In this Bulletin: New Senior Executive Fighting fund update
Join the Ride for Access
BHS Access Conference 2008
Petition Update
BHS members elect new Trustees at Society’s AGM
BHS Article in countryside Jobs service newsletter
Self-closing gates
Planning Application forms
Habitat/Nature conservation
Training Dates
Access in the news
Hansard
Public Inquiries
Useful Links
New Senior Executive
We are delighted to announce that Heather Holmes has been promoted from Executive,
Access to Senior Executive Access. Heather became Senior Executive
on 26 June, and we wish her all the best.
Please
donate what you are able to afford at www.justgiving.com/accessfightingfund.
Money raised will be used to engage in legal proceedings on behalf
of all equestrians.
If you'd
prefer not to donate online, you can send a cheque, made payable to the 'The
British Horse Society' , to: Access and Rights of Way Department, Stoneleigh
Deer Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2XZ. Please indicate that you'd like
the money to go to the Access Fighting Fund.
Join
the Ride for Access
The BHS is
encouraging riders and carriage drivers throughout the UK to hold a BHS ‘Ride
for Access’ to raise money for the Access Fighting Fund.
Ride organisers can get a Ride For Access pack by contacting BHS HQ, enabling
them to publicise their event, raise funds and invite others to join in.
Access Senior Executive, Heather Holmes, said: “Organising a Ride For Access
is a fun, sociable way of raising funds for the BHS, and getting together
with other riders in your area.”
Contact
the Access department for more details.
BHS
Access Conference 2008
21 September
The George Hotel, Devonshire Street, Penrith CA11 7SU
Following
last year's very successful conference in the South West, the BHS Access
department has decided to hold a conference with many of the same speakers,
and some new additions, for our volunteers and members in the North of
England.
Tickets
cost £35 (this forms a returnable deposit for our BHS Access Officers, BRC
Access Officers and Affiliated Bridleways Groups).
Confirmed speakers so far are: Pennine Bridleway team; Roger Wright, Highways
Agency; Catriona Cook, RABO Yorkshire; Richard Brooks, MOD and Durham County
Council.
A full
programme and booking forms can be found here
and can also be obtained from the office by calling 01926 707712 or emailing access@bhs.org.uk.
Petition
Update We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to provide funding and use
legislation for creation of new public bridleways
Horse Riders have access to less than 25% of the current public rights of
way network, and face danger when using today's busy roads.
To ensure appropriate funding is in place and legislation (Highway Act 1980
S26) to be used by local authorities for new bridleways to be shown on
definitive maps and ordnance survey maps.
To ensure the Highway Agency develops a national programme of re-instating
severed crossing points by creating new dedicated bridle bridges or
underpasses as safe crossing points for motorways or trunk roads.
To ensure local authorities and parish councils develop local joined up
community riding circuits of 5-15 miles to rebuild the national bridleroute
network.
British Horse Society members elected three new Trustees at the Annual
General Meeting, held at Saddlers’ Hall in London.
Sarah Bucks, David Kerry and Margot Tiffany were elected following a
keenly-fought contest and Hilary McKenna was co-opted to the Board as the
representative of British Riding Clubs. Hilary replaces Laurie Punnett, who
stood down after serving the maximum term of six years.
Sarah Bucks is a committed access volunteer who specialises in historical
research and whose goal is to improve the off-road riding and driving
network. A graduate engineer, Sarah has worked in management consultancy in
New York and London and has run her own property business. She keeps horses
and rides daily.
David Kerry is Senior Road Safety Officer for Cumbria and has assisted with
access and rights of way in Cumbria. He has been involved with government
consultations and established equestrian safety links worldwide. David has
been a Riding and Road Safety Trainer since 1983.
Margot Tiffany is chairman of the Society’s NE Yorkshire committee and has
spent her life teaching and helping riders of all types, from competition to
leisure riders. She represents all Registered Instructors on the Training and
Examination committee and feels that increased membership of the Society is
the way to facilitate improved access through a good bridleway network.
Hilary McKenna is best known to the equestrian community for her role as
British Riding Clubs’ National Representative for Area 2 (North East). This
involves acting as official steward at local area qualifiers, assessing new
clubs applying for affiliation and offering help and advice to clubs and
members. Hilary has been a past team manager for the British Riding Club Team
that competes in Europe and still contributes towards the riders of the team.
At a Board Meeting following the AGM, Robert Pickles FBHS was confirmed as
the Training and Examinations representative, Ian Maclellan was co-opted as
Treasurer and Christine Casey was co-opted as representative for Ireland.
