Countryside Access Forum for West Sussex (CAFWS)

• Introduction and contacts
• Area covered by the Forum
• What we do
• Consultations and advice given - influencing local and national policy
• Forum members
• Meetings, agendas and minutes
• Useful links

Introduction and contacts

The Countryside Access Forum for West Sussex (CAFWS) aims to improve countryside access for all across the county, outside the area covered by the South Downs National Park (the South Downs has its own Local Access Forum covering this area – see links for details). It is an independent, advisory body operating on a statutory basis.

CAFWS was established in 2003 as required by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act), which placed a duty on each county council, unitary authority and national park to set up a Local Access Forum (in West Sussex this is CAFWS).

Members of the Forum are local volunteers who have been appointed for their range of experience and interests relating to countryside access. Membership is balanced between those who use the countryside for recreation, those who manage and own the land and those with other interests, such as wildlife conservation, the landscape and working for the disabled. The Forum has a maximum of 22 members, who are appointed by West Sussex County Council.

The Forum meets four times per year, generally alternating between Chichester and Horsham. All meetings are open to the public, however, if you wish to speak this must be agreed with the Secretary 10 days in advance of the meeting, or two working days if it relates to an item on the agenda.

For further information please contact:

Jane Noble, Forum Officer, West Sussex County Council, Countryside Services, The Grange, Tower Street, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1RG

Phone: 01243 756863
Email: cafws@westsussex.gov.uk 

Tricia Butcher, Chairman of the Forum, 14 Benjamin Road, Maidenbower, Crawley, West Sussex  RH10 7QY

Phone: 01293 886446
Email: tricia.butcher@googlemail.com

Back to top

Area covered by the Forum

What we do

Members work together to seek improved access to the countryside for all users while ensuring this access does not have a detrimental effect on land management and wildlife. Forum meetings usually consist of presentations from experts on topics of interest, lively debate and decision making in an informal atmosphere resulting in access advice being given to various organisations and individuals. The Forum works to a work programme which you can download from the 'Supporting documents' area at the bottom of this section.

The statutory function of CAFWS is to give advice to the following organisations:

• West Sussex County Council
• District and borough councils
• Parish and town councils*
• Natural England
• Government including: Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra); Highways Agency; Ministry of Defence 
• Forestry Commission
• English Heritage
• Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Conservation Boards*
• Sport England*

* New bodies added in 2007 (see Local Access Forums (England) Regulations 2007).

Recommendations on how to improve access are also given to other organisations and individuals as identified by the Forum.

Since its formation the main topics the Forum has provided advice on include:

• Rights of Way Improvement Plan: Both preparing the plan and project development.
• Access in and through strategic developments.
• Access in forests and woodlands.
• Various public consultations including those from Defra, Natural England and West Sussex County Council.
• Open Access in West Sussex (the right to access mountain, moor, heath and downland and registered common land by foot provided through the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000).

Working groups

Some access issues are too complex to tackle within the timescale of CAFWS meetings so working groups are occasionally set up to look at such topics. Working groups consist of CAFWS members and other people with an interest in the subject as appropriate. They work to a brief set by the Forum, feedback regularly on progress at Forum meetings and are disbanded when work is complete. To date the following working groups have been established:

• Rights of Way Improvement Plan
• Access in strategic new developments at East Grinstead, Horsham and West of Crawley

Annual report

An annual report is produced each year on the work of the Forum. The latest and previous reports can be downloaded below.

Supporting documents

• CAFWS work programme 2011-13 (PDF, 1 page, 47KB)
  
  
• CAFWS Progress Report: 2009-11 (PDF, 3 pages, 253KB)
• CAFWS Progress Report: 2007-09 (PDF, 4 pages, 982KB)
• CAFWS Annual Report: 2006-07 (PDF, 4 pages, 3MB)
• CAFWS Annual Report: 2005-06 (PDF, 2 pages, 514KB)
• CAFWS Annual Report: 2004-05 (PDF, 6 pages, 491KB)
• CAFWS Annual Report: 2003-04 (PDF, 9 pages, 2MB)
  
  

Back to top

Consultations and advice given - influencing local and national policy

CAFWS has been proactive in responding to consultations with the aim of improving countryside access. Responses to consultations and advice given are shown below. 

