Breadcrumbs
Improving Disabled Access to the Wider Countryside: Advice for Managers
advise on and support the promotion and dissemination of the Countryside Agency’s forthcoming guidance on improving disabled access to the wider countryside; and
give specific advice on the questions at para. 12.
Background
The Countryside Agency is nearing completion of its guidance for countryside managers to help them improve access to the wider countryside for everyone, including those with mobility and visual impairments. Our definition of people with disabilities is that adopted in the CROW Act 2000 and is narrower that that contained in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, which includes those with learning difficulties in addition to physical impairments. We plan to issue further advice to managers on meeting the needs of those with learning difficulties. In the interim, the Countryside Agency has been advised by disability organisations representing those with learning difficulties that improving the physical infrastructure to meet the needs of the mobility and visually impaired goes a long way to meeting those with learning disabilities.
This current guidance builds on that published in 2000, “Sense and Accessibility” and “Paths without Prejudice”, by recommending a management zone approach to improvements to path networks and information provision. It is a response to the DDA Clause (coming into force in October 2004), which will require service providers to make reasonable adjustments to physical access, so that it is inclusive as possible, and to ensure that discrimination does not occur. The guidance also serves as supplementary advice to the statutory guidance on rights of way improvement plans in England and will form part of the Public Rights of Way Good Practice Guide, (see NCAF 17/10).
Draft guidance was produced with the advice of an external steering group made up of representatives from disability groups and land owning organisations. This was tested during 2002 at six pilot project locations, exploring the full range of issues associated with land ownership. The results and advice have been incorporated into the guidance. The pilots were:
Abbotsbury Estate, Dorset
Forestry Commission, Forest of Dean
Hadrian’s Wall National Trail (whole length of wall)
Kent County Council (rights of way network)
Lancashire County Council (rights of way network)
Sherborne National Trust Estate
All local authorities in England with responsibility for countryside management and public rights of way have been sent advance notice that this work is being produced in 2003.
Current work
An extensive consultation exercise took place between March and May this year culminating in a seminar and workshop for national organisations working with or representing those with disabilities together with countryside managers. The Countryside for All. National Advisory Committee has also contributed advice. The Rights of Way Improvement Plan demonstration projects have been asked to use and test it as a management tool.
The guidance aims to provide clear and detailed advice on how to improve access opportunities, from the development of policy through to the implementation of physical improvements on the ground and the provision of information for visitors. It has been produced with the resource limitations many access providers have in mind, and aims to provide a realistic, practical and effective approach to producing many more opportunities in diverse countryside locations for those with mobility and visual impairments. Improving access for these groups inevitably improves and increases access for ALL walkers. The Countryside Agency’s approach is seen as a tool that fulfils managers’ needs to address “reasonableness” under the terms of the DDA.
Previously the wider countryside has been seen as a “no go” area for people with disabilities. Paths that have been improved and accessible to all have been characterised by being very short, at honey pot sites or for specialised use and do not afford opportunities to the wider countryside. With forthcoming enactment of the DDA legislation we see the need for a consistent and national approach across England and consider that management zoning of the countryside path network as a practical tool and way forward. This requires commitment to:
A planned approach – prioritising certain paths and places using management zoning to provide and promote access in a planned, strategic way and using up to date information to allow people to make up their own minds with confidence whether a path is suitable for them based on the National Route Evaluation and Classification System (NatRECS) that sets a standard for the collection, display and storage of route information for managers and all users.
Least restrictive access (LRA) principle can be defined simply as improving each criterion of a path such as the surface, width, furniture or gradient to the highest accessible standard that is possible. LRA should be applied to ALL practical works that take place in the countryside and particularly to those paths and places that have not been prioritised in the planned approach above. This should be applied during regular day-to-day maintenance or when opportunities arise as they frequently do, to make changes.
The British Telecom (BT) Countryside for All Standards and Guidelines 1997 introduced the concept of setting standards: 1- the highest for urban and formal landscapes; 2- urban fringe and managed landscapes; 3 – rural and working landscapes. Over the years many people involved in maintaining paths have considered that BT standard 3 for rural and working landscapes to be most appropriate in countryside where sealed paths are not appropriate or where financial resources allow for regular maintenance of unsealed surfaces to keep paths up to standard.
Guidance
Appreciating that many paths cannot achieve BT Countryside For All standards because of natural features such as gradients, because of the huge investment needed or the consequent landscape impact, the Countryside Agency is promoting standards for three management zones; (see table below). It is hoped this will make the process relatively straightforward. They have been termed Zone A, B and C to avoid confusion with previous zoning using numbers.
Zones Standards
A BT Countryside for All standard 3 (with slight revision)
B Standards developed by Access for All – The User Perspective (Kent CC and Environment Agency)
C Sense and Accessibility Interim Zone 4 ( with slight revision – Countryside Agency
We see the guidance very much as a live document to be updated in the light of experience and case law interpreting the DDA, and as a continuum of the BT Countryside for All Standards and Guidelines. It is appropriate within a local authority area to provide a range of paths that meets BT Countryside for All standards and a network of paths that may not be accessible to all but offer opportunities to the more challenged. (Note, however, that there is still a school of thought amongst some organisations that BT standards should remain the only ultimate goal for access in the wider countryside.)
Diversity Review
The preparation of this guidance predates the Diversity Review which NCAF has previously received papers on. As part of the review the Agency is researching the awareness of providers of the needs of groups who are under represented as countryside visitors – including people with disabilities – and their service provision now and in the future. Separately we will be carrying out research amongst under represented groups to understand their needs.
Questions for the Forum on support and implementation of the guidance as a tool for improving countryside access
What steps can members suggest to assist us in informing people about the new good practice guidance?
The Diversity Review will involve area based action research projects based on the findings of the national research, This will be designed to test new approaches to increasing the level of visiting by under-represented groups, through links with providers and effective use of a range of media such as the National Route Evaluation Classification Scheme. Would members consider the wide adoption of NatRECS an appropriate objective for a dedicated scheme funded by one of the major lottery distributors?
We plan to develop a toolbox to enable managers to implement the planned approach by developing our own audit software for managers to download on to their GPS, and advice note on how to do it, develop a national data dictionary to avoid confusion over technical terminology and devise a training scheme for those working to provide countryside access. – Would members welcome consultation on this or wish to contribute?
Next steps
Our guidance will be published and freely available from our website from the end of this year.
A programme of regional dissemination will take place over the winter months to enable our regional staff to be equipped to deliver advice at a local level.
A seminar will be held in February 2004 to feedback interim findings to service providers of the research being carried out for the Diversity Review.
We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop the Treasury’s Public Service Agreement objective to increase opportunities for countryside visiting for disabled people.
JANE YATES
September 2003
