Minutes:
Colin Bird reported on the Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP2) and assured the forum that LCAF’s proposals for new / modified PRoWs and access routes would be attached to these minutes (appendix 1). Colin Bird suggested setting up a subgroup to check feasibility of each of these proposals. This would help to determine which actions needed to be prioritised. Hugh Fitzwilliams and Richard Mosses volunteered to join the subgroup and asked Graham Pockett to be part of that, which Graham agreed.
Action: Colin Bird to arrange a meeting of the subgroup within the next month.
New footpath link, Sandhurst FP27
LCAF had supported the idea of turning the remaining part of the Three Castles Path at Ambarrow to a public footpath. Graham Pockett updated that the modification order had gone through without any objections, although was still within the six-week legal objection period. If approved, it would appear on the next version of the Ordnance Survey (OS) maps. The final piece of work to do on this project was to add the standard green public footpath sign on the entrance to the car park.
New footpath, Sandhurst FP26
Graham Pockett updated that the order had been approved with no objections and the footpath has been added to the GIS mapping tool.
Hawthorndale Lane, Warfield BR25
Rob Solomon reported that there had been some excavation and repair works at Hawthorndale Lane which was undertaken to reduce flooding.
The Northern Greenway
Rose Wicks presented to the forum information which had been put together for a new accessible circular route around Jock’s Park, Cabbage Hill and Garth Meadow. The route, which had been suggested by Hugh Fitzwilliams, had also been walked by Jenny Yung, David Warren and Colin Bird to check its accessibility. Instructions were then used to provide a map of the route (GIS) and directions suitable for the public to follow. These still needed to be checked.
The suggestion was that the route would be made available on the Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) website once the redevelopment work had been completed. Rose Wicks suggested that the information could potentially be pulled together in leaflet form and expected that, once that was done, the website would be ready. The Forum felt that “The Northern Greenway” name temporarily given to the route was misleading and suggested calling it “The Cabbage Hill and Garth Circuit”. Graham Pockett suggested calling it “The Cabbage Hill and The Cut Circuit”.
Rose Wicks requested suggestions for other accessible routes within the Borough. Councillor Brossard expressed that he would like to explore what could be done along Shepherd Meadows and the Blackwater River. Colin Bird added that he wanted to ensure that dropped kerbs were always opposite each other for accessibility purposes.
Mapping TROs
Rose Wicks updated the forum on the process of mapping Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and shared an example. The Highways team have mapped all the TROs on roads and Rose Wicks was in the process of putting equivalent information for public rights of way on the GIS platform, with the aim to make the information available to the public. The routes needed to be checked to ensure they were correct and, once updated, would be shared with LCAF. Behind the maps would be a data set with specifics of when the TRO came into force and information about accessibility, etc.
Action: Colin Bird asked for the link to the online, interactive rights of way maps to be included in these minutes, as this was a useful tool for LCAF members to have:
Public Rights of Way (arcgis.com)
Wildmoor Heath boardwalk, Sandhurst FP24
Rob Solomon updated that BFC and the landowner joint-funded a new boardwalk as it regularly needed repairing. The footpath improvements included new sections of raised gravel path which was significantly better for maintenance and was hoped to increase longevity. However, it couldn’t be completely replaced by a raised path due to the ecological impact on the site, so there were still some sections of boardwalk. Colin Bird asked whether it was wide enough for a buggy. Rob Solomon confirmed that it was. Councillor Brossard commented that the transformation has positively enhanced the local facility.