Committee Meeting 21st February 2017
Present: Irene Pope
Lesley Tierney
Gill Morrell
Helen Moore
Heidi Jepson
Valerie Johnston
Apologies: Barbara Brown
Hayley Oliver
Pat Tough
Minutes of
Previous Meeting
OK to publish on website
Matters Arising
None
Secretary’s
Report
Secretary not present
Treasurer’s
Report
All were given a copy of the year-end accounts to peruse
ready for the AGM.
Officers for
2017
Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer stated that they were
happy to carry on these roles in 2017 unless someone else on the committee
would like to take over.
Rochdale Rights
of Way
Helen Moore reported on the minutes of the previous
Rochdale Rights of Way meeting .
Northdene Drive: there is a
conflict of interest between local residents and horse riders over the use of
the path linking Northdene Drive to the main Rochdale and Bury Road. RBBA is in
the process of collecting user evidence forms prior to submitting a claim to
have this path upgraded to bridleway status. No
action to be taken until request for upgrade received and considered and future
of the path resolved.
RUPP 7 near Healey Dell: This route has recently been
refurbished by Rochdale Council. It now has a crushed stone surface, the water
is directed to the sides and there are
shallow horse steps on the route. Thank you to Helen for causing this to
happen.
Helen reported that the next Rochdale ROW meeting was
next Thursday, 2nd March 2017.
The committee asked Helen to inquire about the progress
of the Woodtop upgrade claim and to
report the need for remedial work on BW 48, Harwood Fields off Elbut Lane. Also
to report that the step-over on Splash Lane from Ashworth Road needs repairing
and a gate on Splash Lane is not horse rider friendly.
The committee then considered a number of possible
upgrades suggested by Gill Morrell.
Black Pitts Road behind Dexine to Paperhouse Bridge
War Memorial to Ashbourne Street (behind old Norden
Library)
Quarry to Ashbourne Street/Furbarn Lane (where the tiger
trap is)
Back of Moss Row to Paperhouse Bridge
Clay Lane to Fisherfield
It was decided to tackle these routes one at a time in
the order shown above and ask members to fill in a form to say which routes
they could provide user evidence for together with their contact details.
It was reported that BW 8 near Bagslate Moor Road has
been resurfaced.
Residents using BW 9a near Taylor Park are complaining
that the surface of the bridleway behind their houses is being churned up
because horses are using the route after the refurbishment of the network in
that area last year! Gill has visited the area and reported that the surface is
in an acceptable state for horse use and not badly poached .
Bury Rights of
Way
Elton Reservoir upgrade to bridleway claim. The
investigation into the strength of this claim is coming to a conclusion and a
decision is expected in the near future.
Ainsworth bridleways: At the Local Access Forum meeting
on 15th February 2017 Claims based on historical evidence and some
user evidence were submitted for 6 routes to be upgraded to bridleway status in
and around Ainsworth village to the west of Bury.
Heritage Trail: Plans for a proposed multi-user Heritage
Trail to the west of Bury were submitted to the Local Access Forum on 15th
February 2017. This trail is a circular route visiting Ainsworth village and
Elton Reservoir and passing several sites of interest concerning Bury’s
industrial past. The plan was well received has been passed on the Bury
Council’s Head of Planning and Assistant Director.
East-west bridleway link: A possible bridleway link
between areas to the west of Bury and those east of Bury has been identified
from Gin Hall off Walmersley Road to Baldingstone on Walmersley Old Road. This
area has been ear-marked for industrial development on the Greater Manchester
Spatial Framework. If this development goes ahead we will pursue a possible
bridleway route to provide the link, connecting with Rowlands Road (a by-way)to
the west and the routes around Buckhurst
and Walmersley to the east.
Simister and Prestwich
Bridleways Association
Hannah Knaggs, who has been secretary for 14 years, is
resigning and this may precipitate the folding of Simister and Prestwich
Bridleways Association. We are proposing
to offer amalgamation with RBBA if they wish so that the expertise in that area
is not lost.
Social
Barbara has organised North West Air Ambulance to come
and talk to us at our March meeting on 27th. NWAA is our charity for
the year.
Our April meeting on 24th will be a Members
Forum.
It was decided to ask the membership what speakers could
be suggested for other meetings this year.
BHS
An e-mail has been sent to Mark Weston, Director of
Access at the BHS concerning the role of the BHS in the Scout Moor Wind Farm
Expansion application and Public Inquiry, questioning the stance that they
took.
Concessionary
routes
Gwen Mann looks after the two concessionary routes. She
has inspected the routes and says at present there is no necessity to change
the locks.
Greenbooth
concession: the footpath on top of the cliff is dangerous and has been diverted
onto our concessionary route. Fencing has been put up to separate walkers and
horse riders in some places. A request has been made to put up signs along the
route to ask walkers
to give way to horse and to ban cyclists.
Any Other
Business
It was suggested that in matters of policy and financial
expenditure that the results of a formal vote in committee should be minuted. The suggestion was
accepted by all.
It was noted that in July 2017 the BHS Access Team will
be visiting the North West for an Access
and Rights of Way Conference. It was decided to try and attend if venue and
time were convenient.
Date and Time
of next committee meeting
To be decided.
Suggestions – 14th
March, 21st March.
