Issue - meetings

Following the meeting of the Forum on 28 September 2010, comments had been sent to Natural England regarding their future working arrangements with the England Access Forum (EAF). Natural England would be withdrawing funding for the EAF and there had been a consultation regarding how the EAF would be funded in the future.

The South East Regional Symposium would be held on 7 April 2011 at the Quaker House on Euston Road in London. Up to four members from each LAF in the south east region were invited to attend the regional symposium, along with two officers from each local authority.

The County Surveyors meeting in January 2011 was cancelled due to bad weather.

Forum members discussed a letter sent to all English Access Forums from The British Horse Society regarding equestrian access. It was indicated there were approximately 1.3 million horses in the UK which was the equivalent of 17 horses per 100 people. Many bridleways had been lost over the years and people now needed to pay to access forests. There were similar restrictions for cyclists when accessing forests.

It would be useful to keep bridleways in good condition, linked up, and with safer verges, so that horses did not need to use roads. There were many horses in the Binfield and Warfield areas. Sand tracks in Windsor Great Park were being used by walkers and cyclists but they had been laid for horses.

The British Horse Society was attempting to locate old bridleways by 2026 or they could be lost. After the second world war many were taken off maps but research needed to be undertaken in relation to rights of way and ancient paths to add them to maps.

Emphasis on improving bridleways would be incorporated into the Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP).

(Action: Rose Wicks)

It was suggested that a letter from a community representative may be received more positively by landowners being approached regarding permissive bridleways, than a letter from Bracknell Forest Council.

(Action: Sharon Holt)