Agenda item

Gill Millward introduced the comprehensive report and highlighted areas of interest within the RoWIP Aims.

Aim 1

That the Path Condition Surveys figures although falling short of the 72.5% target was slightly up on last year’s result.

Aim 2

That the legal status of all 25 priority routes has now been sorted, and a public inquiry had been arranged for later this year in relation to a Modification Order for a footpath over Calico Lane in Furnace Vale, and the upgrading of two footpaths to bridleways in the Parish of Hodthorpe  and Belph at Creswell Crags.

DDLAF are organising a meeting on the 14 March as a follow-up to the event which was held on the 9 September.

Aim 3

Derbyshire are in the process of preparing a bid for funding for the maintenance of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail for 2020/21.  The Pennine Bridleway leaflet has now been updated and is available to download.

Aim 4

The County Councils Countryside Destination and Events Brochures can now be viewed on the Derbyshire County Council website.

Derbyshire Cycling Plan

A report on the County’s emerging Key Cycling Network was presented to Cabinet on the 16 January 2020 and approved.  So the focus will now be on the top routes in readiness for funding opportunities.

Volunteer Contribution

During the first nine months of 2019/20 the volunteers working with or on behalf of the Countryside Service had contributed over 1900 days.  Paul Richardson to submit “dig days” figures to Gill Millward.

Local Transport Plan

Continue to put in funding bids out of the Local Transport Plan, and Gill will report what funding we have to the next meeting in June.

Buxton Town Team – Safer walk & Ride Network

A map had been previously circulated to all LAF Members.  Charlotte Gilbert reported that she had got involved with the Buxton Town Team primarily as a horse rider, because they wanted to know whether horses would be able to use any of their routes around, and it was decided that they could possibly use most of them, but was down to each individual horse rider to make that judgement as to what their horse could do.

There is a lot that the LAF could do to support this, even though Buxton was outside the National Park, it was still part of our area. The primary target of the link routes is to make people have car-free journeys and to get people to move in and out of the town without cars.   First stage, now that the routes have been identified, is to clarify the mapping and get comments from the Derbyshire County Council Highway Safety Officer, and once the plan is available then parts of the plan can be delivered piecemeal as funds and opportunities become available.  Charlotte asked that a letter be sent to Damien Greenhalgh, former Member of the Authority and the Forum , who is now an Executive Councillor for Regeneration, Tourism  and Leisure for support. 

AGREED:-

That the report be noted and  welcomed.

Charlotte Gilbert to draft a letter to Damien Greenhalgh from LAF asking for support to the Buxton Safer Walk and Ride Network.

Paul Richardson to submit the “dig day” figures to Gill Millward.