United Utilities land access
New pronouncement from the marbled halls of UU Rivington that may affect local races.
As you may be aware United Utilities have been reviewing their permissions for use system following recent changes in land management. This primarily relates to investment in the area through SCaMP II to protect and manage the area for water quality, tenant farmers, wildlife and recreation and also Natural England’s involvement now that many farms have joined the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme. Part of this scheme means that activities that could potentially cause damage to the land, especially at sensitive times of year such as ground nesting bird season (Mar – Sept) cannot be permitted. The Company is now limiting the number of moorland events per organization to two per year, these need to be between October and February. As such some events have already been affected and needed to alter routes etc.; if your event is on a Public Right of Way it should not be so restricted at present.
In our attempt to ensure the number of events do not have a detrimental effect on the infrastructure and wildlife we have altered the conditions that are attached to the application and asked for four month’s notice so there is ample time to negotiate any alterations that may or may not be needed. Applications not received within this time frame will not be permitted.
Re: United Utilities land acce
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dnf
New pronouncement from the marbled halls of UU Rivington that may affect local races.
As you may be aware United Utilities have been reviewing their permissions for use system following recent changes in land management. This primarily relates to investment in the area through SCaMP II to protect and manage the area for water quality, tenant farmers, wildlife and recreation and also Natural England’s involvement now that many farms have joined the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme. Part of this scheme means that activities that could potentially cause damage to the land, especially at sensitive times of year such as ground nesting bird season (Mar – Sept) cannot be permitted. The Company is now limiting the number of moorland events per organization to two per year, these need to be between October and February. As such some events have already been affected and needed to alter routes etc.; if your event is on a Public Right of Way it should not be so restricted at present.
In our attempt to ensure the number of events do not have a detrimental effect on the infrastructure and wildlife we have altered the conditions that are attached to the application and asked for four month’s notice so there is ample time to negotiate any alterations that may or may not be needed. Applications not received within this time frame will not be permitted.
I'm Sure Chris knows about this and has it in hand. He'll be along shortly no doubt to give the FRA's comment
Re: United Utilities land acce
very sad what is happening to our moorland!
Re: United Utilities land acce
is there any irony that whilst UU restricts land access in the name of conservation the FC meanwhile in the name of conservation opens its property to ever more diverse activities
Re: United Utilities land acce
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Oddyball
very sad what is happening to our moorland!
Sad in the way that moorland has been degraded over the years or sad that there will have to be some restrictions if moorland is to be treasured by future generations?
There will be some who will benefit financially from the restrictions but if moorland wildlife benefits too then that has to be a bonus, though I'm sure that it's not as simple as that.
If moorland users stayed to paths and kept their dogs on a lead at all times then perhaps all would've been hunky-dory but alas people don't stay to designated paths and some don't keep their dogs restrained.
Apologies to readers if I've got the wrong end of the stick on this thread.
Re: United Utilities land acce
Isn't "protecting ground nesting birds" code for making sure they'll be okay to be shot dead later in the year?
Re: United Utilities land acce
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Oddyball
very sad what is happening to our moorland!
[rant]
It is outrageous how such as United Utilities think they can impose conditions on land which is not private but a public resource (despite the legal nonsense surrounding "privatization" obscuring that obvious fact) since I and the rest of us pay the bill! and as stakeholders, our opinion should trump the opinions of underemployed buearocrats, there are clearly too many of them , or they would devote their time to better cheaper water instead.
Whilst animals and man need to live in harmony aiming to reduce the impact of one on the other, allowing the rights of a few nesting birds to trump the rights of those who pay for it for the most important 6 months of the year demonstrates that those in charge have lost the plot.
Or are the nesting birds subject to similar sanction and restricted to two trips (only) off footpaths?
If you take a race such as winter hill and add up the entire off path acreage used by such races it can at best be only 0.001% of winter hill! The birds already have 99.999% of it. So why do they need the rest for crying out loud - somebody should put that argument forward in a meeting, and see how UU wriggle! At this rate we will get back to kinder trespass days for us to asert our rights
That is not to say that sanctions must occur against some land users. I will vote for anyone who demands a minimum £1000 fine (and the bike to be confiscated and crushed), for every mountain bike rider who ever goes on non bridleways. Or just ban them anyway, on the grounds that for as long as mountain bikes are on such land , some of them will abuse the rights, the damage they do is massive, and the sport itself clearly is not cleaning up its own problem.. Those guys have trashed some of my favourite moors.
But a fell race or even 100 fell races run once a year on different parts of the moor?
Ridiculous!.
[/rant]
Re: United Utilities land acce
True.. I don't get Wharfy's point re dogs.. dogs won't be affected by this restriction.. just mass organised events..
Re: United Utilities land acce
Quote:
Originally Posted by
wharfeego
Sad in the way that moorland has been degraded over the years or sad that there will have to be some restrictions if moorland is to be treasured by future generations?
There will be some who will benefit financially from the restrictions but if moorland wildlife benefits too then that has to be a bonus, though I'm sure that it's not as simple as that.
If moorland users stayed to paths and kept their dogs on a lead at all times then perhaps all would've been hunky-dory but alas people don't stay to designated paths and some don't keep their dogs restrained.
Apologies to readers if I've got the wrong end of the stick on this thread.
very valid points there. some of which i agree to some extent. However i do not think that 150 people running over what has become a track over the years a couple of times a year has such a detrimental effect on the moorland. lets face it Fell Races aren't attended my hundreds of people on winter hill & most of the runners stick to paths that are already cut through moorland. we have some fantastic races here & luckily some won't be touched due to being on the right side of the hill. it's just a shame we have run these races for such a long time & now they are being cancelled due to massive movements on the course which make the race really impracticable. the amount of mountain bikers I see whizzing off path around the same areas is incredible and i just wish they would have the same consideration that us fell runners have for the land we use to enjoy our sport, again the trail races around rivington & belmont i dont have anything against but i just wish the people running them would realize they are not in a city centre road race where their gel wrappers/empty bottles can just be discarded wherever and someone will pick it up after them, numerous events over the last year were run and afterward i would be on parts of the route and see this rubbish all over the place. it's just not on. anyway, there is lots of fell race near bolton so if it comes to it which it 100% does i for one will just have to go to these instead....but i do really hope it's about looking after wildlife and preserving the areas for future generations and nothing more as this would be really really sad.
Re: United Utilities land acce
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stolly
Isn't "protecting ground nesting birds" code for making sure they'll be okay to be shot dead later in the year?
:thumbup: Ha ha... exactly what I was thinking recently, when on the receiving end of some verbal from a gamekeeper up above Hebden Bridge.
But seriously, I've been surprised recently by how little damage fell races seem to do. I've been out running along paths where I know maybe 200 runners were racing a few days before (calderdale way relay being an example) and you just wouldn't know that any more than the usual number of walkers had been along it recently. I'm sure there must be localized problem areas, but it does seem that there's a bit of hysteria over perceived 'damage'. And please don't let the solution be more paved paths, like the unstoppable march of stone slabs along the Pennine Way (windy hill to Blackstone edge being the current victim of this fate :angry:)
