Hampshire County Council

Yateley Common Management Committee Item 2

19 February 2002

Yateley Common Country Park - Site Manager's Report

October 2001 to February 2002

Report of the Director of Arts, Countryside and Community

Contact : John Tickle, ext 6000

1. Summary

1.1. This report outlines the work undertaken at Yateley Common in the period since the last meeting.

2. Conservation

2.1. Work during the winter has focused upon the scrub clearance funded by MAFF through the Countryside Stewardship grant scheme and by English Nature through the Wildlife Enhancement Scheme.

2.2. Together with other grant-aided works on other sites, this has put an extremely heavy workload upon the staff. By the end of January, the WES work had just been completed but the Stewardship work had not been started. It seems likely that some of the Stewardship work will have to be carried over to the autumn.

3. Education

3.1. No school visits or talks were conducted during the period under review.

4. Site Abuse

4.1. The situation remains the same as it has been for the last few years.

4.2. Of particular concern is the current situation with regard to fridges and freezers. These items can no longer be recycled and are therefore likely to be dumped in increasing numbers. At the current time we have no legal method of disposal and it is imperative that a solution is found to this problem before our very limited storage space is exhausted.

5. Access

5.1. The access track leading to Brandy Bottom was re-graded by contractors in the late autumn. Initially the surface held up well, perhaps due to the very dry conditions, however there are now signs of deterioration.

5.2. A meeting was set up with representatives of the Greene King Pub Company to discuss the track leading to the Cricketers Public House. Unfortunately the Area Surveyor from Greene King was held up in traffic and never made it to the meeting. Discussions were held with the contractor hired by Greene King but the company has made no further contact. If nothing is heard from Greene King before the weather improves in the spring, the Site Manager will write to their Area Surveyor to determine what plans they have for improvements to this track.

5.3. A meeting was held with Rights of Way staff and The Ramblers Association to discuss the situation with regard to Rights of Way on Yateley Common. The meeting was very positive and agreement was reached in principle on all routes. At the time of writing, we are awaiting maps from the Rights of Way section so that further consultation can take place. It is hoped that these maps will be ready in time for the Yateley Common Management Committee meeting.

6. Legal Issues

6.1. A number of legal matters relating to the Common are currently in progress; however there is no substantial progress to report.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

4cR80202