Minutes of Meeting of the Caithness Local Access Forum held in Mowat Room, Assembly Rooms, Wick on Monday 23rd October, 2006 at 7.00pm.
Present:
Mr Ken Butler (Chairman)
Mr William Bruce (Vice Chairman)
Mr Stephen Fraser
Mr Chris Hobson
Councillor John Green
Mrs Elena Koponen-Baikie (from Item 4)
Councillor Graeme Smith
Mrs Cath Whittles
Mr David Shaw
In Attendance:
Mr Geoff Robson, Head of Environment, HC
Mr David Barclay, Access Officer, HC
Mrs Fiona Sinclair, Area Solicitor/Administrator, HC (Clerk)
Mrs Marina Swanson, Countryside Ranger, HC
Business
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Peter Blackwood and George Walker.
2. Chairman’s Remarks
The Chairman welcomed Cath Whittles a new member of the Forum replacing Gail Baker. The Chairman asked Mrs Sinclair to circulate a revised membership list incorporating Mrs Whittles’ contact details.
The Chairman also welcomed Anson MacAuslan the Factor of Langwell Estate who wished to address the meeting.
The Chairman drew attention to the written parliamentary questions answered by Rhona Brankin, the Access Officer’s report and the note on the definition of core path criteria, copies of which had been circulated to the meeting.
3. Minutes of Meeting Held on 21st August 2006
Mrs Sinclair pointed out that George Walker’s name was missing from the list of people present. Subject to this amendment the Minutes were held as read and were approved. Arising from the Minutes the Chairman asked Mr Barclay to liaise with SEERAD with a view to making public the creation of any new paths under the Land Mangement Contract Menu Scheme, Option 15 – Improving Access Grant Scheme.
4. Caithness Transport Strategy
Mr David Barclay highlighted that in the Caithness Transport Strategy which had recently been circulated to the Forum members walking had not been considered as a basic element of transport. Councillor Smith pointed out that when preparing the Strategy the Transport Forum had considered transport bearing in mind public transport and vehicles and had not intended to include pedestrians. The Forum considered that walking forms the basic mode of transport within a community and should therefor be represented within a transport vision or strategy for the area. The Forum agreed to make their view that walkers are inadequately considered in the document known to the Caithness Transport Forum. It was agreed that David Barclay would pass on the comments through the Caithness Partnership office.
5. Access Officer’s Report
The meeting considered David Barclay’s report on Core Path Planning Update, the Peatlands Conference in Thurso on 4 and 5 October 2006, the access issue at Reay Golf Course which is now moving towards a satisfactory conclusion and the liaison with SEERAD regarding collation of information on routes receiving funding through the Land Management Contract Menu Scheme. The Committee noted the terms of the report a copy of which is appended to this Minute.
6. Core Path Planning Exercise for Thurso
Mr David Barclay invited the Forum members to mark off popular paths on maps of Thurso and to complete a questionnaire, in order that the members could consider and compare their comments with the returns received from the public. Mr Barclay passed around maps showing the routes which had been brought to his attention by the core path planning returns and also maps showing the routes on the Scottish Path Record. He reminded the Forum of the definition of Core Path criteria and that the draft Core Path Plan must be approved within The Highland Council by February 2008. The Forum considered a scoring system for the paths using examples and Mr Barclay explained that a method of comparing and contrasting the value of individual routes will be required to prioritise candidate Core Path routes. Mr Geoff Robson drew attention to the Parliamentary questions answered by Rhona Brankin and said that Local Authorities will be funded in order to meet their statutory obligations but funding for the development of core path plans will have to be found within existing Council budgets. Additional money will be available for statutory obligations only. Councillor Smith said that in his view the priority for the Local Authority is to fulfil its statutory obligations. He said that a core path plan must be sustainable and that there may require to be an aspirational path plan with a sustainable core path plan within it as there are no funds available to maintain core paths.
7. Any Other Business
(a) Open Day – the Chairman raised the possibility of an Open Day or Access Festival and invited the Forum members to consider how the public could be encouraged to attend such an event. It was agreed that this item would be further considered at the next meeting of the Forum.
(b) Anson MacAuslan, Factor for Welbeck Estates at Langwell was present at the meeting and asked to address the meeting regarding land management issues. He said that David Barclay had raised with him issues which had previously been discussed at Forum meetings regarding privacy for Estate staff around a dwellinghouse at Braemore. He said that the Estate would arrange the one hundred metre diversion of the path in order to give the staff privacy. He also mentioned a notice to hillwalkers placed in the John O’Groat Journal and Northern Times which he had been told did not comply with the Outdoor Access Code and he asked for advice for appropriate wording which he could use in future.
Mr Barclay explained that public notices need to be carefully considered in order to ensure that they comply with both the access legislation and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. He said that notices could be successfully challenged if there are perceived restrictions on the particular days on which members of the public can take access or the impression is given that permission is required to take access on any day apart from Sunday during the main stalking season.
He suggested that the SNH Land Management signs be used where necessary. During discussion it was suggested to Mr MacAuslan that maps of the area could be produced and zones identified. These zones could be referred to on an information board as to whether they are suitable for walkers on a particular day or not. It was also suggested that the information board be placed at the car park, and that suitably worded notices in the local papers would be a useful public relations exercise.
Discussion followed about the lack of awareness in the general public of land management practice in the countryside and of deer stalking in particular.
