Name

Subject

Reason

Interest

Councillor Churchill

Chair’s Urgent Business – Plym Valley Cycle Trail

(minute 20 refers)

Member of Planning Committee

Personal

Councillor Wheeler

Chair’s Urgent Business – Plym Valley Cycle Trail

(minute 20 refers)

Member of Planning Committee

Personal

(a)

in principle the idea of a cycle trail was supported, however, Forum members were concerned about the proposed location due to issues about car parking and current users;

(b)

the application demonstrated that the National Trust was becoming more receptive to the needs of the wider public audience, which was encouraging;

(c)

consultation on the cycle trail had been minimal and as such the Forum felt that the consultation deadline on the planning application should be extended.

(1)

Ian Stewart, Vice-Chair would draft a letter to the Planning department in response to the Plym Valley Cycle Trail planning consultation deadline asking for the deadline to be extended for the Forum to make comments following a site visit;

(2)

the LAF Secretary would seek to organise a working group on the Plym Valley Cycle Trail by 23 September 2011 and invite all Forum members to attend;

(3)

a copy of John Emery’s email on the Plym Valley Cycle Trail be emailed to all Forum Members.

(1)

the PROW Officer would write a statement to be included under the statistics at 4.10 informing the reader as legal process in progress;

(2)

subject to (1) being complete the 2010 - 2011 annual report is approved for publication.

(a)

the project, which was close to concluding its second year of a four year project, had achieved excellent progress in engaging people positively in using green space;

(b)

as part of positively engaging people in using green space the project had coordinated events at a number of green spaces across the city including –

·        

Woodland wood;

·        

Ham woods;

·        

Southway Valley LNR;

·        

Efford Valley;

·        

Forder Valley;

(c)

the project had delivered a number of capital improvements within woodlands to provide visible physical improvements which had encouraged increased participation;

(d)

the project had delivered many successes in its first two years and would continue to strive forward in years three and four developing on the already successful improvements to improving access to woodlands and information and by building confidence of people using green spaces.

(1)

theLAF Secretary would seek to find out how many Forum members could be nominated to sit on the Saltram Countryside Park Stakeholder Forum. Subject to three members being allowed the Forum nominated Ray Fairchild, Chair, Ian Stewart, Vice-Chair and John Skinner;

(2)

a list of Forum Members nominated to sit out on other bodies be provided at a future meeting.

(a)

the University of Plymouth were receptive to the idea of providing an intern to the PROW department;

(b)

due to a staff restructure and the implementation of the Accommodation Strategy the idea of recruiting an intern had been put on hold;

(c)

the intern employed would suitably be a student of geography or similar subject and be available for a year’s work experience in order to assist with the backlog of footpaths awaiting to be added to the definitive map.

(1)

a letter be written by Ray Fairchild, Chair, in consultation with the LAF Secretary and PROW Officer, to the Chief Executive of Plymouth City Council identifying the need for the recruitment of a University Intern at the earliest opportunity;

(2)

an updated list of Forum members contact details be distributed to all members via email.

(a)

the work on revising the South West Coast Path Walking Guide had been commissioned and that 10,000 books would be produced and be available free of charge to members of the public;

(b)

only one of the five historic footpaths would have been improved using the money allocated, however, subsequently more money had become available and now all five historic footpaths could be improved;

(c)

in order to improve all historic footpaths the PROW Officer needed to be aware of what improvements were required and requested for a volunteer to undertake the research.

(a)

the following items be added to the work programme:

· 

South West Coast Path update – 12 December 2011;

· 

Public slipways update – 12 December 2011;

· 

Eastern Corridor Development update – 12 December 2011;

· 

MVVUmvelt Incinerator – 12 March 2012;

(b)

a site visit be organised within the next six weeks to look at three separate woodland sites that have had significant improvements made to them through the Stepping Stones to Nature project;

(c)

the recent Planning Authority consultation be included on the agenda for the next Forum meeting and be emailed to all members for consideration.

(a)

Ridgeway School Extinguishment Order;

(b)

the Royal William Yard;

(c)

the South West Coast Path;

(d)

city wide signage for footpaths.