WARNING - By their nature, text files cannot include scanned images and tables. The process of converting documents to text only, can cause formatting changes and misinterpretation of the contents can sometimes result. Wherever possible you should refer to the pdf version of this document. LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM Paper 4, 6 September 2005 CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM Title: Outdoor Access Strategy for the Park Prepared by: Bob Grant, Senior Outdoor Access Officer Purpose 1. The purpose of this paper is to update the forum on the work of the Steering Group who are charged with taking forward the development of an Outdoor Access Strategy. Recommendations 2. That the forum: a) Notes progress that has been made to date; b) Consider the proposals for stakeholder engagement and note the organisations invited to the workshop; c) Note the amended timetable. Background 3. Proposals for the development of an Outdoor Access Strategy for the Park were detailed in a paper tabled at the forum meeting on 7 June 2005. It was agreed at that meeting that a Steering Group should be formed with 3 members taken from the Local Outdoor Access Forum. Additional members were to be taken from the Park Board, Paths for All, a local authority member of staff with support provided from the Park’s Visitor Services Group. Progress 4. The Steering Group has met twice and progress has been made towards the finalisation of the auditing process. To date, the Steering Group have commented on the supply audit, are evaluating the content of the policy audit and will shortly be doing the same for the resources and demand audits. In addition, valuable input has been given on the potential stakeholders who will be able to assist in ensuring the strategy is both comprehensive and complete. The stages in the development of an Outdoor Access Strategy were shown in the paper of 7 June. The required input from the Steering Group is shown in Table 1 overleaf. 5. It is proposed that there are 5 key stages for Steering Group input. These are:- .. advising on the audit; .. reviewing and confirming the key issues that arise from the audit; .. agreeing on the draft vision for the strategy; .. inputting to and agreeing the draft Action plan; and engaging with stakeholders during the consultation period. Table 1 – Indicative Outdoor Access Strategy Process Not available in full text format Stakeholders 6. To ensure the Outdoor Access Strategy identifies the key issues and details the necessary actions, it will be important to engage with all the relevant stakeholders. In drawing up a list of organisations we have sought to engage with organisations that have a pan Park remit and generally operate at the strategic level. As a consequence, this may appear to exclude a broad range of local interests. We have however sought to ensure that each local interest has a representative body at the stakeholders’ workshop. In addition, we need to reflect that the key area for local involvement will be during the Core Path Planning process. By including those with a primarily local interest at the strategic level may run the risk of alienating them from future consultations. It is considered vital that the Core Path Planning consultation exercise reaches and engages with the whole community and it is therefore for these reasons that we have selected the organisations shown in Annex 1. Views on both the selection process and the list of stakeholders are welcomed. 7. The stakeholders workshop has been arranged for 25 October and will commence at 2pm in the Lecht Ski Centre, preceded by a lunch at 1pm. We would encourage forum members to attend as there is an important role to be played in encouraging effective participation and in enabling you to feedback information to your communities of interest. Timetable 8. Due to the re-scheduling of Cairngorms National Park Authority Board meetings we have had to revise the schedule for seeing the strategy through to completion. The revised timetable is shown in Table 2 below. Proposed Timeline & Key Milestones Headings: Date Process Milestone 11th Aug ‘05 • Present supply section of draft outdoor access audit to OAS Steering Group meeting for comment • Demand, policy and resource audit sections to be sent on as and when ready for comment - 29th Aug ‘05 • Meeting of OAS Steering Group to finalise access audit and discuss Key Issues & Vision - Completion of draft access audit 6th Sept ‘05 • Present Key Issues and draft OAS Vision to the Local Outdoor Access Forum meeting - 16th Sept ‘05 • Deadline for feedback on draft ‘Vision’ - Finalised ‘Key Issues’ and ‘Vision’ for the OAS 3rd Oct ‘05 • Present draft ‘Action Plan’ to OAS Steering Group meeting for comment - 7th Oct ‘05 • Present Key Issues, Vision and progress report to CNPA Board for comment - 25th Oct ‘05 • Run Stakeholder meeting to discuss the key issues and vision for outdoor access in the Park - Completion of Stakeholder Meeting 17th Nov ’05 • Meeting of OAS Steering Group to discuss draft OAS - 15th Nov ‘05 • Present draft ‘Action Plan’ to Local Outdoor Access Forum meeting for comment - Completion of ‘Action Plan’ 16th Dec ‘05 • CNPA Board Workshop on draft OAS - 7th Jan ‘06 • Provide Local Outdoor Access Forum with the draft OAS - 24th Jan ‘06 • Present draft OAS to Local Outdoor Access Forum meeting for discussion - 9th Feb ‘06 • Present OAS and proposed funding delivery mechanisms to CNPA Board meeting for approval • Launch of Outdoor Access Strategy and Core Paths Planning process - Completion of Outdoor Access Strategy Feb/Mar ’06 (TBA) • OAS Steering Group Review Meeting - 9. Forum members comments are welcomed on this revised timetable and on the other issues raised in this paper. Bob Grant August 2005 bobgrant@cairmgorms.co .uk Annex 1 Group Group Aberdeenshire Council Access Officer Aberdeenshire Council Area Manager Activity Scotland Angus Council Access Officer Angus Council Area Manager Association of Salmon Fishery Boards (ASFB) Association Deer Management Groups (ADMG) Association of Cairngorms Community Councils (ACCC) Balmoral Estate British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) British Horse Society (BHS) Scotland British Trust for Ornithology Cairngorms Campaign Sport Scotland Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Cairngorms Local Outdoor Access Forum Members (CLOAF) Cairngorms National Park Authority Board Members (CNPA) Capability Scotland Cycle Touring Club (CTC) Cycling Scotland Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) Forestry Commission Scotland (FRCS) Glen Tanar Health Boards Highland Council Access Officer Highland Council Area Manager Higland & Island Enterprise Invercauld Estate John Muir Trust (JMT) Marr Area Partnership Moray, Badenoch & Strathspey Enterprise Moray Council Access Officer Moray Council Area Manager Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MC of S) National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland National Trust for Scotland (NTS) North East Mountain Trust (NEMT) Paths for All Partnership (PfAP) Ramblers Rothiemurchus Estate Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education Scottish Canoe Association (SCA) Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) Scottish Enterprise Grampian Scottish Enterprise Tayside Scottish Environment Link Scottish Executive (transport) Scottish Gamekeepers Association Scottish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Federation Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Scottish Orienteering Association (SOA) Scottish Rural Property & Business Association (SRPBA) ScotWays Snowsport Scotland Sustrans Upper Deeside Access Trust VisitScotland