Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum

The Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum (WSCAF) offers strategic advice and comment to Wiltshire Council, Swindon Borough Council and other statutory and independent bodies on ways to improve access to the countryside for outdoor recreation and sustainable travel, and on public rights of way matters.

We have commenced work on the 2025-2035 Countryside Access Improvement Plan, this plan will help shape how Wiltshire Council manages and improves access to the countryside. To help guide us we would be grateful if you could fill in the survey via Snap Surveys: Countryside Access Improvement Plan 2025-2035 - Engagement Survey (opens new window). The deadline for this survey is 15 November 2024.

The Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum (WSCAF) is a Local Access Forum (LAF) established under the legislation.gov.uk: Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (opens new window) (CRoW 2000). LAFs advise decision-making organisations, such as local authorities, Defra and Natural England, about making improvements to public access for outdoor recreation and sustainable travel. They are regulated by The Local Access Forums (England) Regulations 2007 (opens new window). Advice about how the Regulations should be applied is contained in the Guidance on Local Access Forums in England, which was issued by Defra in 2007.

The WSCAF is a joint LAF and has responsibility for the whole of Wiltshire and the area administered by Swindon Borough Council. Details of Wiltshire's and Swindon Borough Council's rights of way network are as follows:

Rights of way network miles
Rights of way type and miles by location	Wiltshire (miles)	Swindon (miles)	Total (miles)
Footpaths	2,248	136	2,384
Bridleways	951	46	997
Restricted byways	143	1	144
Byways open to all traffic	509	10	519
Total	3,851	193	4,044

Wiltshire's 509 miles of Byways Open to All Traffic (BOAT) represent 22% of all the BOATs in England. These, together with open green spaces (access land), provide an invaluable network for public recreation, travel and health, a refuge for wildlife, and attractions for visitors which help to boost the local economy.

Whilst it is hosted by Wiltshire Council, which also undertakes its administrative functions, the WSCAF is an entirely independent body. It engages with the local councils and LAFs of Hampshire, The New Forest, West Berkshire, Dorset, North Somerset, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, West Berkshire and Bath & North East Somerset for cross-boundary matters.

The members of the WSCAF represent a range of interests relevant to accessing the countryside and rights of way matters.

They are volunteers who are appointed jointly by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council to represent an interest rather than a specific organisation.

Their aim is to appoint members of the public with experience in aspects of rights of way matters and countryside recreation, to achieve a balance between users of rights of way (such as walkers, horse riders, carriage drivers, cyclists, disabled users and vehicle users), those who provide access to them (such as landowners, farmers and land managers) and other users (such as those involved in forestry, conservation and tourism). It is this wide range of interests which enables the WSCAF to provide balanced advice.

WSCAF Members 2024 (OpenDocument text format, 36 KB)(opens new window)

WSCAF members are appointed for a three-year term. The current term will end in March 2027.

Although the Forum has a fairly full membership, we would welcome applications for membership from farmers and land managers, individuals with mobility or visual impairments, or the equivalent, those involved in forestry, conservation and tourism, and other interests not currently represented - please complete and return the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum Application form (Word doc, 60 KB)(opens new window)

More information about a member's role job description (Word doc, 53 KB)(opens new window).

The WSCAF's Terms of reference (Word doc, 78 KB)(opens new window).

Briefing Note on the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum

Provided by Tim Lewis Chair of the Forum June 2023 Briefing note on the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum (OpenDocument text format, 7 KB)(opens new window)

This paper, which was prepared by Nigel Linge, the chair of the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum (WSCAF) at the time, was formally endorsed by the WSCAF at its meeting on 4 July 2019. It contains much useful information about Wiltshire Council's Rights of Way and Countryside department, even though it has since been absorbed by the Council's Highways department. It also makes a number of recommendations about how to address the many problems described in the report. The present WSCAF is monitoring the implementation of those that are still applicable.

Nigel Linge's RoW Maintenance paper 5 July 2019 (Word doc, 1 MB)(opens new window)

The WSCAF was reconstituted in 2021 and its first meeting was held on 2 March 2021 The minutes and papers discussed at meetings since its reconstitution can be viewed within the minutes and papers area below.

The next WSCAF meeting

The next meeting of the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum takes place on Wednesday 6 November the meeting will start at 10:30am. The meeting will be held at the Bowman Centre, Amesbury, SP4 7XT. The meeting will run as a hybrid meeting, anyone who is not able to attend in person can join the meeting virtually.

If you wish to attend the meeting virtually, please email rightsofway@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) before 5pm on Tuesday 1 April 2025.

Future meetings
Date	Time	Location
Friday 11 April 2025	10am	Civic Offices, Euclid Street, Swindon SN1 2JH
Wednesday 23 July 2025	To be confirmed	To be confirmed
Wednesday 5 November 2025 (provisional)	To be confirmed	To be confirmed

These meetings are open to members of the public, subject to certain conditions and the capacity of the venue. If you would like to ask questions about the activities of the Forum, please submit them to the secretary in writing no later than five working days before a meeting. If the questioner is not present at the meeting, an answer will be provided by email or post after the meeting. Only one question may be asked by a member of the public at any meeting, and the agenda will allow for a maximum of ten minutes to answer questions from members of the public.

Minutes and papers

Contact us

To contact any member of the forum please contact the WSCAF Secretary in the first instance: rightsofway@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

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Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum

Purpose of the forum

Members

Joining the WSCAF

Terms of reference

Briefing Note on the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum

Rights of Way Maintenance Paper

Meetings

The next WSCAF meeting

Minutes and papers

Meeting on 6 November 2024

Meeting on 31 July 2024

Meeting on 10 April 2024

Meeting on 1 November 2023

Meeting on 26 July 2023

Meeting on 19 April 2023

Meeting on 9 November 2022

Meeting on 28 June 2022

Meeting on 8 March 2022

Meeting on 29 June 2021

Meeting on 2 March 2021

Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum Annual Report

Contact us

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