In conclusion the Chairman reminded Mr MacAuslan that the legislation can be quite onerous for land owners, that the Forum would be happy to assist him to solve any difficulties with particular access groups and noted that the path at Braemore is one of the busiest outdoor paths in Caithness with approximately four thousand people using it in the last twelve months.
(c) Next Meeting - There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting and reminded the Forum members that the next meeting will take place on 11 December 2006 at 7.00pm in the Ross Institute, Halkirk.
Access Officers Report
On behalf of the Caithness Local Access Forum
23rd October 2006
- Caithness Transport Strategy directed to CLAF members for possible discussion (please refer to agenda item)
- Thurso Core Path Planning example directed to CLAF members (please refer to agenda item)
Core Path Planning - update
Few additional questionnaires have been received since the last CLAF meeting with a total of one hundred and eighty three paper returns (an increase of five returns) with the email returns remaining unchanged at seventeen. This total is unlikely to increase from the initial phase of the Core Path Planning Exercise.
Input of returns on a central data base and analysis of paper returns, workshop sessions and previous documentation from projects, agencies and other relevant sources is now underway. The complexity of the task at hand is now becoming increasingly apparent with several pertinent issues arising from phase one of the CPP process;
- Information gained from paper returns is very general – clarification will be required from many individuals on specifics regarding routes and pertinent comments regarding access.
- Information analysis conformity.
- Issues arising from complexities and time consuming data analysis from data base.
- Returns are indicative only.
On balance phase one has proven to be useful in awareness raising and the collection of initial data on which to base phase two of the process. In particular the gaining of information on particular routes has proved informative through general comments from the public allied to the identification of popular routes within communities. The first phase has been useful in being indicative of areas/routes to investigate further in phase two. Phase one has also been useful in illustrating shortfalls in capturing respondents from certain age groups, user groups and areas within the County which can all be targeted in phase two.
Several indicative observations can be made from phase one;
1. Popular routes are well represented from the both paper returns and workshop sessions (e.g. the Mall, Victoria Walk, Dunnet Forest, Wick Riverside) etc as could be expected?
2. In many areas access along roads is of particular concern with Watten, Dunnet and smaller settlements along the A9/A99 being an issue i.e. lack of local paths necessitating the use of the public highway for non-vehicular access.
3. Use of public transport was poor to reach sites/routes distant from home address.
4. Car use and travel for significant distances to reach a favoured route is a noticeable issue.
5. The majority of respondents fall within two age groups; 45-64 and 65-74.
6. Maintenance of existing routes is a concern.
Other points to be noted within exercise featuring Thurso.
Peatlands (in part the Flows NNR)
A conference was attended on the 4th and 5th of October in Thurso and on site at Forsinard. The conference outlined the importance of the Peatlands both at local and international levels, considered issues such as tourism and marketing, ongoing conservation/reinstatement efforts and the potential future use and perception of the Peatlands.
It is of note that future works in the Peatlands may take increasing note of wider information, promotion, interpretation and access provision. Currently schemes are being considered to create a new access route and vantage point above Forsinain near Forsinard with potential projects noted at other sites around Caithness and Sutherland such as Loch More and Ben Dorrery.
It is hoped that further consideration is made of longer strategic access routes in the Peatlands - particularly the track network linking Loch More, Altnabreac, Braemore and Forsinain.
Reay Golf Club (Please refer to minutes of 21/08/06)
Matters arising from access issues at Reay Golf Club have resulted in a number of items being pursued, both by the Golf Club and the Access Officer. Following a locally emotive period in which access issues were becoming difficult, a meeting was held between the Access Officer and members of the Committee of the Golf Club. A number of issues were raised including; varying interpretations of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, the Codes’ status and the fact that perceived inappropriate behaviour by access takers was being tackled in a forthright manner by Club members resulting in a backlash from certain access takers claiming infringement of access rights.
The Club is resolute in its assurance (via the Club Captain) that access is welcomed over the Course under the terms of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, however behaviour such as failure to pick up dog faeces, dogs off the lead and general disturbance to play (together with a range of other issues such as land management operations, health and safety, liability and use of signs) needed to be tackled.
A basic verbal action plan has been adopted and already acted upon by the Club Captain (this had begun in advance of the meeting with Club Committee) This has included personal contact with individuals involved by the Captain and a review of proposed signs for the course. The Access Officer along with the Dog Warden have undertaken a fact finding visit to the course, supplied further leaflets regarding SOAC and the supplemental ‘walkies’ leaflet and provided two kissing gates (previous to access issues arising) to benefit the routes across the course. A leaflet dispenser is also being pursued to allow for 24/7 provision of leaflets to reduce reliance on access to the Club House or direct contact with Club members.
Signage issues are being considered currently with the Club keen to pursue funding from SNH for SOAC compliant signs and will be investigating the use of the SNH devised land management signs. The Access Officer is satisfied with progress and is keen that this positive and proactive approach is maintained by the Golf Club.
Land Management Contracts (Please refer to minutes of 21/08/06)
Liaison is continuing with the local SEERAD office in Thurso regarding collation of information regarding routes receiving funding through the Land Management Contract Menu Scheme. There appears to be a discrepancy in numbers between applications approved by SEERAD and contact made/maps received from land managers to the Access Officer. This is being considered by SEERAD currently.