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

1. Summary

1.1 Appended to this report is the Report of the Director of the Environment to the Executive Member (Environment) dated 15^th February 2005 which sets out the County Council's proposed approach towards the development of a Local Transport Plan for the county for the period 2005/6 through to 2010/11. Members of Recreation and Heritage Policy Review have previously considered the Council's approach towards the development of Countryside Access Plans (the County Council's own title for local Rights of Way Improvement Plans). The purpose of this report is to emphasise the links between the two documents and to highlight that the Local Transport Plan is a truly `corporate' document which reflects the Council's corporate aims. It is also important to recognise the role that other departments such as Recreation and Heritage can play in helping the Environment Department deliver some of the aims and objectives of the LTP.

2. Background

2.1 Local transport or highway authorities are required to produce both a Local Transport Plan (LTP) and a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP). The County Council's first LTP covered the years 2001/2 through to 2005/6. The second LTP which is now being developed in accordance with new government guidance will cover the period 2006/7 to 2010/11. The duty to produce a RoWIP is a new duty arising out of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The RoWIP for the county has to be completed by 2007 and must be reviewed within 10 years of publication.

2.2 In November 2002 the Government announced that RoWIPs were to form a `distinct strand' of the LTP and thereby recognised that the documents have some common aspirations. In particular the Government recognised that some of the aims of the LTP could be achieved by channelling some funding to the delivery of the actions identified in the RoWIP.

2.3 The guidance states:

"in response to concerns about the funding and implementation of rights of

way improvement plans, to ensure the long term sustainability of the network and also to reduce the number of separate planning requirements in line with the Government's plans to give local authorities additional freedoms and flexibilities, we have decided the rights of way improvement planning should be incorporated into the local transport planning process from 2005 onwards, when the next 5-year Local Transport Plans are due to be produced. It is envisaged that rights of way improvement planning will be a distinct strand within the new Local Transport Plans, but by linking the plans we intend to ensure that the full importance of the rights of way is stressed in the light of the contribution it can make to transport, recreation and health"

2.4 Having been assessed as an `Excellent' Authority through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment the Council is not obliged to produce either of these Plans. However, the Council has recognised and supported these Plans as being opportunities to include local people in the setting of important priorities and as a means of improving the ability to fund work which delivers against these priorities. The CPA Assessment has, however, enabled the authority to take a broader approach to the production of RoWIPs. This approach encompasses the areas for consideration set out in the government guidance and also recognises that access to the countryside is not limited to the rights of way network. Therefore, the Plans, which the Council is calling Countryside Access Plans, start by engaging the wider public by asking what prevents them from enjoying the countryside as much as they would wish and what improvements would they wish to see made. Members of the Recreation and Heritage Policy Review Committee and the Executive Member endorsed this approach at their meetings on 13 May 2004 and good progress has been made since then.

3. Progress to Date

3.1 Issues and proposed actions are now emerging from the draft Countryside Access Plans that have been produced over recent months and many of these directly relate to the Government's objectives for Local Transport Plans of improving accessibility, safety and air quality and tackling congestion.

3.2 To date therefore, the Countryside Service has been working closely with officers in the Transport Policy section of the Environment Department to ensure that the Countryside Access Plans are integrated in the most effective and appropriate way into the LTP. In particular the Countryside Service has participated in an officers' sub-group addressing how the transport infrastructure and non-transport connections could improve opportunities for people to walk and cycle rather than travel by car. However, members will see from the attached report that the Department for Transport (DfT) guidance for the scope of the LTP is quite prescriptive and does not allow for a great deal of flexibility. Some of this work will therefore be in addition to the minimum requirement of the LTP as set out in the DfT guidance.

4. Shared Aims

4.1 Whilst many of the issues arising from the public research which is informing the Countryside Access Plans are clearly related to people's ability to travel by foot, cycle or horse, the opportunities to make links to the LTP's four key themes which have been set by government are not so clear. Therefore, the proposal set out in paragraph 5.2 of the attached report states the Council's intention to take a wider definition of the `accessibility' theme. This will make the links to the Countryside Access Plans clearer and will be appreciated by people who would like the opportunity to travel without the car or who are concerned about walking, cycling or horse riding because of safety fears caused by the increasing numbers and speed of motor vehicles.

4.2 With members' support, officers of both the Environment Department and Recreation and Heritage Department will be working together to ensure that the LTP explicitly recognises and records the importance of the Countryside Access Plans as a means of delivering improvements which are in accordance with the aims and objectives of the LTP.

4.3 Many issues and actions which will be included in the Countryside Access Plans will be outside the scope of the LTP. In the draft Plan for the Forest of Bere area for example issues which would not be part of the LTP include:

_ "Uncontrolled dogs and fouling are a deterrent to countryside users make managing the land for access both costly and hazardous."

_ "Crime and misuse of the countryside is costly for those managing land with access and affects people's enjoyment.

However there are many other issues that are clearly within the scope of the LTP, such as;

_ "There are insufficient off-road routes that link centres of population to each other and to the countryside"

_ " Countryside users are forced to use or cross busy roads to link up off-road routes"

For these areas where clear links between the two documents do exist, officers of both departments will, in coming weeks, develop a proposal for the most effective way of delivering against the actions identified. This will include the identification of the least cumbersome and most effective and accountable means of channelling, or "passporting", LTP funding to enable actions identified in the Countryside Access Plans to be delivered. To help make these links clearer the Recreational Cycling officer post will be now be based with the Countryside Service. The emphasis of the post will be to deliver improvements to cycling and countryside access by taking forward actions in the Countryside Access plans which can be funded through the Local Transport Plan.

5 Benefits of Integrating the Plans

5.1 The LTP presents a great opportunity to improve accessibility both in around centres of population and to link the town to the country particularly for non- motorised traffic. Making improvements to the off-road network including rights of way is one clear way of taking this opportunity. By responding to the actions arising from the Countryside Access Plans, the County Council can be confident that it will be tackling issues that are real priorities for local communities. This will ensure that the allocation of funding is not only in accordance with government guidance but also reflects locally important issues.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Recreation and Heritage Policy and Review Committee:

(i) Support, 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 Plan which are in accordance with the aims and objectives of the key themes in the LTP.

(ii) Recommend that the Executive Member endorses this approach at his March Decision Day Meeting.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

N.B the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

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