Windfarm cash could help boost Powys footpath network
At a meeting of Powys County Council's Economy, Residents and Communities scrutiny committee on Thursday, June 12 councillors were given an update on the progress of the current Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP).
This is a legal document that sets out what the council intends to do over 10 years to manage 8,000 kilometres of rights of way, plus open access land including commons in Powys.
This is the largest network in the UK and does not include the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park area.
Countryside access and recreation lead officer Sian Barnes said a review of the plan would begin early in the 2026/2027 financial year, and that funding would be part of this.
Ms Barnes said; 'We knew in 2017 investment of over £1 million was needed to bring the network up to a standard that's open an easy to use, and at that stage only 38 per cent made that standard.'
She said that since then costs have soared, but Welsh Government grants to cover some costs are only available until 2027.
Ms Barnes said: 'The impacts of climate change are affecting all of us, countryside assets are suffering greater deterioration because we have increasing extreme weather and predominantly warmer wetter weather which is impacting on materials.'
Ms Barnes told the committee that her team were looking for funding through the Marches Forward Partnership.
'And also, major developments including wind and solar farms, section 106 funding is routinely sought from wind farm developers and can be significant,' said Ms Barnes.
These s106 agreements are a legally binding contract between a planning authority and developer which sees them contribute towards local infrastructure and services.
Ms Barnes said the number of people going into the countryside increased significantly during the Covid-19 outbreak and this trend has continued.
Committee vice-chairman Cllr Gary Mitchell (Plaid Cymru) said: 'It's useful to have that update, 2028 is not that far away.
'The figures are old but if we'd have invested £1 million back in 2018, we'd have a pretty good network.
'I would argue that the benefit that network brings in terms of tourism, communities connecting up with each other, is vast.
He estimated that the £1 million from 2017 is now worth £3 million to £4 million today and believed it would be worth spending this sum on the network over a three to five years would bring about 'phenomenal changes.'
Cllr Mitchell also wanted to see the Countryside Services team have the 'ability to respond' to planning application so that they could work on s106 agreements with more developers than just the ones involved in big energy projects.
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