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I am writing on behalf of the British Horse Society (BHS) a membership charity with over 112,000 members representing the UK’s 3 million regular riders and carriage drivers, in response to the current consultation on the Fareham Borough Local Plan. The BHS is the largest and most influential equestrian charity in the country, working to improve the lives of horses and their owners through its four core foundations of education, welfare, safety and access.
1. BACKGROUND TO OUR COMMENTS
Nationally, it is estimated that there are 3.5 million people in the UK who ride or who drive a horse-drawn carriage. Hampshire has among the highest densities of horse ownership in the country (source: former National Equine Database). We estimate that 220,000-270,000 are employed in equine industries and the equine industry is estimated to be contributing at least £7 billion each year to the local economy, mainly through goods and services supplied by small businesses such as feed merchants, vets, farriers, trainers, saddlers, etc.
Road Safety is a particular concern to equestrians, who are among the most vulnerable road users. Between November 2010 and March 2019, the BHS received reports of 3,737 road incidents, in which 315 horses and 43 people were killed. Research indicates however that only 1 in 10 incidents are being reported to the BHS; in 2016-17 alone, 3,863 horse riders and carriage drivers in England and Wales were admitted to hospital after being injured in transport accidents. (NHS Hospital Episodes Statistics).
The BHS actively campaigns to improve road safety by making motorists aware of what to do when they encounter horses on the road (see https://www.bhs.org.uk/our-work/safety/dead-slow – we recommend taking a few minutes to watch the ‘Dead Slow’ virtual reality film for an impression of how vulnerable equestrians are in proximity to cars and lorries).
Because of the difficulties that equestrians encounter on roads, they avoid using them wherever possible. Road use is often unavoidable, however it is simply because people have nowhere else to exercise their horses. The main off-road access available to them is the network of Rights of Way (RoW). England and Wales have over 140,000 miles of RoW, but only 22% of this network is available for horse riders (who may only use routes designated as Bridleways and Byways) and a mere 5% to carriage drivers (who only have access to Byways). An additional factor is that the network is fragmented, and roads are often the only available links between one RoW and the next.
2. ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE DOCUMENTS
a. EXAM 113 – Housing Technical Paper
Revise policy requirement 6 to remove references to the delivery of the Link Road, the BHS would like to see the specification of ‘and will be required to provide new crossings on the A6 and crossings over the new link road to improve and maintain connections; it is essential that the development contribute towards the delivery of and is served by an appropriately designed and routed new link road between the A6 and M1 Junction 11a’ to remain as part of the paper on the condition that the cycleway is a multiuser route open to equestrian users.
b. EXAM 114 – Transport Technical Paper
The BHS supports the partnership working of CBC with Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity in providing links to the wider bridleway network for horse riders but would suggest more emphasis is placed on the equestrians being included in the high quality walking and cycling routes to areas of green spaces not just on the wider network. The BHS also supports the ‘measures to mitigate the traffic impacts of the proposed development on the strategic and local road networks together with footpaths, cycleways, bridleways, and green corridors should be included’ laid out under 3.2.11.
3. THE LOCAL PLAN FOR CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE
Within Central Bedfordshire, there is a both a demonstrable demand for safe access for equestrians and a documented lack of provision. The issues identified in the Central Bedfordshire Outdoor Access Improvement Plan 2012-2031 with Outcome 2 – Bridleway connectivity is increased identifying plans ‘to increase connectivity in south west/east Central Bedfordshire – working with Cycling and Horse riding communities to propose and deliver new network links.
We hope that Central Bedfordshire Council will take the opportunity to address the disjointed nature of Bedfordshire’s Right of Way network this in the current Review, and ask that the Plan should include:
a. Recognition of equestrians as vulnerable road users
Historically, pedestrians and cyclists have been considered as the main vulnerable road users. Equestrians are however increasingly recognised as being part of this group: during the Parliamentary Debate on Road Safety in November 2018 Jesse Norman, Under Secretary of State for Transport, stated that
“We should be clear that the cycling and walking strategy may have that name but is absolutely targeted at vulnerable road users, including horse-riders.”
We therefore ask that the Local Plan includes Central Bedfordshire’s equestrians as vulnerable road users, to ensure that their needs are considered equally alongside those of pedestrians and cyclists.
b. Inclusion of equestrians in the Central Bedfordshire Sustainable Transport Strategy
The term ‘Active Travel’ applies to journeys undertaken for a range of purposes, whether to reach a place of work or local amenities, or for recreation. It is also the case that many of the routes that are used to walk or cycle to work or school are the same routes which at other times provide for recreational use.
