on an ongoing basis for Public Rights of Way (PROW) bridge asset management and urban path maintenance.

·       The appointment of a dedicated bridge engineer, which comes with an additional £200k of capital funding.

·       Processing high volumes of Definitive Map Modification Orders (DMMO) and Public Path Orders (PPO).

·       Effectively utilising volunteers and Path Keeper Groups to manage the network.

In response to a query regarding the work of the volunteers on unclassified roads, it was confirmed that the volunteers were very active, with the Trail Riders Federation being instrumental in assisting with cyclical / routine maintenance such as the clearing of draining diches and gulleys

Councillor Robert Heseltine praised Mr Kelly for an excellent report and asked that the Forum’s best wishes be passed on to Penny Noake on her retirement, and that she be thanked for all her excellent work.   Councillor Heseltine then went on to raise concerns and query the impact on the service should the responsibility for maintaining the PROW network in the North York Moors National Park and the Yorkshire Dales National Park be changed to fall under NYC’s remit.  Mr Kelly confirmed that would be a challenge to the service.

Paul Thompson informed Members that discussions were being held between NYC and the two National Parks regarding the delegation agreements, and that officers would keep Members updated with any new developments.

Discussion took place regarding the PROW bridge assets and the appointment of the dedicated bridge engineer, Paul Tweed.  Members noted that NYC had over 2000 PROW bridge assets ranging from small bridges to substantial, complex structures.  Mr Kelly explained that the bridge engineer would work closely with colleagues in CAS to deliver a work programme for bridge inspections, repairs and replacement.

Members requested a report on the Council’s PROW bridge assets and the attendance of Paul Tweed at a future meeting.

David Lepper stated that he had found the Coast to Coast maps within the report very helpful and enquired if there had been any updates since the last meeting.  Mr Kelly informed Members that although officers from Natural England had been unable to attend the Forum meeting today, they had provided the following update: -

·       The government has provided resources to upgrade the current Coast to Coast Path to a National Trail (NT). Bringing the route up to NT standards is being progressed by Natural England and is due to be completed by the end of 2025.

·       A safe and accessible crossing is required where the route meets and crosses the A19 at Ingleby Arncliffe to allow the entire route to be classified as a NT. This work is separate to completing the physical route and requires development of a business case for ministerial approval and identification of funding.

·       Defra have been undertaking work to refine the long list of possible options identified in 2022, including holding a workshop with North Yorkshire Council and North York Moors. Further technical assessment on shortlisted options will now be commissioned, after which stakeholders will be able to provide views and a business case will be developed.

·       A further update would be available at the next Coast to Coast P NT Board (C2CP NT) meeting in July 2024.

Mr Kelly advised that Natural England had offered to provide a one-to-one update with the representative from the North Yorkshire LAF to the C2CP NT External Stakeholder Group, in advance of each of the future NYLAF meetings; this would enable the representative to feedback to the Forum the most current information from those meetings.  It was noted that David Lepper was the NYLAF representative on the C2CP NT External Stakeholder Group, and that the next meeting was planned for August 2024.

It was brought to the Members attention that in terms of the Natural England business case for the accessible crossing required on the A19 at Ingleby Arncliffe, all stakeholders would be consulted as part of the process, and therefore it may be prudent to have a Position Statement for the NYLAF in readiness for inclusion.

Members discussed the proposed diversion on the A19 and where the funding would come from for the proposed work.  It was confirmed that the red route on the map within the report was only a temporary alignment, and that the work would be funded as a whole by Natural England.

A query was raised in relation to the approach ramp provision for replacement footbridges in terms of the delays to some projects and accessibility from the road for disabled users.  At this point the Chair reminded Members that the purpose of the NYLAF was to provide advice at a strategic level.  Mr Brown explained that to comply with the Equalities Act legislation the starting point for any PROW installation was that it must be as accessible as practicably possible.

Further queries were raised regarding the costs for a new overbridge at Collier Lane and how the cost compared with the bridge at the A66, and maintenance needs and improvements on Centenary Way, Foss Walk and Ripon Rowel.  It was confirmed that the agreement for Centenary Way had been set up with a previous Authority, therefore the route would be maintained.  However, NYC was not responsible for the Foss Walk and Ripon Rowel and there were no dedicated resources or funding available to undertake additional work, but if a pattern of demand was shown then officers would endeavour to maintain the area, as part of NYC’s statutory duty prioritised against other workload. 

Discussion took place regarding the recruitment of volunteers and whether Parish Councils could play a part.  The Vice Chair commented that she had never seen simple signs or advertisements, while out walking, which encouraged people to volunteer or that signposted people where to apply should they be interested.  The Chair stated that she had noticed small, laminated signs in another area which appealed for volunteers to maintain the walk.  Members heard that NYC employed a dedicated volunteer co-ordinator who involved Parish Council’s to recruit volunteers along with the use of the internet for online campaigns and word of mouth.  The Path Keeper groups also played a part, as did North Yorkshire Councillors, who each received a Members Locality Budget of £10k annually, to allow them to respond to local needs by recommending funding to support specific activities; the service had had some very good successes through utilisation of Members  Locality budgets to undertake improvements on the PROW network that otherwise would not have been affordable with existing service budgets. 

Councillor Jeffels queried, as Health and Wellbeing was a high-profile subject at present, had the service seen an increase in the amount of people rambling the countryside.  It was confirmed that Strava Metro data which recorded walking, running and cycling activity by their users, had indicated that footfall had increased during the Covid pandemic, but that these numbers had now started to gradually reduce, following trends observed across the country.  NYC also had counters on the more strategic routes which showed that the number of users was very good in towns and on the promoted National Trails, and once the Coast to Coast NT opened in 2025, this would attract a lot of publicity and hopefully increase usage of the PROW network.

The Chair thanked Ian, Beth and Andy for their excellent report. 

Resolved – That:

i.                Members noted the report;

ii.              Attendance of the new bridge engineer at the January 2025 meeting;

iii.             David Lepper, as representative for the North Yorkshire LAF on the C2CP NT External Stakeholder Group, to attend one-to-one update sessions with officers from Natural England;

iv.             Members to compile a NYLAF Position Statement for the consultation on the A19;

v.              The Coast to Coast update be added to the Forward Plan for the September 2024 meeting;

vi.             Members requested that Mr Kelly provide larger versions of the Coast to Coast maps contained within the report.