Assessment of Need and Demand (ROWIPs)
From GPG
This page gives good practice examples of how some authorities described their demand assessment in their ROWIPs.
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Cheshire County Council
Used various sources of information to find out how people in Cheshire currently use the countryside access network for tourism and leisure, and what improvements could be made to make this easier and encourage others:
- Cheshire Community Survey 2003 (household interviews)
- Vale Royal Greenways Household Survey 2003 (telephone surveys)
- National data and findings (for needs analysis)
- Saddle-Up workshop findings
- Mid-Cheshire Bridleways Association Survey
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council undertook surveys with a range of groups throughout the county:
- Residents survey - county wide postal survey through "Suffolk Speaks" of 2200 residents across the county that achieved 700 responses, a 33% response rate.
- Equestrian Survey - postal survey to 75 businesses across the county was produced to ascertain their use of the network.
- Parish Survey - a detailed postal survey to 485 parishes received 244 responses. This was produced to quantify the value, use and demand for PRoW within their communities.
- Visitor Survey - carried out jointly with Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB during August 2004, 661 visitors were interviewed to discover their use of the network. This survey also provided important economic information.
- Land Manager Survey - postal (100) and e-mail (500) surveys to land managers/owners produced 111 responses. These helped Suffolk County Council review the use, condition, economics and land management of the network.
- Diversity Group Survey - one to one surveys and group discussions were carried out across Suffolk to ascertain the views of ethnic groups.
- Disability Groups - a range of disability groups was contacted through post and e-mail. The response was very low, therefore one to one discussions were carried out with individuals.
- Focus Groups - Focus Groups were held across the county with land Managers. User groups, Local Authorities and countryside management projects including the AONBs.
Following the publication of the Assessment further consultation was undertaken between April and October 2005. This involved the distribution of the Assessment to user groups, local authorities, parishes, non-government and government organisations across Suffolk and neighbouring counties. 5,000 leaflets where also distributed through Tourism Information centres, District Council Offices and at events including the Suffolk Show. There were also a series of meetings with District Councils, User Groups, Countryside management projects and the Broads Authority to look in detail at the findings of the Assessment. All these views were taken into account when producing the Statement of Action.
Suffolk Local Access Forum and the Broads Local Access Forum. The ROWIP has been taken to the Suffolk Local Access Forum on seven occasions in the last two years for advice and comment. The Broads Authority, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Local Access Forums have also been consulted at the Assessment Report stage and will be consulted on this draft.
Northamptonshire County Council
Assessment of People's Needs and Demands for Outdoor Access
In line with the requirements set out by Defra, NCC has conducted a series of surveys to investigate the needs of users of the PROW network. NCC conducted the following surveys:
- Parish and Town Councils - a paper based survey was sent out to all parishes and towns councils via the parish clerk. 128 Parishes returned the survey.
- Residents - It was decided that the best way to gain the view of residents of Northamptonshire was by telephone survey. 1000 interviews were conducted. The data sample was structure to represent the demographic profile of the adult population of Northamptonshire according to age and district as found in the 2001 Census.
- Walkers -a paper based survey was distributed via walking groups including the Northants Rambles and various smaller local groups. 497 questionnaires were returned.
- Equestrians - a paper based survey was distributed via groups including the British Horse Society and British Driving Society, also questionnaire were sent to local stables and livery yard and were available upon request. 331 questionnaires were returned.
- Cyclists - a paper based survey was distributed via groups including CTC and various smaller local groups. 205 questionnaires were returned.
- Motorised Vehicle users - a paper based survey was distributed via MPV groups including GLASS, LARA and TRF. 58 questionnaires were returned.
- Impaired mobility and visual impairments - the questionnaire was constructed and distributed via Mobility Northants. 256 questionnaires were returned.
- Landowners and occupiers - a paper based survey was distributed via CLA and the same survey was distributed electronically by NFU. 218 questionnaires were returned.
- Young people - four focus groups were carried out with sixth formers in local schools two urban and two rural.
Bedfordshire County Council
Bedfordshire employed ADAS as part of the CA exemplar programme to carry out consultation.