It is now acknowledged that horse-riding is as much an ‘active travel’ mode as recreational walking or cycling. At the recent Parliamentary Debate on Active Travel in Westminster Hall, Robert Courts MP proposed that “horse riders…ought to be thought about in the context of active travel as well.” This was endorsed by Michael Ellis, Minister of State for Transport, who confirmed that “Active travel includes horse riders and bridle paths – this debate includes them.”
Cambridgeshire is demonstrating good practice, James Palmer, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor has stated in a current transport consultation : ‘Active Travel – cycling, Walking and Horse Riding Promoting active and sustainable transport like walking, cycling and horse riding are key objectives at a national, regional and local level.’ He has also stated that Greenways are an ‘… off road route for walking, cycling and horse riding.’ The recently adopted Joint Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Transport Plan defines Active Travel as: ‘Active Travel: Physically active modes such as walking, cycling or horse riding.’ We would ask that all Active Travel provision must therefore be embedded in new transport projects in the same way for all modes. We therefore suggest that horse-riding should be included within the emerging Central Bedfordshire Travel Plan and Local Plan and would welcome the opportunity to contribute the development of this document.
The current Bedford Borough Local Plan lead by example with Policy 91 – Access to the countryside iv. ‘All new routes should be multiuser routes and dedicated as bridleways with a minimum width of 4 metres.’ We would suggest this is included in the Central Bedfordshire Local plan showing consistency across the county.
c. Equestrians to be included in any shared-use routes, wherever possible
In order to maximise opportunities within development to help provide more off-road links for equestrians, where shared-use routes are created for active travel as a part of any development, planning policy should support the automatic inclusion of horse riders on shared off-road routes, unless there are specific reasons why this is not possible.
Conflict with cyclists is sometimes given as a reason for excluding horses from shared routes, but this rarely has anything to do with either the horse or the bicycle, simply the inconsiderate person who happens to be riding one or the other. Horse riders and cyclists as two vulnerable road user groups have more in common with each other than differences. This is illustrated by the work that the BHS are doing in partnership with Cycling UK in the current ‘Be Nice, Say Hi!’ campaign and with Sustrans in their ‘Paths for Everyone’ initiative.
The key to a successful shared route is the design: for example, rather than positioning a cycle path down the centre of a route with verges either side, the cycle path should be positioned to one side and the two verges combined to provide a soft surface for walkers, runners and horses on the other. (This also addresses the issue of horse droppings which, as research has confirmed, represent no danger to health and disperse quickly, particularly on unsurfaced paths.)
d. Reference to the Central Bedfordshire Public Rights of Way Standards and Guidance for Development
Central Bedfordshire Council has developed this guidance for planners and developers in response to feedback from local authorities, which indicated that they would welcome more information about how they can include equestrians in their work, engagement and consultation. We would like to work in partnership to develop this further.
A good example of this is ‘Equestrians in Hampshire – a reference guide for Transport, Planners, Developers and other decision makers’ document written by members of HCAF with support from Hampshire Countryside Service and the BHS, this document has been widely circulated within and beyond Hampshire, sparking interest from other authorities outside the county. We would like to work with Central Bedfordshire Council to create a similar document specifically for Bedfordshire to so that the proposed new bridleways, when implemented, will restore connectivity within the wider RoW network in a way that will benefit all users, including equestrians.
We would urge Central Bedfordshire Council to incorporate the principles set out in this guidance into their planning policy: most particularly, that equestrians should be considered and consulted with at an early stage within the planning of any major housing or infrastructure development.
4. CONCLUSION
Horse riding is a year-round activity which (along with associated activities such as mucking out and pasture maintenance) expends sufficient energy to be classed as moderate intensity exercise. The majority of those who ride regularly are women, and a significant proportion of riders are over 45. For some older or disabled people, being on horseback or in a horse-drawn carriage gives them access to the countryside and a freedom of movement that they would not otherwise be able to achieve. There are also considerable psychological and social benefits from equestrian activities, as the BHS is demonstrating through the Changing Lives through Horses initiative.
Equestrianism is a popular activity in this part of Bedfordshire, and one which contributes significantly to the local economy. The equestrian community in Central Bedfordshire currently has many difficulties in finding safe access within the area, mainly as a result of past development. Many of these issues could be addressed and resolved through good planning of future development. We hope therefore that the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan will include policies that will support this.
