Cabinet considered the report regarding the proposed accessibility to Battlemead Common.

The Lead Member for Climate Change, Sustainability, Parks and Countryside informed Cabinet that it gave her great pleasure to propose this paper. It had been three years since the common had been purchased by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in December 2018, comprising of 110 acres mostly farmland with a willow wood to the south.  When purchased it was to be used for public open space.

Friends of Bethelmead Common was set up in June 2018 to offer guidance, advice and recommendations to the council. Since then, the Council had adopted its Environments and Climate Strategy. A Steering group had been set up in March 2021 to help guide decision making. During the course of  three years many surveys have been undertaken, eventually, after many discussions, we are ready to make our recommendations.

There were groups who had apposing views on the way forward between public access verses maintaining protection for several years and not having public access.  There were those that wished to have the common open to all with dogs off leads, but we also need to be mindful of protecting the wildlife.  She mentioned that she walked regularly along the boundary and had to remove a ear that had been killed by a dog. 

The Lead Member said that she had listened to all the discussions and all were very passionate.  She had also had discussions with a director of Britain Rewilding, the Chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the local MP.  Taking onboard the different views she believed that the recommendations in the report protected the habitats and species, raise awareness of the local environment, increased biodiversity and provided an opportunity for education.  She looked forward to working with Friends of Battlemead Common. 

The Deputy Leader of the Council, Corporate & Resident Services, Culture & Heritage, and Windsor informed that she endorsed and supported the paper. I think it's absolutely fantastic that the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead purchased the land for public open space. It showed a great commitment to green open spaces for our residents, especially during lockdown. I think the green open space was much valued and much needed by lots of people as they were going through the pandemic, to have the space which was an absolutely stunning place and also protected the green space between two big towns.

Phoebe Ibison, addressed Cabinet with regards to a petition submitted on this topic.  She informed that her generation, as well as your descendants, who have to live through the repercussions of your actions, as well as the actions of other governmental leaders. We need to shift behaviours of local residents through education, so that we can all have the access to resources to fully comprehend the co-dependent relationship between humans and nature.

We set an example by counsel. We want to support encourage counsel during future decisions, which will have an impact on the nature. however, we will not stand by and allow actions to go ahead which will be a detriment of our futures. I like many young people in the borough are striving for a better future. I myself volunteer in the community to benefit society.  I am currently working on a solar panel projects with John Simpson in a school and in possibly one or two special educational needs schools in South Africa. I also do this and as do others.  It's important that while children and young people are putting in as much firepower as they possibly can into environmental activism, adults, particularly leaders are matching their efforts to ensure that actions are sustainable and impactful.

We must not think in the short term, but the long term, not the now but the when, when will adding a housing development types contribute to a rise in our deficit in the era where more substantial number of our children become ill because of the pollutants they breathe in their walks to school? When will we no longer be able to observe the nature of wildlife in our community? These are genuine concerns from my generation.

Why did Rosie take it upon herself to start a petition about the path you are about to open the common, why did nearly 900 residents respond in under two weeks? The answer is simple, residents want to have their voices heard and it is your opportunity to listen to them to explain to local people that if you're going to tackle big environmental challenges, we must stop following the often reckless actions of our predecessors, and create new pathways for future generations to follow.

The pandemic had made it blatantly obvious of the importance of green spaces to public health. And while these places must be available to the residents we must also find genuinely effective ways to work in harmony with nature. Young People's increasing concern about the stability of the climate in the future, as well as adults such as yourselves, it's also impacting our daily lives. According to global action plan  77% of students find that thinking about climate change makes them anxious, which is eco anxiety is protecting more youth and our seniors every day. Healthy nature and humans have always been a need to be intertwined, we cannot address one issue without addressing the other. Myself and my peers were incredibly excited when the climate emergency was declared. I know residents who are under 30 years of age will be observing future actions either in admiration, concern or horror.

The Chairman thanked Phoebe for presenting to Cabinet.  He informed Cabinet of the balance, that they were seeking to strike within this report between access to green public open space and preserving and enhancing biodiversity.  When the land was purchased it was to have for public accessible open space. 