The Forum has also written a position statement regarding new development and highway improvements:

Supporting documents

• CAFWS Position Statement (PDF, 2 pages, 42KB)

2012 responses

• Advice on preparation of revised planning documents - all planning authorities covered by CAFWS (January 2012) (PDF, 2 pages, 150KB)
• Mid Sussex District Plan - Mid Sussex District Council (January 2012) (PDF, 2 pages, 89KB)
• Access in Eartham Woods: Forestry Commission (re-sent January 2012) (PDF, 2 pages, 93KB)

2011 responses

• West of Horsham Housing Development - Countryside Properties Planning Application DC/11/2059 and DC/11/2074 (December 2011) (PDF, 2 pages, 81KB)
  Draft Planning Policy Framework – Communities and Local Government (October 2011) (PDF, 3 pages, 86KB)
• 550 Berkely Homes Southwater – Horsham District Council (August 2011)
  (PDF, 2 pages, 78KB)
• Access in Tilgate Forest and Maidenbower - Crawley Borough Council (August 2011) (PDF, 3 pages, 114KB)
• Independent Panel on Forestry - Call for views (July 2011)
  (PDF, 4 pages, 115KB)
• Government Support for Local Access Forums – Natural England/Richard Benyon, MP (July 2011) (PDF, 2 pages, 101KB)

2010 responses

• Natural Environment White Paper (October 2010) (PDF, 2 pages, 167KB)
• Proposed Sale of Public Forests (November 2010) – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Defra (November 2010)
  (PDF, 2 pages, 163KB) 
• Kilnwood Vale Development (West of Bewbush) - Crest Nicholson (May 2010)
• Rights of Way Improvement Plan priority Projects – West Sussex County Council (February 2010) (PDF, 3 pages, 33KB)
• Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and structures on rights of way - Defra (January 2010)

2009 responses

• West of Horsham Housing Development - Countryside Properties Planning Application DC/09/2101 (December 2009) (PDF, 3 pages, 58KB)
• West of Bewbush development - Crest Nicholson (October 2009)
• Medmerry Stakeholder Advisory Group (September 2009)
• Revised Core Strategy - Worthing Borough Council (August 2009)
• A safer way: consultation on making Britain's roads the safest in the world - Department for Transport (July 2009)
• Minerals and Waste Core Strategy Development Plan Document - West Sussex County Council (April 2009)
• Local Transport Plan 3 Guidance - Department of Transport (April 2009)
• A23 widening scheme, Handcross to Warninglid - Highways Agency (February 2009)
• Review of Trails and Routes consultation - Natural England (February 2009)
• Planning application DC/08/2446 and DC/08/2447 - Land South of Horsham, Broadbridge Heath - Horsham District Council (March 2009)  

