APPENDIX 9
Memorandum submitted by the Ordnance Survey
(R8)
BACKGROUND
1. Ordnance Survey is Great Britain's national
mapping agency. We maintain the definitive topographic framework
for Great Britain, as well as capturing and marketing a wide range
of geographical information. Our Director General is the Government's
adviser on geographical information. Ordnance Survey is a Government
Department and Executive Agency, and since 1999 has operated as
a Trading Fund.
2. While not directly involved in the implementation
of the Act, we have a strong interest in the process of disseminating
information about access land from both public interest and commercial
perspectives.
COMMENT
3. Ordnance Survey is committed to depicting
access land on the 1:25,000 scale Explorer (TM) paper map series.
This will serve the public interest and also increase the usefulness
of these products to members of the public who wish to enjoy the
countryside.
4. We welcome the decision to adopt a region-by-region
roll-out, rather than a national release, because it will help
us to manage the extra load on our cartographic and production
resources during the implementation period.
5. We contribute to the Joint Working Group
which briefs the Minister on progress (along with the Countryside
Agency, Countryside Council for Wales, DEFRA, Forestry Commission
and the Welsh Assembly Government).
6. The detail of the way in which access
land will be depicted on Explorer maps is still under discussion
among members of the Joint Working Group. It should be understood,
however, that the depiction of access land on Explorer must necessarily
be indicative rather than definitive due to the limitations of
scale (as has always been the case with Rights of Way).
7. The timetable for regional release of
the conclusive maps now appears to be firm, and we are developing
plans to introduce revised editions of the appropriate Explorer
maps showing access land. These will be updated at the same time
to reflect other known change. There are approximately 250 Explorer
map sheets covering England and Wales, and we would normally expect
to revise them all over a period of five years. Costs and staffing
requirements rise steeply as the timescale for introduction of
new editions is shortened, and we are not currently in a position
to announce an accelerated revision programme. Inevitably there
will be a delay between the publication of the conclusive map
and the introduction of revised Explorer mapping. In the case
of Explorer sheets that span two or more regions, it may be necessary
to wait for all the relevant conclusive maps to have been published
before revising the Explorer map.
8. We shall be happy to provide further
evidence to the Committee if required.
31 January 2003
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