Questioner:

Mr Peter McKay, Leominster

Scrutiny Meeting:

Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee 22 July 2024

Question:

A question to Connected Communities Scrutiny Committee February 2024 meeting, now transferred to yourselves, seeking assurance that the two specific Highway and Path Record issues be incorporated in its work programme, records that a response to the substance of my question will be given at the next public meeting, now this meeting, and I seek this assurance. Working through various issues in Leominster I ask if you have any guidance for Parishes should they find that situation on the ground differs from that shown on your Highways and PROW Map, making best use of parish powers and most cost effective map correction process, e.g., local plan, list of streets, showing private maintained highways, highways subject of cease to maintain orders, open spaces, etc.?

Response:

This committee will be scrutinising how the council manages public rights of way in Herefordshire. As part of that work, the committee will ask questions about how the definitive map is maintained and amended. A further focus for the committee’s questioning will be around how Herefordshire Council works with Parish Path Partnerships, to ensure the maintenance of public rights of way.

The council has an established process for modifying the definitive map for public rights of way, which can be found on the council website at https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/public-rights-way/definitive-map-statement-dms/3. This includes guidance for submitting anomalies. Parish council have no powers to amend the definitive map and should submit suggested modifications using the same process as that used by members of the public.

Questioner:

Mr Peter McKay, Leominster

Scrutiny Meeting:

Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee 22 July 2024

 Supplementary Question:

Have worked through Leominster's List of Anomalies on Town Council webpage, plus those on your own list, and have raised the attached Draft Action Plan, expected to be on Town Council webpage shortly, aiming to address these in most efficient manner, my finding they mostly if not all fall outside scope of your referenced guidance. Town Council has made representation to the 2021-41 Local Plan Place Shaping Consultation that these need to be corrected. Would you please review this, provide some feedback, would it be included in the Local Plan, and would you discuss with Town Council?

Verbal Response from Cabinet Member Transport and Infrastructure delivered during the meeting: Thank you Mr McKay for your supplementary question. It's quite complex, so we’ll strip your question into various bits. Let's start with ‘would it be included in the Local Plan? The Local Plan is likely to undergo significant change as a result of the change of government at the recent general election and we're not sure where that's going to take us. However on the substance of the question, that will still remain whatever government is in place, so we'll just get that out of the way to start with. The Local Plan isn't going to arrive any day soon I suspect. I've looked through your list of actions and it's fairly straightforward, however it always has been the case about many of these paths as to whether we are accepting, as Herefordshire Council, the same places as Leominster Town Council. I suspect that our officers will have to take it up with the Town Council as to whether or not some of these individual items are to be extinguished as is the recommendation on some of them, re-recorded or recommitted to. This is going to take quite a bit of time to work through, but I'm sure that our team will review these on the basis of what you've asked for and there will be some feedback in due course, but it will take a little bit of time. Thank you.