Today they had come to the position as a reflection of not only the obligations to seek to mitigate climate change, but also to encourage biodiversity and indeed, species retention, as a reflection that there were always compromises to be had and that you can only really ever appreciate and understand nature, if you have access to it.  We are blessed to have publicly accessible areas of open countryside so people can enjoy the recreational benefits of that space.

The Chairman said he had listened to many arguments, many valid arguments on both sides of this debate in terms of that balance between biodiversity and effectively lending to a significant part of rewild of the site.  Coupled against the overriding need for people who do not have access to and are not fortunate enough to have large accessible gardens, or indeed open space of their own. There were benefits of green open space on physical health, but also mental health and he was sure Councillor Stuart Carroll would undoubtedly endorse that statement. He was convinced that they have struck an appropriate balance with this report.

The majority of the fields would be left to nature, the rest of the site would be managed in a sympathetic sensitive manner going forward, which means that we have achieved our original objective of buying the land and secure its future, we have implemented an approach based on custodianship and stewardship of the land. They had started the process of achieving some of the objectives with the biodiversity strategy. He would welcome any organisation who purchased land within any part of the Royal Borough who wished to fully implement that biodiversity net gain.  In this instance, the balances between public accessibility and enhanced biodiversity have been struck.

The Lead Member presenting was also pleased to hear the presentation and informed that she had listened to the experts and had been informed that the plans for the causeway would have no negative impact for wildlife.  They had also been told that plastic fencing would be sufficient to keep dogs away, however they planned to go beyond this with more sturdy fencing.  She felt strongly that the recommendations were the right compromise.

The Lead Member for Planning, Environmental Services and Maidenhead informed that this was a matter of balance.  At Council a councillor made the case to keep green open spaces but closed in the golf course, the administration wanted to open it up, create new green and blue infrastructure.  Other councils approach things with a much more laissez faire attitude. Bracknell Forest had an area which was for people to walk with their dogs but they had great concern over the nesting of birds. They put up signs every spring saying, follow the footpath, but dogs do not read notices and the dogs and the people roam everywhere. The balances that was being promoted reached the right level of balance of climate change, protecting the area, but still letting the public see the areas that means so much to them.

The Lead Member for Housing, Sport & Leisure, and Community Engagement informed that in his ward they had opened up a new park a few years ago that had not previously been available to the public.  They had also plated thousands of trees as part of the boroughs 10,000 tree planting programme.  They helped to preserve wildlife as well as encouraging new wildlife.  With regards to tonight’s paper there was a pathway that allowed access but also protected the amazing flora and fauna and creating habitats.  The sites also provided excellent educational opportunities. 

The Lead Member for Transport, Infrastructure, and Digital Connectivity informed that there were polarised views of having no access and full access.  The Lead Member was proposing a balance that allowed access and also preserved wildlife.  We are here to represent all residents and he believed this paper provided that balance.

Cllr Brar informed Cabinet that the residents who were opposed to opening the common were not saying that the path should never be open but just that there should be ecological management of the common and that this should be given time to take effect before a path was opened.  The Government and experts have started to say we should protect our wildlife.  The proposas did not make sense as there was already a path on the northern boundary that linked to the same spots as the proposed path.  The report said that the causeway was regularly used but she felt that as a walker in the area this was not the case.  There had also been incidents of a goose and a dear being killed by dogs and the Lead Member had said if there were more incidents she would close access.  The Lead Member responded that the walkway would be fenced off to protect wildlife and that there could be an annual review to see if biodiversity had improved.

Cllr Werner mentioned that a biodiversity action plan had been promised by June 2021 and that it had not yet been published.  He also questioned the promise made by the Lead Member that if another dear was killed by a dog on the site she would close access.  Would this promise stand.

The Lead Member responded that the plan had been produced but not yet published.  It was confirmed that there would be a period of consultation with stakeholders.  With regards to the incident with a dog she informed that the walkway would be fenced off protecting wildlife. 

Resolved unanimously:  that Cabinet notes the report and:

i)          Approves the proposals for the East Field as set out in the report.

ii)         Approves the updated terms of reference for the Friends of Battlemead Commons and the Steering Group