2008 responses

• East Grinstead Strategic Development and Survey results- Mid-Sussex District Council (January 2008)
• South Downs Way Management Plan and Comments - South Downs Joint Committee (January 2008)
• Development of Tree Safety Policies - Forestry Commission (March 2008)
• Extension of the Access Management Grant Scheme - response to Natural England (March 2008)
• Pre Submission Core Strategy - Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 - Mid Sussex District Council (March 2008)
• North East Chichester Supplementary Planning Document - Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 - Chichester District Council (April 2008)
• Planning Application 08/01155 (Keymer Brickworks) - Mid Sussex District Council (May 2008)
• High Weald Forest Design Plan - Comments - Forestry Commission (May 2008)
• Eco Towns: Living a Greener Future (Ford Proposals) - Appendix 1 - Dept for Communities and Local Govt (June 2008)
• Draft Marine Bill (Coastal Access Provisions) - Efra (May 2008)
• Draft Marine Bill Consultation - Appendix 1 - Defra (June 2008)
• Chichester Harbour AONB Management Plan (pre-public consultation) - Chichester Harbour Conservancy (July 08)
• West of Bewbush Submission Joint Area Action Plan (JAPP); Alternate Development Sites and Boundary Changes - Horsham District Council (July 2008)
• Pagham to East Head Coastal Defence Strategy - Environment Agency (September 2008)
• West of Bewbush Submission Joint Area Action Plan (JAPP); Alternate Development Sites and Boundary Changes - Horsham District Council (October 2008) (PDF, 79KB)
• Site 6 Bognor Regis - Arun District Council (October 2008)
• Proposals to Fence Marley Common - National Trust (November 2008) (PDF, 77KB)
• West of Horsham Design Principles - Horsham District Council (December 2008) (PDF, 76KB)

2006/2007 responses included

• Outdoors For All?: Diversity Action Plan - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
• South Downs Management Plan - South Downs Joint Committee 
• Rights of Way Improvement Plan for West Sussex - West Sussex County Council
• England's Trees, Woods and Forests - Defra
• Protection of Common Land in England (The Commons Act 2006) - Defra
• National Park Authorities to make Traffic Regulation Orders - Defra
• Pagham to East Head Coastal Defences Strategy - Environment Agency
• Access to the English Coast - Defra
• Cocking, Graffham and Heyshott (Restricted Byway 952) - WSCC
• Discovering Lost Ways - Natural England
• Local Transport Planning - Next Steps - Department for Transport
• West of Crawley Joint Area Action Plan Preferred Options - Horsham District Council
• Land West of Horsham Masterplan and Comments - Horsham District Council
• Site 6 at Bognor Regis (North Bersted and Felpham) Arun District Council
  
  

Back to top

Forum members

Membership is broadly balanced between users, landowners/managers and other interests (such as conservation, disabled access, landscape, rural heritage) and spread across the county. Vacancies do come up form time to time. If you are interested in joining the Forum, one of the sub-forums or a working group please contact the Secretary for an informal chat.

Below is a list of current members. 

Tricia Butcher - Equestrian (horse riding) (Chairman of the Forum)
Other interests: Rights of Way, walking (especially long distance) and cycling.

Tricia became a Bridleways Officer for the British Horse Society after moving to West Sussex in 1994, and subsequently became the County Access and Bridleways Officer in 2004. She is also a member of the Ramblers' Association and Sustrans.

Following a business career in the dental industry, Tricia retired early and spent 8 years working in the voluntary sector with Age Concern, Voluntary Reading Help and as an advisor at the Citizens Advice Bureau. Her interest in the countryside and Rights of Way have grown and developed, through actively working with users and their organisations, landowners and local authorities. She has taken part in public inquiries, and is especially concerned with raising the profile of Rights of Way (multi-use) and access within planning and Local Development Framework documents.

Glynn Jones – Countryside management (Vice-Chairman of the Forum)
Other interests: Access management, nature conservation, recreation

Glynn joined the National Trust as their first Warden on the South Downs in 1978 and took early retirement in 2007 from his post as Property Manager for the West Sussex Downs Estate (4,500 hectares). During his career he has acquired a great deal of expertise in recreation/access management, nature conservation and management of archaeological monuments. He has a Diploma in Ecology and Conservation.

Glynn has both defended the Trust against a claim for prescriptive rights and commissioned an Access Review of the whole West Sussex Downs Estate resulting in the dedication of several new rights of way. He spent 2 years on secondment to the Countryside Agency working on access mapping for Part 1 of the CRoW Act 2000.

