ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – FOOTPATHS COMMITTEE

Wednesday, November 2^nd , 2022

A meeting of the Footpaths Committee was held on Wednesday, November 2^nd, at 7pm at Eccleshall Community Centre.

Present were:-

Councillor R. Taylor (Chair)             Councillor C. Wilkins

Councillor P. Jones (from 7.20pm)   Councillor S. Perren

Councillor S. Mifflin                        Councillor J. Leather (from 7.20pm)

Co-opted members:

Mr. N. Davenport                            Mr. Graham Cole

Mrs S. J. Worden (Clerk)

Observers: Cllr. A. Reid.

One member of the public

1).    Apologies:-

No apologies were received. Mr. Ranson and Cllr. D. Hill were absent.

2).    To approve the minutes of the meeting held on August 17^th, 2022.

The minutes, which had been previously circulated, were agreed and signed.

3).    Review of current maintenance schedule, work completed to date and any new issues to consider

The updated maintenance schedule was circulated for information prior to the meeting. It was noted that the last two items on the list – tidying and new signage on FP115 and tidying of fp13, are now completed.

Fp115 has been replanted and is again being blocked by the growing crops.

A report has been received regarding encroachment of crops on fp113, which will be looked into.

4)     Footpath Walks leaflets

• Update on the Circular Walks Project:- the work to identify and research the routes is progressing well:
  • An A5, 30 page booklet is planned with 10 walks in total. A summary of each walk will include approximate time to complete, parking guidance, issues to be aware of (such as uneven ground) and interesting facts. Each walk will be fully described with accompanying photographs. Optional extensions to the route will be provided where available.
  • 5 walks are completed to date and completion is hoped for by spring 2023. Footpath marshals will be asked to undertake the walks to check accuracy before printing.
  • The Clerk is awaiting a response from County Rights of Way regarding the request to undertake remedial works to footpath 26. The team has assisted in the correspondence with Network Rail to obtain permission and are currently considering the response received and how this can be moved forward.
  • The Clerk will check if there are any copyright issues with using map excerpts from the official online rights of way maps in the booklet.

5).   Update regarding the proposal to increase accessibility to public rights of way by replacing stiles with gates along suitable routes.

The proposal is to replace stiles with kissing gates to help those who struggle to climb stiles as opposed to full accessibility as there are no routes identified where a wheelchair can be used and would benefit from an accessible gate. If suitable routes can be found, there is match funding available to undertake the works. It was noted that landowners would need to be consulted for permission.

3 routes were suggested for further investigation:

• FP8 from Elford Heath to Copmere. Replacement of the stile at Hough Lane. Mr. Cole and Cllr. Wilkins to determine who owns the land.

(Cllrs. Leather and P. Jones joined the meeting at this point).

• FP17 from Stone Road to Blurtons Lane – stile at Blurtons Lane end.
• FP13 from Shaws Lane to Johnson Hall, where the path starts at Shaw’s Lane.

Enquiries will be made and reported back to the committee.

6).   Update on Keep Eccleshall Tidy Team (KETT) and ongoing concerns.

Volunteers have been thanked for their support, especially with the events that ran in June. An invitation has been extended to all volunteers to attend an evening at the Mayors Parlour in January as a thank you.

7).    Correspondence:

There was no correspondence for consideration.

8).   Items for next meeting

No new items were raised. Items can be forwarded to the Clerk for consideration.

9).  Date of next meeting:-

Wednesday 1^st February 2022, at 7pm, Eccleshall Community Centre, prior to the Planning committee meeting.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 7.30pm.