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I can't see the image. Where are you getting the info from?
I don’t know whether this is part of my remit or not. I’ll see what I can help with.
[quote=”Caspian”]Questions are therefore:
1. Were you aware of this?
I have heard nothing about it. This is the first I’ve heard, I’ll ask around and see if any of the other advocates around the place have heard anything. Am I right in thinking that you’re talking about the dirt jumps in the trees between the P&R and the roundabout?
If I’m honest, I know very little about them, being more of a “wheels on the ground” kind of rider. What is the current status of the trails regarding permissions and management? That kind of thing is important.
[quote=”Caspian”]2. As a rider / ecologist / rights of way advocate, is this something you would also oppose?
Not automatically.
As a palaeo-ecologist I am not necessarily opposed. those woods are relatively young (being beech and, therefore, unlikely to be more than 1-200 years old). It’s worth remembering that trees don’t necessarily equal good from an ecology point of view, especially in the South Downs. So, from the photos it’s difficult to tell whether it represents a significant ecological resource (and is at the outer limits of my knowledge). It is therefore, difficult for me to form an opinion.
As a rider and access advocate, I’m am predisposed to oppose anything that removes riding opportunities in the area. Obviously, these trails have a very particular audience, and one that I am not personally part of and is not represented by any of the major bodies, but that does not limit their value to those who do ride there. As such, I would oppose any plans to remove the resource.
[quote=”Caspian”] 3. Do you have any power/leverage with(in) these organisations?
In a word: no. HCAF is a statutory body and organisations in the area have a statutory duty to [i]listen to our advice[/i]. They do not have a statutory duty to follow that advice.
As with all things access advocacy-related the devil is in the detail. Have any alternative venues for the trails been suggested?
Do you want to give me a shout off-list and we can talk about this in more detail out of the public eye?
Doesn't really make sense when their South P+R is never even half full...
Agreed, except for when [url= http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/15388750.UPDATE___PHOTOS___Huge__traveller_camp_moves_on_after_setting_up_in_busy_car_park/ ]travelers take it over as they did earlier this year[/url].
We continue to document with time-stamped photos how underused the South P&R is, even during the Christmas market. There's also 8-10 acres of flat, highly compacted grassland just to the south of it. We've made this argument to WCC and they have promised to re-evaluate this site. Our feeling is that they are too embarrassed to do a U-turn having already spent money on surveyors.
Am I right in thinking that you’re talking about the dirt jumps in the trees between the P&R and the roundabout?
That's right.
What is the current status of the trails regarding permissions and management? That kind of thing is important.
It's informal at best. Our aim for the past two decades has been to build lines & ride bikes, not form quangos or write up a Charter. But if we need to formalise ourselves for WCC's sake, we can.
Have any alternative venues for the trails been suggested?
Not yet. We love the place, our history with it, the woodland, the unique topography, the chalk, the location.
Appreciate your help - it would be great to discuss further offline: rbosullivan [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk. We're down there regularly, building.
My kids (3, 5, 7) ride there. I challenged the WCC members to name five free outdoor activities for Winchester kids to take part in. They couldn't name three in the meeting, let alone five.
Is there anything online about it? I can't see your image.
Caspian: you've got mail
Sorry to chuck a tangent in here but up in the Peak District/ Sheffield area we’ve had some good results advocacy wise and we chucked it all into one place to help others get involved and learn from our mistakes!
Again, sorry to interrupt, but it might help
Keeper of the Peak site:
https://kofthep.com/2017/05/08/the-advocacy-files-a-celebration-of-effort/
[b]Joefm [/b]- Other than a FB page we have no online presence, currently. I may change that shortly as I think a credible-looking website will help our case, especially as we have more and more local Primary school aged children coming down to use it.
[b]ShanAndy[/b] - Cheers, replied just now and look forward to meeting you on site.
[b]Pook[/b] - Many thanks, I'll go though the site tonight and see what I can learn from similar cases.
Sorry for the thread hijack but this site means a lot to us! It's MTB friendly too in case anyone near Winchester enjoys riding jumps.
[quote="pook"]Sorry to chuck a tangent in here but up in the Peak District/ Sheffield area we’ve had some good results advocacy wise and we chucked it all into one place to help others get involved and learn from our mistakes!
Again, sorry to interrupt, but it might help
All interruptions are good. I've been slowly going through the advocacy files over the last six months or so. They're really helpful for someone new to the game.
Keep up the good work
Many thanks to Shan Andy for the help since the above was posted, and for all the other suggestions to help save our trails & woodland in Winchester.
Petition is up and we are well on our way to 1,000 signatures in the first 24hrs.
If you get a minute, please read and sign!
P.S. Sorry for the thread hijack. As you were!
Done and good luck!
Done. Usually come down into Winch on monarchs way by st Catherine's then loop back out on the sdw. Might stop by next time to break up the ride!
Thanks both - call by anytime!