Recreation & Access Update
Summary
Scottish Natural Heritage
Update 24
December 2004
Welcome to SNH’s Recreation and
Access Update 24. Its purpose is to provide a general update on activities
and projects related to SNH’s recreation & access responsibilities.
Throughout Update, for convenience,
reference is made to three general terms:
The Act This refers to the Land
Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
Access Legislation This refers to Part 1 of the Land
Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
The Code This refers to the Scottish
Outdoor Access Code
I would be grateful if you could
circulate this edition to all relevant staff and colleagues.
The next edition of Update is due
out in February 2005. If you would like to suggest future items for
inclusion in this Update, please contact Fiona Cuninghame at,
fiona.cuninghame@snh.gov.uk
Within this edition of Update:
Spring Access Week…
..takes place between 18
– 28 March 2005.
Access Website
Now up and running, the website address is:
(outdooraccess-scotland.com).
Local Authority Funding
SNH have offered to make presentations to local
authority senior staff and elected members on the implications of the Act
and Code.
Core Paths Planning – further
advice
SNH and the Paths for All Partnership will be
developing further advice on core paths planning.
SNH’s Signage Guidance for Land
Managers
SNH is preparing guidance on advisory signs for
land managers.
Managing Access – new
publications for land managers
News of two publications aimed at land
managers, one by SRPBA, the other by SNH.
National Access Forum Latest
A summary is provided of the two most recent
National Access Forum meetings.
Disability Discrimination Act
On 1st October 2004 the final element of the
Disability Discrimination Act (1995) came into effect.
Codes of Responsible
Behaviour
Key
messages in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and the Countryside Code are
briefly compared.
Paths for All Partnership
Latest progress and developments at Paths for
All Partnership and Paths to Health.
Making the links – Greenspace
and the Partnership Agreement
Information about a new publication that
highlights links between greenspace and government priorities.
National Trust for Scotland –
Training in Access
Details of two new training courses in
delivering paths are included below.
Scottish Recreation Survey –
2003/04 Surveying Complete
SNH has extended the current contract to
continue the ScRS and complete a second year of surveying during 2004.
Staffing
News of staff changes in the access world.
If you would like further information on any of the
articles in this Update, please contact Fiona Cuninghame on 01463 706484
or e-mail
fiona.cuninghame@snh.gov.uk
Recreation & Access Update
24: Detail
Part 1 Land
Reform (Scotland) Act 2003: Draft Guidance for Local Authorities and
National Park Authorities (SE/2004/276) laid under section 27 (4) (b) of
the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003”.
Local authority funding
The overall Scottish
Executive allocation of £8.1 million for 2005/06 to local authority
Leisure and Recreation budget heads, is likely to remain the same, with
the public spending review focussing on the years 06/07 and 07/08. The
Scottish Executive, supported by CoSLA, are proposing that access funds
for these years will not be identifiable in budgets, and that local
authority departments leading on access should bid internally for funds on
the basis of what they need to implement the new duties and powers. Local
authorities are also encouraged to seek funding from sources other than
Leisure and Recreation budgets, in recognition that access can contribute
to many agendas.
Meanwhile,
there are some indications from Ministers that there may be scope for
improving the funding mechanism for 07/08 and beyond. On 14 December,
CoSLA staff met with local authority staff representatives to discuss
access funding.
During the
Code consultation, SNH offered to make presentations to local authority
senior staff and elected members to raise awareness of the new duties and
powers and funding implications. Since then, this offer has been accepted
by some local authorities with presentations being delivered to full
Council meetings, Cabinet groups and to cross-sections of staff. This
offer still stands and SNH is particularly keen to influence key decision
makers.
For more
information contact
Ron McCraw.
Core Paths Planning – further advice
Further advice is now
being planned on core paths planning and implementation to supplement that
in the Scottish Executive Guidance. The Paths for All Partnership seminar
on core paths planning, on 1 December, provided an early opportunity to
clarify any matters in the Executive’s Guidance and to identify key issues
which the advice should address. SNH will progress the new advice in
conjunction with the Paths for All Partnership. During the advice
preparation, it is intended to invite comments from key groups to ensure
that their interests are addressed.
For more
information contact
Ron McCraw.
SNH’s
Signage Guidance for Land Managers
SNH is preparing guidance on advisory signs for
land managers for release early in the new year. During the consultation
on the draft Code, there were calls from land managers for clarification
on the use of signage to help them work safely and effectively.
There is
already a wealth of existing published advice on the use of signage in
visitor management. The new guidance aims to complement this by focussing
only on aspects that are most relevant in helping land managers,
principally farmers and crofters, to integrate their work with the
public’s use of access rights on their land. As such, the guidance will
only consider advisory signage and will look at:
·
When to use a sign;
·
Where to site a sign;
·
Choosing the right sign
and text.
