Agenda item

Purpose of the Item:

·        To update the Members of the Committee on the development of a joint 25 year strategy with the Surrey Wildlife Trust for Surrey’s Countryside Estate.

·        Share outputs from engagement with the public and other key stakeholders.

·        Set out the framework for the strategy and invite comments to help develop the final strategy.

Witnesses:

Mike Goodman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste

Lisa Creaye-Griffin, Countryside Group Manager

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste explained the background to the Strategy and discussed the public consultation which was scheduled to go live in May 2019.

2.    The Committee heard from the Countryside Group Manager, who presented a slideshow (attached as Annex 1) on the strategy. The officer explained that the Strategy engagement process started by working with members of the community such as major landowners and community liaison groups and ran a Caring for the Countryside survey between September and December 2018.

3.    The Countryside Group Manager then went on to discuss the feedback gathered through focus group workshops, which showed a difference in the views of younger and older users. This was particularly evident on the issue of car parking charges, with younger users showing a greater willingness to pay.

4.    Discussing emerging themes, the Countryside Group Manager told the Committee that the feedback gathered showed a desire from users to know more about the sites and what they offer. As a result, Highways, Transport and Environment (HTA) were looking at ways to increase interaction with users and help join up sites across the county. The Countryside Group Manager also spoke about the importance of supporting the farms and businesses that are based on the Countryside Estate.

5.    The Countryside Group Manager went on to speak about the structure of the Strategy and asked the Committee for their advice on whether it was moving in the right direction. The officer also talked about the desire to get communities more involved in running their local sites and potential areas of local collaboration moving forward.

6.    The Chairman spoke about her disappointment with the Strategy and the lack of clarity contained within the feedback. While the Strategy indicated that there was a strong desire from residents for the Surrey countryside to be protected and maintained, the Chairman said that she felt there was a misunderstanding with residents over the management of the sites and the related costs.

7.    Two Members of the Committee expressed their concern that the SWT were not present.

8.    Responding to a Member’s question about disability access at the Countryside Estate, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste spoke about the improvements that had been made to trails and car parks but agreed that more needed to be done. He then told the Committee that a section of the final Strategy would be dedicated to the issue.

9.    A discussion was had about the demographics of those who had responded to the consultation laid out in the report, with one Member saying they found it difficult to provide adequate feedback due to the small number of participants. Speaking about the annual costs of maintaining the estates, the Countryside Group Manager told the Committee that the estates are managed as a whole and have a central cost, which made it difficult to break down the costs related to individual sites.

10.  Officers were asked if it would be possible for the Council to set up a trust so that users of the Countryside Estate could become members and, subsequently, qualify for free parking. The Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste told the Committee that, while SWT offer membership, it was not possible for them to offer free car parking as part of that membership for financial reasons.

11.  The Chairman questioned the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste about whether or not the Council would be able to offer yearly parking tickets for the Countryside Estate and was told that they already do, with over 600 being sold as of February 2019 at £60 each per annum.

12.  A Member of the Committee spoke about the need to build on the ideas set out in the summary and formulate a purposeful strategy that would put environmental concerns ahead of financial issues. The Member went on to discuss alternative travel arrangements to the Countryside Estate – such as bicycle parking and buses – and the importance of providing information for users of the sites so that the costs can be clearly communicated. He also discussed the need for the Council to lay out a clear strategic vision for the future of the Countryside Estate before discussing any financial constraints.

Recommendations/actions to be taken:

1.    The Chairman recommended that the Countryside Group Manager take away the information gathered at the Committee meeting and add it to the Strategy in time for the next meeting on 24 April 2019. In response, the Countryside Group Manager requested a meeting of the Member Reference Group before the full Committee next meets, and the Chairman then laid out the plan for the Strategy which would see it discussed both by the Member Reference Group and at the next committee meeting before going to Cabinet, where any further recommendations would be tabled if necessary.