Cheshire Local Access Forum
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act (2000) requires that local
access forums be set up to advise local authorities and Natural
England on putting the new legislation into effect. The
forums provide independent advice on public access to land for open
air-recreation.
Each forum consists of between 12 and 20 volunteer individuals
drawn from the local community and representing a wide cross
section of interests. A single forum has been established by
Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council to
cover their combined areas. This forum covers all of Cheshire
except for that part of the county inside the Peak District
National Park (as a separate Forum covers the National Park).
The fore-runner of the Cheshire Local Access Forum was the Cheshire
and Warrington Local Access forum (CWLAF). In 2009,
Warrington Borough Council decided to withdraw from the Cheshire
Forum and to join the Mersyside and Halton Local Access Forum.
The Forum meets 4 times each year to consider a variety of
access topics, for example:
- The management of access to open access land;
- The production and implementation of the Rights of Way
Improvement Plan;
- Proposals for strategic highway schemes that will impact on
access to the countryside; and,
- Consultations from local or national governmental bodies.
The Forum is independent of both Councils. All meetings of the
Forum are open to the public and agendas and minutes are
published.
For more information, please visit the Cheshire LAF website, or email
claf@cheshire.gov.uk.
