Contact: Andrew Smith ext 6003 e-mail: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That the Executive Member endorses, where possible, the integration of the Countryside Access Plans into Local Transport Plans as a means of ensuring funding is made available to deliver those actions in the Countryside Access Plans which are in accordance with the aims and objectives of the key themes in the LTP.

2. Reason

2.1 The Countryside Service is leading on the production of Countryside Access Plans for the county which are the County Council's response to the new duty to produce a Rights of Way Improvement Plan. Colleagues in the Council's Environment Department are leading on the development of a new Local Transport Plan for the county for the period 2005/6 to 2010/11. In 2002 the Government issued guidance stating that these two documents must be linked and that the Rights of Way Improvement Plans must form a `distinct strand' of the Local Transport Plan. The attached report stresses the benefits of making this link and appended to the report is the full report from the Director of the Environment which sets out the Council's proposed approach to the production of the Local Transport Plan. Whilst both documents have to be in accordance with guidance issued by government, they also reflect the County Council's corporate aims.

2.2 Making the link between the two documents demonstrates that departments such as Recreation and Department can help deliver against the aims and objectives of the Local Transport Plan. There are many actions emerging from the Countryside Access Plan research which are in accordance with the aspirations of the Local Transport Plan targets. Therefore integrating the two plans avoids the possibility of duplication and will enable the channelling of some funding so that work can be undertaken in response to the those actions proposed in the Countryside Access Plans which are in accordance with the targets in the Local Transport Plan.

2.3 Officers from both Recreation and Heritage and the Environment Department have been working closely to ensure that the documents are linked where this is appropriate. Members' support would be welcome to continue this work to identify the most effective means of enabling action to be taken in order to achieve the objectives of the Countryside Access Plans where these correspond to the Local Transport Plan.

2.4 The Decision supports Aims 1 to 5 of the Corporate Strategy: Maximising Life Opportunities; Stewardship of the Environment; Achieving Economic Prosperity; Building Strong and Safe Communities and Improving Services by providing a structure within which the Local Transport Plan is able to state the authority's transport strategy covering 2006-07 to 2010-11 that will in turn contribute to achieving these aims.

3. Other Options considered and rejected

Not applicable.

4. Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive Member consulted

None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

Not applicable

6. Reasons for the matter being dealt with if urgent - Not applicable

Approved by: Date:

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Councillor J. Waddington