Minutes:
Peter Radband mentioned that the Broadmoor development had caused an increased amount of traffic on the roads. It was noted that the access road was private at present but if possible the legal status would be clarified.
John Deakin mentioned that the horse riding policy at The Crown Estate would be changing and there would be one single permit for riding on land at Swinley Forest and Windsor Great Park from the start of May 2015. There would be no day permits, just annual permits, and the horse box parking areas would be moved to a location further south in Swinley Forest, which would be an improvement to its existing location at The Look Out. The aim was for more distinct areas for horse riding and access would be monitored as it progressed. Permit holders only could access some car parks via a permit code. Jenny mentioned that new discs were due to come out on 1 April 2015 and John would check this with Gareth.
(Action: John Deakin)
Councillor Brossard advised that a wild service tree had been purchased and planted by Sandhurst Town Council in memory of Mel Calvert, who sadly passed away last year. Mel was the founder and Life President of Longdown Lodge Estate Residents Association. Sandhurst Footpath 13 between Orchard Gate and Wellington Road would be designated ‘Calvert Walk’ to recognise his valuable contribution, with the signs funded by a community grant.
Jenny Yung mentioned flytipping and Richard said that there had been site visits with Gail Siddall, BFC Environmental Health regarding this and officers were considering options for CCTV. There was the possibility of undertaking minor design modifications to make it more difficult for larger vehicles to flytip but this would make it difficult for horse boxes and restrict access rights for others. There was an online form to report issues such as obstructions on Public Rights of Way, on the Borough Council’s website; Rose would send a web link to Jenny.
(Action: Rose Wicks)
Peter Radband raised a query about QR codes to be put onto signs so people could scan them for information. Richard advised that using mobile in parks and open spaces had been investigated by officers within the Parks & Countryside service, but due to BFC internal policies and procedures, this was slow to be progressed. QR codes were also old technology and there was some reluctance to spend funding on them in case they should go out of date. Peter also queried whether the locations of defibrillators could be shown on maps. Richard advised that this was being looked into by councillors and officers. Rose could check with the Borough Council’s GIS Team to see if this had been mapped or if the NHS knew of the locations.
(Action: Rose Wicks)
John Deakin mentioned that the Swinley Forest pipeline activities were progressing as expected and the contractor’s behaviour had been acceptable with the agreement. The Crown Estate was working closely with Natural England regarding the disruption caused by the activities. Dan West who was Forest Ranger at The Crown Estate was working on an overarching plan for public access in the forest area and there would be a joined up approach in the borough with a plan for the car park, footpaths and dog bins. This could be presented to the Forum for feedback when completed.
(Action: John Deakin)