Bill Acraman – representing West Sussex County Council
Other interests: Rights of Way, rural environmental issues

Bill Acraman lives in Copthorne and has been a County Councillor since 1997. He has an MA in maths from Oxford University and his career was in atomic physics, operations research and finance. He worked in the USA for 3 years. He is Chairman of the Rights of Way Committee and is Policy Adviser on Rural Strategy and Environment to the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Environment. Mr Acraman is also a member of the Sussex Downs Joint Committee. He enjoys bridge and sailing.

Helen Baldwin – Equestrian (including carriage driving and riding for the disabled)
Other interests: Rights of Way, rural user groups

Helen is a founder member of the Manhood Riding Club, Committee Member and Rights of Way Officer for the South Downs Harness Club and British Driving Society. She has been involved in the Chichester Branch of Riding for the Disabled for 25 years and was a member of the Milestones Group. She has organised rides, drives (horses), path clearances, walks, and attended public inquiries. Helen looks forward to using her knowledge of paths to create a fair future for all users of rights of way and the countryside in general.

Peter Brown – Countryside Management
Other interests: Rural issues, walking and orienteering

Peter is a former Chartered Surveyor who retired as Head of Countryside Management at West Sussex County Council in March 2001. He has experience of managing agricultural estates, woodland and nature reserves and a whole range of rights of way issues. Peter has helped with the annual South Downs Way walk and enjoys walking holidays at home and abroad. Other interests include local church, orienteering, singing and golf.

David Burden- representing Town and Parish Councils
Other interests: Farming, access for the less mobile, conservation, sustainable transport, rural social and economic issues

David has spent 50 years as a livestock and farm manager in the West Sussex area, having studied general agriculture at Brinsbury College and Plumpton College. He has been involved in many committees including the West Sussex Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, National Farmers Union (NFU), Northchapel Parish Council, the Sussex Association for Local Councils (SALC) and the Chichester Diocesan Church and Countryside Group. He became a member of CAFWS in 2010.

Duncan Crow - representing District/Borough Councils

Duncan was first elected as a Crawley district councillor in 2003. He has also been the West Sussex County Councillor for Furnace Green since 2005.

Derek Crush - Farming

Graham Elvey - Walking
Other interests: Rights of Way, environment

Graham is a retired Chartered Surveyor who spent most of his career in private practice after spells in local and central government. He has been a member of the Ramblers Association for over 20 years and sits on Ramblers' Sussex Area Council in his role as West Sussex Footpath Secretary.

Dave Evans – Equestrian (including carriage driving)
Other interests: Rural issues

Dave served as a Mid-Sussex District Councillor for 12 years and was involved with the Burgess Hill Green Crescent, a recreation area for local people. He was a Parish Councillor for 11 years and a member of the Nyetimber Hill Advisory Group with the National Trust. He was also a founder member of the Mid-Sussex Bridleway Group and Hurst Society. His main interest and contribution to the Forum will be as a horse driver.

Roger Hobbs - Rights of Way volunteering
Other interests - Outdoor activities (running, bird watching, walking, cycling)

Roger worked for West Sussex County Council for nearly 17 years before taking voluntary redundancy and early retirement in 2011. At WSCC he worked in what was known as the Highways Department and was team leader for Accident, Investigation and Prevention. Latterly Roger became Group Manager for Major Projects within the County and was particularly interested in town centre public realm improvements in our historic towns. He was also WSCC lead officer for planning in the Littlehampton area and is conversant with planning policy and negotiating S278 and S106 agreements.

Since retiring he has become ever more active as a user of the countryside taking part in club runs throughout Sussex, and races throughout East and West Sussex and Hampshire. He is also a keen on and off road cyclist, walker and bird watcher in the local area. He is a committee member of Friends of Brandy Hole Copse, a local Conservation Group, and a volunteer Parish Path Inspector for WSCC for the parishes of Lavant, Fishbourne, and Funtington.

As a regular user Roger recognises the value access to the countryside provides and naturally has a keen interest in preserving, protecting, and where appropriate expanding the public rights of way access into the countryside, ensuring that they are available for future generations to enjoy to their full.

