Agenda item

Long term directions are reviewed every 5 years.  The 3 that are due for review this year all involve areas where shooting takes place.  Deer Hill and Diggle Rifle Range are larger in scale than West Nab.  The consultation considers land management and the safety of people when they access these areas.

At Deer Hill and Diggle it is proposed that the restrictions continue.  Opportunities will be sought for improving access on the areas around the sites.

At West Nab, a variation is proposed in order to improve the existing situation to give good visibility for people entering the site.  Sue advised that the proposed variation on the direction proposes a new track through the site to link to the adjoining area of Access land, with the track to remain open 365 days a year  The LAF supported the work undertaken so far.

Austin asked if the review of directions looked at the access restrictions for dogs.  Sue responded that long-term directions are reviewed from the perspective of land management and public safety.  A further long term direction to review this year is at Hollins Hill, where there is linear access with a dog restriction in place from May to October annually.  There is no discretion to review restrictions at other sites, as they run for 5 years.

Action:  The consultation response in Appendix 1 is confirmed and the LAF to respond to the consultation as set out in Appendix 2