The Orkney Local Access Forum considers matters relating to conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty and amenity of the countryside, and discusses countryside policy generally. The Forum also undertakes the role of advising OIC on matters relating to access legislation but is not a decision-making body.

The next meeting of OLAF will be held on
Wednesday 26 October 2022 at 7pm in the St Magnus Centre

The adopted minutes of OLAF's meetings can be found in pdf format in the Documents page of this site.

The roots of the Local Access Forum

When the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 came into effect, Orkney Countryside Committee took on the role of Local Access Forum.

Consequently the Constitution was amended, and an extra point was added to the Objects, namely:

To act as the Orkney Access Forum which will assist Orkney Islands Council with the implementation of the new access legislation.

The Access Forum will be a partnership between agencies, users, land managers and the community. The Access Forum will undertake a range of core tasks including:

1. Reviewing local implementation of the new access legislation and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code
2. Assisting Orkney Islands Council in meeting its duties to prepare an access strategy and to identify the core path network for its area
3. Working with OIC to develop local advice for the public and land managers on their responsibilities
4. Assisting with the promotion of responsible behaviour by the public and land managers, eg by advising on the development of local outdoor codes, publicity, education, interpretation
5. Acting as a formal consultee on issues such as diversion and closure of paths
6. Assisting with the resolution of any disputes that arise.