It will not cover directional
signposting and waymarking, promotional signs and interpretation, and
mandatory health and safety signs required by statute. Electronic copies
of template signs will be provided which will be adaptable for different
sites and activities.
A sub-group
of the national Access Forum is involved in developing the guidance.
For more
information contact
John Walters.
Managing Public Access on Farms, Estates and Crofts
A study is
underway to develop a planned approach to farm access management,
especially advice on how to adopt practical solutions on the ground. The
advice will attempt to set out a step by step process by which land
managers can undertake access management in a range of different
situations. It is intended that the proposed management solutions will be
equally acceptable to both land managers and users and be appropriate to
the setting and activities involved.
The publication will
include advice on how to address the duty of care, issues relating to
visitor risk assessment and subsequent hazard management. The methodology
will be tested on three case studies,
covering a range of access issues on an individual farm, an
estate and a croft. Land managers will be closely involved throughout the
study, and the methodology and outcomes will also be discussed with user
groups. Some of the advice under development was presented at a Sharing
Good Practice event on 16 November at Chatelherault Country Park.
This workshop was for land managers, including farmers, estate managers,
crofters and their advisors, and explored how best to plan for and manage
recreation and access on land and inland waters. Feedback from the event
will help to shape the final product available towards the end of the
year.
For more
information contact
Geoff Atkins.
Scottish Rural Property & Business Association -
Publication in Preparation
Managing Access: Guidance for Owners and Managers of Land
Shortly to be available, this document provides
guidance on practical access management. A series of graphically presented
land management scenarios illustrates how access can be integrated with
other land uses. The scenarios are supported by a comprehensive series of
detailed fact sheets. The guidance has been designed so that land managers
can refer directly to information relevant to their particular situation.
Loose leaf format will allow updating as required.
For more information contact
Janice Gray, SRPBA.
National
Access Forum Latest
The National Access Forum met on 12 November to
select a convener for the forum. Several candidates were in the running
but after much deliberation Bob Reid, formerly of Aberdeen City Council,
was chosen to act as the Forum’s convener. The Forum had recently
met on two
other occasions. A meeting was held in August to discuss various versions
of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. A selection of versions was tabled by
SNH and members provided feedback and advice as appropriate. Comments were
taken on board and will help to shape future Code publications. The Forum
also met in September and considered a number of issues including an
introduction to the Code for paddlers, prepared by the Scottish Canoe
Association, the SNH access education programme and the preparation of
guidance for land managers on signage.
For more
information contact
Mark Wrightham.
Disability Discrimination Act
On 1 October 2004 the final element of the
Disability Discrimination Act (1995) came into effect. This requires
service providers to remove or modify physical features to provide access
for disabled people. Alternatively they can provide a means of avoiding
the feature or making the service available in some other way. These new
duties apply in respect of all disabled people and not just to the
individual who comes across the feature. Further information with
practical examples is contained in SNH's Information and Advisory Note
156.
For more
information contact
Bob Grant.
Codes of Responsible Behaviour
New access legislation north and south of the
border have required the preparation of new Codes. For England and Wales,
the Countryside Agency and Countryside Council for Wales have jointly
produced a new Countryside Code, whilst in Scotland, SNH has
prepared the Scottish Outdoor Access Code which was approved by the
Scottish Parliament on 1 July 2004.
There is
some common ground between the two Codes as they address the key audiences
of the public and land managers. However, there are also significant
differences as they are based on different legislation.
In
Scotland, the right of access is conditional on
users behaving responsibly, and land managers have a reciprocal duty to
conduct their management of land in a responsible manner. The Scottish
Outdoor Access Code will provide the detailed reference point if
unresolved disputes are referred to the Sheriff Courts for determination.
In
England & Wales, the new right of access for
pedestrians, to mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land,
has certain specified conditions, some of which are included in the
Countryside Code, eg. people must not light or cause a fire, feed any
animals, leave litter or do any damage. This Code states that visitors to
“access land” are primarily responsible for their own safety, and for
taking care of any children or dogs who accompany them. It also provides
wider good practice guidance beyond the scope of the legislation. Key
messages in both codes are briefly compared below.
Guidance for the public
Scotland
·
Take personal responsibility for your own
actions
·
Respect people’s privacy and peace of mind
·
Help land managers and others to work safely
and effectively
·
Care for your environment
·
Keep your dog under proper control
·
Take extra care if you are organising an
event or running a business
England and Wales
·
Be safe – plan ahead & follow any signs
·
Leave gates and property as you find them
·
Protect plants & animals and take your litter
home
·
Keep dogs under close control
·
Consider other people
Guidance for land managers
Scotland
·
Respect access rights in managing your land
or water
·
Act reasonably when asking people to avoid
land management operations
·
Work with your local authority and other
bodies to help integrate access and land management
·
Take account of access rights if you manage
contiguous land or water
England and
Wales
·
Know your rights, responsibilities and
liabilities
·
Make it easier for visitors to act
responsibly
·
Identify possible threats to visitors’ safety
For more
information contact
Bridget Dales.
