Public Access Strategy - Key Principles Introduction

• Providing access for all: ensuring that networks meet the needs of users of all ages and abilities.  The key principles of providing barrier free access, and developing the least restrictive option are highlighted, followed by discussion of methods for achieving this.
• Community participation and social inclusion: emphasising the importance of bottom up development, which includes the excluded. Methods ranging from questionnaires, through workshops and focus group discussions, to outreach work are discussed in terms of their effectiveness in a range of situations.
• Promotion of healthier lifestyles:  linking access with health and fitness and the wider social agenda, as a means of realising community benefits and releasing resources.  The increasing importance of the link between health and access is underlined, followed by a discussion of practical steps which can be used to target access development at those who might benefit most from regular exercise.
• Securing land manager involvement: making positive links between access and rural diversification.  Ways of ensuring that land managers play a central role in developing access in North Lanarkshire are discussed.  Areas of land manager involvement might include area wide and local partnership working, establishing more formal agreements, assisting in access development and working with schools and the community to promote responsible access,

Developing information, education and promotion:  likely to be effective in improving the uptake, and understanding, of access in North Lanarkshire. Types of materials might range from signposting to use of the internet, leaflets and maps.  The approach to designing materials is discussed from defining the aims to developing a distribution strategy and evaluating impacts.