|
The complexities of legislation, common law, and
the sensitivity of the access issue mean that people working in the field of
access need a unique range of skills. They need to be able to remain objective
during rights of way disputes, to negotiate skillfully with landowners, the
public and relevant authorities, to provide appropriate public access which
caters for disabled people, cyclists and horse riders as well as walkers, to
counter vandalism and repair damage, improve and signpost routes, maintain
records, provide information, manage contracts and volunteers, balance budgets
and more.
The Scottish Countryside Access
Network was formed by Rights of Way Officers, Countryside
Project Officers, Countryside Rangers, Countryside Planners and
others in 1995 to discuss some of common issues and recognise
good practice. SCAN aims to offer support in a variety of ways:
-
Training
- in all areas of
countryside access work through workshops and conferences;
-
Information
- exploring the
main issues in the countryside access field and establishing
best practice guidance, publication of fact-sheets and
Conference Reports
-
News
- through the Newsletters pages of this site, to keep you up
to date with the developments in the access field.
-
Networking
- The chance to meet other people working in this field to
exchange ideas and information.
And what can you offer SCAN? Your
individual experiences of Countryside Access in Scotland are a
valuable resource, from which others can benefit. You may hold
the key to someone else's problem. Your membership makes SCAN
more representative of the people working to help improve the
system. Your support can make a difference! |
