Bridleways Meeting – 13th November 2007 – 7.15pm – Wix Village Hall
A poorly-publicised meeting was held to discuss the Rights of Way Improvement Plan for the Tendring area on 13th November at Wix Village Hall. Informed of the meeting by club member Elaine King, committee member Catherine Raffe and her partner Richard Scott (a Bradfield Parish Councillor who also had no prior knowledge that such a meeting was to be held) attended to represent the club & its many members based within the Tendring area.
The Panel of 8 comprised people from the horse world, including the BHS, & representatives of the Essex Bridleways Association, & a driving society, plus Sportendring & Essex Police. The local MP was unable to make the meeting, being stuck in traffic, & Essex County Council declined to send a representative. Approximately 50 members of the public were in attendance.
A period of review of all rights of way in Tendring is just coming to a close, so it is too probably late for new enquiries about rights of way to be considered as part of this exercise. However, Essex County Council have an access & rights of way forum on their website, & their countywide draft plan is available to view until 31st January 2008. To visit, go to www.essexcc.gov.uk - select “travelling” from the options across the top, and the “Rights of Way Improvement Plan” from the list on the left. Another useful website, if you wish to petition anyone about any issues you may have is www.writetothem.com - it contains contact details for all MPs, councillors, etc.
Some very complicated criteria for claiming a right of way were discussed, but they were too long-winded to go into here, although contact details can be provided to anyone wishing to pursue a claim.
A number of other discussion points came up during the evening, & naturally many people wished to speak about their own experiences with their horses on our roads. One important point was raised – if you have experienced an incident or accident, including a near miss, then report it to the Police & insist on an incident number. Near misses are very seriously used to compile road safety statistics, so do not discount them after you have got your breath back! If possible, use your local Horsewatch representative by reporting to them & they will forward the details to the Police for you. This is just one of the benefits of the Horsewatch scheme – CVRC can provide contact details to anyone who wishes to find out more. We would also like to remind everyone of the importance of being as visible as possible, at all times of day, & at all times of the year. The BHS recommends a minimum of a Hi-Viz rider tabard & Hi-Viz legbands on all 4 of your horse’s legs at all times on the roads. Please contact Catherine Raffe on 01255 870110 if you would be interested in taking the BHS Riding & Road Safety Test.
Useful bodies involved in improvement of access & rights of way for everyone:
East of England Development Agency - provide some grants for the improvement of access.
Essex Bridleways Trust - fundraise to create new bridleways & Pegasus Crossings, & typically donate 10% or £5000 per project.
Parish Councils P3 Scheme (Parish Paths Partnership) – the scheme enables Parish Councils to take responsibility for their own local routes & gain additional funding for this from Essex County Council.
Catherine is expecting to receive a copy of the minutes from this meeting in due course, & will post them on the CVRC website. It is the intention to continue to have regular meetings on bridleways in the Tendring area. The next is scheduled for Tuesday February 19th at 7.15pm at Wix Village Hall. Catherine will be attending, & any CVRC members who wish to do so will be welcome.
Catherine Raffe