Jacqui Wheeler outlined the above titled item. Members were shown a short video clip of the Battlemead Common site. It was outlined that this large piece of land had been acquired by RBWM and had significant amounts of wildlife. The primary reason for purchasing this land was to enable open access. At a recent Friends of Battlemead Common meeting (held on the 18^th June), there has been a deeper discussion relating to the types of wildlife on site which included birds and various species of woodland mammals. There were currently 68 varieties of birds and 8 species of mammals, 100 species of shrubs and trees. Members were told that this piece of land was unique as it had both woodland, wetlands and was uniquely placed adjacent to the Thames river. It was outlined that this was a fantastic opportunity for residents to access a significant asset of the borough, but that there were challenges in enabling access without detriment to wildlife on the site. . Members were told that this piece of land had been privately owned and had now been successfully purchased by RBWM.

ACTION- That Jacqui Wheeler circulates the minutes of the Friends of Battlemead Common meeting held on the 18^th June 2019 to LAF members.

It was highlighted that there were 40 attendees at the Friends of Battlemead Common meeting and that this included individuals from Cookham Society, Maidenhead Rotary, Ramblers, Access Advisory Forum, Thames Path, LAF and Waterways Board. There had been a range of external stakeholders also present at the meeting and that this had been hosted and facilitated by Kevin Mist, Directorates Project Lead- Communities & Enforcement. It was noted that this was the first tentative attempt to discuss public rights of way plans and access whilst looking at the competing needs of recreation and conservation for the area. Members were told that discussions had been had in relation to when the site would be opened and it was confirmed that an extensive site survey and lifespan of flora and fauna survey was yet to be carried out. Forum Members were advised that the next Friends of Battlemead Common meeting would take place in September.

ACTION- That Jacqui Wheeler forward invitation for the September, Friends of Battlemead Common meeting to LAF members.

At the conclusion of the verbal update members discussed the following;

Planning applications- It was outlined that the planning application would be considered at the relevant development management panel in August and that permitted pathways were planned for opening in July. It was also highlighted that further fencing would need to be added to the site for areas needing protection.

Signage- Members highlighted the need for adequate signage in relation to the routes, protected species and for access reasons.

Car park- Members queried whether there would be a car park to access the site. It was confirmed that there would be two pedestrian access points from the planned car park space and that there were some challenges with the current visibility  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26

The Chairman reminded members that two meetings had had to be cancelled in the past year, and another was nearly not quorate due to a lack of numbers. A working group had therefore been set up to look at ways of promoting the LAF and the work it did. As part of this work the group looked at how other councils publicised their LAFs. It was noted that there was nothing to promote the Royal Borough’s LAF on the RBWM website. The Chairman stated he would speak to Anthony Hurst regarding the contents of the website.

The Chairman stated that the Crown Estate and College of Agriculture had both been identified as being organisations that could have representatives on the LAF. He said he was waiting to hear back from an individual from the Crown Estate who had been identified as being a suitable representative. It was hoped that the College of Agriculture would show an interest as it was hoped that some younger members could join the Forum. The clerk confirmed that the maximum number of members was 22.

The Chairman stated that he would seek to have Cllr Beer confirmed as an official member, as he attended all Forum meetings despite not being a member, and one of the officially designated RBWM members did not attend. Cllr Beer said he was happy to continue attending meetings, and stated his belief that the remit of the Forum should be formally included in the Council Constitution as it was a statutory body. He also suggested a message be sent to all Parish Councils informing them about the Forum. Cllr Beer said comments from items discussed at the Forum were not usually progressed to the Council’s Cabinet, and suggested that having their recommendations looked at by a higher body might be a way of publicising the Forum.

Cllr Beer stated that a site visit of a farm was usually organised each year. James Copas said this was done through the Rural Forum, and he would be happy to let Ambika Chouhan know of potential dates of future visits.