Minutes:
Ros Mills provided a Public Rights of Way update:
1. The next PRoW Committee meeting would be held on 15 November.
2. A Public Inquiry was being held in Ugborough on 11 October.
3. The PRoW team was dealing with a large number of complex planning applications. The DCAF was thanked for developing its planning position statement.
4. The Technical Officer had reduced her working time by two days and a new member of staff, Steve Trick, had been appointed. He would be invited to the next DCAF meeting. PRoW was looking at better ways of managing the network through a GIS based inventory software system to pull all the records together in one place – legal, maintenance and enforcement. A demonstration would be provided at the next meeting. It must integrate with other DCC systems. It was hoped to include data from the Country Parks to help manage those assets.
5. Dartmoor National Park was now using a CAMS (Countryside Access Management System) mapping tool. This had a good public facing reporting system.
6. PRoW had a standstill budget. DCC was under financial pressure due to overspend. Highways had a £2m cut. Finances in 2019/20 were looking tough and the aspiration was to manage the PRoW network in line with best practice asset management tools in a sustainable way.
7. Closures of paths at Budleigh Salterton had been actioned and publicised on the website following erosion along the river.
8. The new British Standard for Gaps, Gates and Stiles was in place and DCC would wait to see if there were any challenges. New stock complied with the revised BS, which only applied to new fixtures.
9. The dry weather may have caused or contributed to cracking of the surface along the Exe Estuary Trail; the Grand Western Canal also has issues that have become apparent after the dry summer. This was a concern and a maintenance cost.
10. The road at Slapton was scheduled for re-opening on 26 October. Match funding was being sought to reinstate the associated South West Coast Path damage, hopefully during 2018.
11. Further work was being done on extending the Pegasus Way along the former railway line between Thorndon Cross and Halwill. Acquiring sections of the line was a long process. Not all the route would be off-road.
12. DCC Planning, Transport and Environment had provided a schedule of cycle and multi-use trail projects and progress throughout the County.
13. Conversations were ongoing about the England Coast Path and in particular some missing sections. Some Planning Inquiries were likely on the Lyme Regis to Kingswear stretch.
In answer to a question about the mapping, Ros Mills confirmed that there were three types of mapping, each for different purposes:
· The Definitive Map and Statement;
· The List of Streets, held by Land Charges, which is a list of all maintainable highways; and
· The National Street Gazetteer which contains all public or private routes.
The aim is to have a mapping system in PRoW which will assist with the future legal Consolidation of the Definitive Map and Statement.