Paths for All Partnership
1.
Outdoor Access Strategies Guide
This
34-page guide, published jointly by SNH and the Partnership in June 2004,
is intended for those who are involved in preparing or reviewing an
outdoor access strategy. It is available from PFAP and SNH offices and
electronically at
www.pathsforall.org.uk
2.
Equestrian Access Factsheets
These factsheets have been produced by the
British Horse Society in conjunction with SNH and the PFAP. The 30-page
document provides details on the principles associated with equestrian
access, path construction, surfacing, gates, bridges, water crossings and
road crossings. The factsheets are available from PFAP offices or
electronically at
www.pathsforall.org.uk In addition to these, a summary version has
been produced for inclusion in the Lowland Path Construction Guide. This
has been sent to those with a copy of the Guide.
3.
Vision Document
The Partnership has recently produced a document
which highlights the benefits that can derive from well designed, managed
and promoted path networks. These benefits are grouped under the headings
of Health and Well-being, Strengthening Communities, Economic Development
and Sustainable Transport. In addition, the Vision Document outlines the
Paths for All Partnership’s programme of activities for 2003-2006. The
Vision Document is available electronically at
www.pathsforall.org.uk
4.
Annual Review 2003-2004
The Partnership’s Annual Review for 2003-2004 in
a revamped format is available from the PFAP offices or electronically at
www.pathforall.org.uk
5.
Bridges Guide
The Partnership is leading on the development of a new edition of the
Bridges Guide to replace the original one produced by the Countryside
Commission for Scotland in 1981. The publication is being funded by the
Partnership and SNH, with substantial technical contributions from the
Forestry Commission Scotland. It will be produced in a similar format to
the Lowland Path Construction Guide. Designers have now been engaged to
work on the document, which is expected to be published early in 2005.
6.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Paths for All
Partnership was held on 27 October 2004. Directors Ann Fraser and
Priscilla Gordon-Duff retired by rotation and David Grosz resigned on the
grounds of ill health. We would like to thank them for their work, support
and encouragement over the last few years. The three Director positions
were filled by Pat Somerville representing recreational interests, Robert
Balfour representing land management interests and Ian McCall representing
general interests.
7.
Training and Development Programme
The Partnership’s training and development
programme is available on the website. The recent Fundraising Fairs
(Cairngorm and Alloa) were a great success with good feedback from all of
those that attended. Places are still available on the Promotion and
Marketing course and Path Survey, Design and Specification course in
2005.
PATHS
TO HEALTH
1.
New Funding
The £316,338 of additional funding from
the Scottish Executive Health Department, reported in Update 23, has so
far helped the establishment of further local schemes in Edinburgh (Sikh
Sanjog - South Asian group, Pilton, Wester Hailes and Balerno),
Grangemouth and Boness, Gorbals, Dundee University, Clackmannanshire, S.
Coatbridge, Lockerbie, Stewartry and S. Lanarkshire.
Please
contact the office if you wish any further details on these. A small
grant scheme has been launched offering grants up to £5,000. An
application form, criteria and guidance are available to download from the
website
www.pathstohealth.org.uk The Partnership has recently secured just
over £900,000 further funding up to March 2006 from the Health Department
to assist with delivery of the Physical Activity Strategy and Healthy
Living Campaign. More details on implementation will be provided in the
next Update.
2.
Networking
Event
The Paths to Health Project held its
second annual Networking Event on 28 September in Perth. The event was
highly successful and attracted 159 delegates. The event attracted
sponsorship from the National Mental Health and Well-being programme which
helped to reinforce the link between enjoying the outdoors and the
well-being of Scotland’s communities.
3.
Annual Review
The Project’s Annual Review for the
period 1 September 2003 to 30 August 2004 has been produced and is
available from PFAP offices or by downloading from the website
www.pathstohealth.org.uk
4.
Promotional
Material
The Project has recently produced a large
display and two pull-up displays on the theme of “Better health is
measured in feet”. The pull-up displays are available on request by
contacting the Project staff at Tel: 01259-218855.
5.
Training
933 Volunteer Walk Leaders have now been trained
by the Project and demand is continuing to increase. A Scheme Initiator
course was delivered on 13/14 September. Another course will run in
approximately 6 months time. Please contact the office if you are
interested.
The
following additional training is planned with support from the Scottish
Executive:
·
‘Next Steps’ - a course designed to train
Volunteer Walk Leaders to lead more challenging walks into the
countryside. This will include training in SOAC;
·
Promoting path use to the inactive - a
marketing toolkit;
·
Volunteer support and development.
