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   BADFA's Year 2000       News     

For reports for other years see News Index page

In year 2000
New Act of Parliament (CROW Act)
Colne Valley flooded
Watford Fieldpath Association merger
Rights of Way manager vacancy
A management issue at County Hall
CMS manager (David Dench) moves on
Countryside Agency new publication
BADFA 2000 AGM
Aldenham 31A

New Act passed by Parliament December 2000

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act was finally signed on Thursday 30 November.

It is a three part statute:
1. The right to roam
2. Rights of Way changes
3. Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The right to roam doesn't exist until the Countryside Agency produces maps and also some regulations are made.  It isn't clear how soon that may take, perhaps one to five years. But there is a power to dedicate areas and BADFA is exploring a local dedication

The public rights of way changes are a bit of a mixture from BADFA's point of view.
The good news is that it ought to be easier to get obstructions removed. The bad news is that any paths that existed before 1949 will disappear for ever if they are not put onto the definitive map by 2025. Phew. For example the path from Sparrows Herne to Ashfield Avenue which undoubtedly is pre 1949 would disappear for ever as would lots of other urban alleyways. BADFA is already in the forefront of getting our paths put on the definitive map, but we will have to redouble our effort. What will happen in other areas without an active group is cause for concern. But BADFA's chairman Chris Beney is working with the Herts and N.Middlesex Ramblers to try to get more County paths recorded.

Details of the new Act can be found on the Ramblers' Association website.

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Flooding by the footpath at Munden in the Colne Valley

Watford Fieldpath Association Merger (31.12.2000)

The BADFA incorporation of the Watford Fieldpath Association is effectively complete. The Watford Fieldpath Association, founded over 100 years ago in 1899, has been dormant for some years. It used to be a very well respected organisation and over the years published many professional quality maps and dealt with a good many issues concerning paths. Minute books exist back to 1899 and there is a quantity of papers with useful historic path information. Most of this is at Watford Reference Library, some is held by BADFA.

A notice about the incorporation was published in local papers and was circulated to the last list of WFA members that was available (1983). Their response was strongly in favour. BADFA has agreed to use the residual funds of the WFA in the wider area covered by the WFA. When the residual funds are transferred (expected shortly) then the last loose end of the incorporation will be tied up.

BADFA has said that if people emerge in the future willing and able to run the Fieldpath Association separately, we would expect to co-operate with that.

We are very proud to be able to give this highly respected Fieldpath Association a chance of a new lease of life.

One task we plan to undertake in conjunction with Watford Library is to have the WFA's records typed onto computer readable media or made accessible in some other way. This will allow much better and wider access than poring over copperplate minute books in the hope of finding a particular path referred to. It is particularly relevant to the 25 year deadline for pre 1947 paths in the new Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

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Rights of Way
Manager Vacancy

Garry Preston, County's Rights of Way Manager (photo at kissing gate opening, around 1993) has recently left the County to work in Devonshire. His post is advertised (£32K or so). We hope the successor is able and willing to tackle some of the fundamental issues underlying rights of way policy at County Hall as well as to work with the customer representatives like us to achieve best value.

HCC's former rights of way manager, Garry Preston, was himself a knowledgeable man on rights of way, but recently he actively discouraged his customers, well BADFA anyway, from being knowledgeable, saying that it was not in County's interests that we should. We of course profoundly disagreed on that, we believe a knowledgeable and competent volunteer group whose aims correspond closely to County's and who are prepared to accept the limitations caused by budget restraints, can make a valuable contribution to the Public's path network. Indeed County's refusal to work effectively with us, for example by denying us annual reviews of the problems and issues on our paths, had proved counterproductive resulting in the need for formal complaints with the inevitable wasted effort on both sides. This is all the more extraordinary because we are, and have been for years, a Parish Path Partner with County Hall.

Whether Garry took this approach on his own, or whether he was asked to take it, we are not sure. We have some evidence of the latter. But we have no quarrel with individuals, only with County's misinterpreting their own role. So we do wish Garry well in his new work.

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CMS manager moves on.

We were sorry to lose our local Countryside Management Service manager David Dench, recently due to his taking a post in Acton.
The role of CMS has changed a bit since BADFA was formed in 1991, we preferred it when they did more practical work with us in the early years, it pinned us down to deadlines and genuinely helped us greatly. They even had a tractor that we could call on and we once removed a row of concrete bollards in no time at all with it.
David in recent years acted as local administrator for the Parish Path Partnership work and for the funding. We have always found him friendly and courteous to work with and will miss him.

In the Acton area David will be looking after a more urban scene than he has had even in this built up area of the county.

We wish him the very best in his future.

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BADFA's 2000 AGM

We had a successful AGM on 17th May. Finances are sound.

Phil Wadey and Chris Beney gave illustrated talks.

From the floor we were asked, amongst other things, about the Merry Month of May path and were we pursuing it?

Steve and Jennifer McCormick (see People page) are rejoining the committee after an absence due to pressure of work. They hope to form a clearance team with Monica Shelton.

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NOTE 
This path now (2002) has a full page devoted to it:
Go to the Aldenham 31 A page

May 2000 (some update 31 Dec 2000)
Dubious gates, and Public grabbed by landholder

Photo shows a gate on the public path, authorised by County despite the very dubious legality of doing so. It also shows two dogs which rush at the public, barking furiously.

The garden trees were planted on the public path and we don't understand why County didn't remove them under the ample powers they have.
(31 Dec 2000: User groups were not informed, but the two trees disappeared during 2000. Hertsmere has recently won a planning case for restoration to agricultural, but the terms were a bit bungled)

This path is part of the Hertfordshire Way.

County have a duty not just to be even-handed but to act for the path users and against the landholders in this situation. [see Highways Act 1980 sect130, and subsequent court decisions]. 

Groups of walkers have were turned back in 1999 and 2000 by one of the landholders (whose land is behind the photographer in the picture above). The police were called in early 2000 when two members of the public were physically grabbed.

BADFA asked for action about unauthorised gates back in 1995 and if County had acted then, perhaps the escalation of problems in 1999/2000 would never have happened. 

BADFA is continuing to press for resolution of this problem. 

In late 2000 County Councillors voted to put the user's claim for the disputed section to the top of the queue for such claims (there is a ten year backlog). We would have preferred some action to open up the path since County publicly say they believe this bit is public. The councillors instructions have not been implemented by the officers at the 31st Dec 2000 so far as we know, because the call for evidence has gone out on at least two other paths and nothing has gone out on 31A yet.

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