Ann Janes – representing District and Borough Councils
Other interests: Rural issues, youth services in rural areas

Ann was a District Councillor from 1983-2007 and now represents environmental and rural issues on the Forum. She was Vice-Chairman of Chichester District Council and on the Executive Board as portfolio holder for Rural Affairs. She was also portfolio holder for Health, Chairman of the Chichester District Council Rural Forum, member of West Sussex Rural Forum, member of West Sussex Rural Mobile Youth Trust, Information Shop for Young People, Action in Rural Sussex, and a Trustee of Pallant House Gallery.

Alison Poole - Land management
Other interests: Sustainable transport, walking

Martin Reynolds – Land management
Other interests: conservation, fishing and shooting, rural business

Martin has both a personal and professional interest in countryside access matters. He is a member of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and the Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).

Robin Rogers - representing West Sussex County Council 
Other interests: Rights of Way, environmental issues

Robin is a County Councillor for Northbrook and sits on the Rights of Way Committee. He also serves on Worthing Borough Council and is involved with various charitable organisations. A keen environmentalist, Robin is dedicated to improving facilities and quality of life for West Sussex residents. He is a long term resident of Worthing. His other hobbies include his extended family, theatre and travel.

David Whyberd – Disabilities interests
Other interests: Walking, land management, conservation

David was initially a mycologist in the pharmaceutical industry prior to becoming Corporate Environmental Manager for a multi-national company with worldwide responsibilities. He served on environmental committees of the National Rivers Authority and Atomic Energy Authority, and was a West Sussex County Councillor for twelve years. Now registered blind, his is Vice Chairman of 4Sight (West Sussex Association for the Blind) and an active member of Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Anthony Young - Cycling
Other interests: Running, walking

Anthony uses the paths of West Sussex a great deal for mountain biking and running, particularly in the South Downs, and is always looking for new routes. He has been asked to co-ordinate the Sussex activities of the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA). He is particularly keen to see more easy, circular, off-road cycle routes to tempt families into recreational cycling.

Back to top

Meetings, agendas and minutes

CAFWS meetings are generally held on a Wednesday starting at 10.30am. A variety of venues across West Sussex are used. Meeting dates for the next meetings are:

• 25 July 2012 - Buchan Country Park, Crawley
• 31 October 2012 - County Hall, Chichester
• 6 February 2013 - Main Conference Room, County Hall North, Horsham

If you intend to attend a meeting but are not a member, please let the Forum Officer know to ensure there are enough seats.

Agendas for meetings will be available 5 working days before the meeting. Agendas and minutes for previous meetings can be found using the links below.

2012 CAFWS agendas and minutes

2011 CAFWS agendas and minutes

2010 CAFWS agendas and minutes

2009 CAFWS agendas and minutes

2008 CAFWS agendas and minutes

2007 CAFWS agendas and minutes

2006 CAFWS minutes

2005 CAFWS minutes

2004 CAFWS minutes

2003 CAFWS minutes

Back to top

Useful links

Neighbouring Local Access Forum websites

• South Downs Local Access Forum
• Brighton and Hove Local Access Forum
• East Sussex Local Access Forum
• Hampshire Countryside Access Forum
• Surrey Countryside Access Forum

Strategic documents and organisations

• Members LAF Handbook (Natural England March 2008) 
  (PDF, 278 pages, 2MB)
• The Local Access Forums (England) Regulations 2007 (PDF, 12 pages, 76KB)
  
• Guidance on Local Access Forums in England 2007
  (PDF, 52 pages, 524KB)
• Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
• Natural England; Local Access Forum
• Useful acronyms (PDF, 4 pages, 35KB)

West Sussex Rights of Way

• West Sussex County Council Rights of Way web pages
• Rights of Way Improvement Plan for West Sussex 2007
  
  

Back to top

Share this page (third party services may set cookies)