For more
information contact
Ian Findlay, Chief Officer, PFAP.
Making the links
– Greenspace and the Partnership Agreement
This
compact publication was launched by Greenspace Scotland on 18 September.
It is a joint publication by Greenspace Scotland, SNH, Communities
Scotland and NHS Health Scotland, and draws on a study examining research
and case study evidence of the links between greenspace and people’s
quality of life commissioned by a partnership of these organisations (see
http://www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/upload/pdfs/makingthelinks.pdf).
Aimed at
decision makers in the Scottish Executive, local authorities and other
agencies, the booklet highlights how the provision of good quality
greenspace, and community involvement in its planning and management, can
support priorities set out in the Partnership Agreement for Scotland –
including enterprise, transport, health, education and communities.
The booklet
is now being distributed to key organisations across Scotland, including
SNH staff involved in greenspace work.
For more
information contact
Catriona Morrison.
National Trust for Scotland – Training for Access
Early next year the National Trust for Scotland
is running two access-related training courses:
1. Path Survey and Assessment Course
15 March - 18 March 2005
The course will provide instruction in the practical side
of path management, and comprise:
-
Analysis and evaluation skills for upland path
construction
-
Assessment survey methods
-
Construction techniques to the required standards of the
Upland Path Advisory Group
-
Preparation of footpath specification surveys
-
Appreciation of health & safety in remote locations.
There will be open discussion on technical problems and
solutions.
Course costs (£440) will include training, food and
accommodation.
2. Path Contract Management Course
18 October - 21 October 2005
This course is aimed at path managers and will provide
instruction in:
-
The reasoning behind path management
-
Introduction to the Upland Path Advisory Group (UPAG)
standards
-
Elements of survey and assessment
-
Contract procedures: pre-tender, delivery and review
- Health
& Safety responsibilities
There will be open discussion on problems and practical
solutions.
Course costs (£440) will include training, food and
accommodation.
For further information contact
Chris Harris NTS.
Scottish Recreation Survey – 2003/04 Surveying Complete
In August
2004 the annual report for the Scottish Recreation Survey (ScRS) 2003/04
was received, completing the baseline survey of participation and
attitudes to outdoor recreation amongst the Scottish Population. Results
will be disseminated soon.
SNH has
extended the current contract to continue the ScRS and complete a second
year of surveying during 2004/05. Once again, we are pleased to be working
with the Forestry Commission on this important project. Monitoring during
this coming year will be particularly important to establish the snapshot
of participation and attitudes to outdoor recreation at the commencement
of access rights.
An
important part of the ScRS is that it monitors awareness of the Scottish
Outdoor Access Code amongst the general population. This, and other key
results, will be delivered to us in a more user-friendly format in the
near future.
For more information contact
Graham Neville
Staffing News
Phil Waite leaves Scottish Borders Council to
join Highland Council as the Access Officer for Ross and Cromarty area and
Stewart Eastaugh, previously of Stirling Countryside Ranger Service, is to
take up the position of access officer with Highland Council in the
Inverness and Nairn area. Donald Kennedy and John Hutcheson have taken up
access officer posts with Highland Council for Skye and Lochalsh, and
Lochaber respectively.
Contacts
Recreation and Access Group has its own
dedicated e-mail address. Internal staff can find it under the address
book for SNH staff.
Partner staff
are asked to use
recreationandaccess@snh.gov.uk
for general enquiries.
For other
contacts in SNH:
Peter Hutchinson, Access Programme Manager
(0131 446 2414)
Recreation and Access Group:
Alan Macpherson, Recreation & Access Group
Manager (0131 446 2453)
Ron McCraw, Access Projects Manager
(0131 446 2416)
Rob Garner, Access Legislation Helpdesk
(0131 446 2490)
Ashleigh Tooth, Update Co-ordinator
(01463 706485)
Bridget Dales, SOAC Coordinator
(01738 444177)
Fiona Cuninghame (01463 706484)
Bob Grant (01463 706483)
Caroline Fyfe (01463 706486)
Graham Neville (01463 706482)
Jennifer Lothian (0131 446 2088)
Gordon West, Update Contacts Database
(0131 446 2066)
National Access Forum
Mark Wrightham (01463 667922)
Access
Education Programme
Dougie Pollok (01738 458536);
John Walters ( 01463 72311)
Eleanor MacGregor (0141 951 4488)
Theresa Kewell (0141 951 4488)
Paths
for All Partnership
Ian Findlay,
Chief Officer (01259 218888)
Paths
to Health:
Angela
Hawkins and Jill Craigie, Development Officers (01259 218855)
If you would like further information on any of the
articles in this Update, please contact Fiona Cuninghame on 01463 706484
or email
fiona.cuninghame@snh.gov.uk
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