For further information and pictures, please contact: Alison Coleman,
Communications Executive, The British Horse Society, 01926 707737 or email her.
BHS
Article in countryside Jobs service newsletter
The Access work of the BHS was featured in the recent special edition of the
Countryside Jobs Service magazine.
Countryside Jobs service will now also advertise BHS volunteer vacancies in
their job listings. As this site reaches a wide audience, we hope it will
help recruit new Access volunteers throughout the UK.
Self-closing
gates
The Access department is interested to hear of any incidents that horse
riders have had with self-closing gates. We are trying to establish whether
there are particular problems with particular types of gates, catches or
self-closing mechanisms, and whether the British Standard for gaps, gates and
stiles will require any amendments. If you have had such an incident, please email or post details to us, including
the location of the incident and a description of what happened.
Planning
Application forms
The deficiencies of the new government-devised planning application form that
all local authorities are now expected to use are starting to become
apparent.
Instead of identifying applications that will affect rights of way, the
question about rights of way on the new form asks the applicant whether the
application will require the diversion, stopping up or creation of a right of
way.
This means that any right of way on the site, or adjacent to the site, or
that is to be used as the vehicular access to the site is unlikely to be
identified unless the applicant actually intends to build over it. So
enjoyment of the right of way could potentially be severely damaged, for
example by a large increase in vehicular traffic over it, but the fact that
the application affects a right of way will not be advertised, nor are the
highway authority’s rights of way department or user groups likely to be
consulted.
The BHS and the Rights of Way Review Committee pointed this out to the
Department for Communities and Local Government when the draft form was being
prepared but DCLG refused to amend it.
The BHS would like to receive details of any applications that illustrate
this point so that we can them put this evidence to DCLG
The British Horse Society would like to receive details of locations where
existing Access to Horse Riders has been denied or made more difficult for habitat/conservation
reasons. Once we have such information we will be able to make
representations to Natural England regarding the exclusion of horse riders
from such areas.
Motions
and Amendments
*S3M-2086Jim Hume:Hawick Common Riding-That the Parliament warmly congratulates the
organisers of this year’s Hawick Common Riding, the first of the Borders’
festivals; notes the historical importance of such an event which celebrates
the ancient custom of riding the boundaries of the parish and the capture of
an English flag in 1514; recognises that common ridings festivals allow
Borderers to pay their respects to those who risked their lives protecting
the townspeople, and wishes all participants well.
Below is a
list of the PIs the BHS has been notified of for the next two months. If you
are involved in any PIs (at all, not just these), let us know quickly, so we
can provide you with any assistance you may require in a cohesive and timely
way.
FPS/M1900/7/47 08/07/2008 Chorleywood Mem Hall Common Rd WD3 5LN
FPS/Z0645/4/31 08/07/2008 Hartford Moss Farm Rec Centre Northwich CW8 4BG
FPS/Y3235/7/40 09/07/2008 Worfield Recreation Room Worfield Nr Bridgnorth
FPS/J1155?7/69 10/07/2008 Morxhard Bishop Mem Hall Church St Crediton EX17 6
FPS/M1005/5/3 15/07/2008 The Council Chamber Amber Valley Council,Ripley
FPS/G4240/7/13 16/07/2008 Committee room 1 Council Offices Aston-under-Lyne
FPS/J1155?7/68 22/07/2008 The Village Hall Offwell Honiton
FPS/Q9495/7/16 29/07/2008 Loweswater Village Hall Cockermouth Cumbra C
FPS/D3450/7/27 29/07/2008 Rm 4 Peel Building St Chads Place Stafford
FPS/P0430/7/23 29/07/2008 Evreham Ctr Swallow St Iver Bucks
FPS/J1155/7/71 30/07/2008 Village Hall Northleigh Honiton
FPS/G3300/4/77 05/08/2008 Council Chamber Deane House Belvedere Rd Taunton
FPS/W4515/7/1 06/08/2008 Wallsend Town Hall High St Wallsend
FPS/E0535/7/23 19/08/2008 Jubilee Hall School Lane Eaton Socon PE19 8GW
FPS/E1855/4/16 19/08/2008 Classroom F24 North Bromsgrove H School B60 1BA
FPS/T1600/7/54 19/08/2008 Leonard Stanley Vill Hall Marsh Rd Nr Stonehouse Gl
FPS/F4410/5/1 27/08/2008 Auckley Community Centre Auckley Doncaster
The
Bulletin is
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expressed in such material may not be the opinion of the BHS. To
contribute to The Bulletin, email the editor.
For all other equestrian access queries, email
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