Item No: 7 (a)

Date: 13th July 2016

Report: Surrey Hills AONB Unit Report

Written by: Surrey Hills AONB Unit

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Purpose of Report

To update Members on the activities related to the Surrey Hills AONB Management Plan (2014 – 2019)

Summary

This report refers to activities of the Surrey Hills AONB Unit under the following Surrey Hills AONB Management Plan headings:

·  Partnership and Coordination

·  Planning, Landscape Conservation and Access

·  Enjoyment and Understanding

·  Growing the Surrey Hills Economy

The report also includes updates from the Working Groups.

Recommendations

Members are asked to note the activities on the AONB Unit.

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Background papers: Surrey Hills AONB Management Plan 2014 - 2019

Attached:

Contact details:

Author: Rob Fairbanks

Job title Surrey Hills AONB Director

Contact no: 01372 220650

E-mail:


1. PARTNERSHIP AND COORDINATION

National Association for AONBs (NAAONB). The AONB Director and Planning Adviser attended the annual Conference at Lilleshall, Shropshire, in June. The theme of the Conference was health and well-being. There was a sharing of ideas between speakers and delegates, learning from current practice and projects, to benefit our nation’s health by making better use of the UK’s natural beauty. There was a particular emphasis on the arts and mental health, and the opportunity to work with GP health centres on `social prescriptions’.

Surrey Hills Chairmen’s Group. The Group met on 18th May to review the delivery of the AONB Management Plan and identify opportunities for collaboration. It comprises the chairman from each area of the Surrey Hills family, i.e. the AONB Board, Surrey Hills Enterpises, Surrey Hills Society and the Surrey Hills Trust Fund (in partnership with the Community Foundation for Surrey).

Statutory Members Group. There has been no meetings of the Statutory Members Group since the last AONB Board meeting. One of the items that it was going to consider was the profile of the AONB Board’s Chairman’s role. This will be considered at its next meeting, in advance of the AONB Board’s AGM. The role is based on reviewing best practice in other AONB partnerships. Members comments on the draft would be welcome (Appendix 1).

Budget. We have received confirmation from Defra that funding for AONBs has been protected, and the 4 year funding deal has been agreed. The offer has been made to include a contribution to the Core budget that does not exceed 75% of the total Core funding. The Defra funding will increase by around £3k each year over the 4 years, and unless the local authorities were to agree to increase their contribution in line with the 75/25% split, this will be added to the Small Projects budget which is allocated to the Working Groups and Projects in the Management Plan.

London City Region. The South East and East Protected Landscapes Forum (comprising of the National Park and AONB partnerships) is working with Aecom on creating a vision for protected landscapes in relation to the London City Region agenda. The Statement will be ready for September. In the meantime, the ideas will be presented to a conference with the London Green Arc Partnership and the Landscape Institute to consider strategic green space provision and the future of the Green Belt and Protected Landscapes on 20th July. Related to this, the Campaign for the London National Park City continues to gain tremendous public and political interest.

2. PLANNING

Guildford Local Plan. The Submission Version Draft Guildford Local Plan is nearing the end of its public consultation period. The submission being made on behalf of the Board supports the general avoidance of development allocations in the AONB and the Council’s clear intention the Surrey Hills should be conserved and enhanced. Concern still exists that the planned unsustainably high level of development growth will put harmful pressures on the AONB and AGLV. Suggestions are being made to tighten the Plan’s wording of the AONB and AGLV policy and supporting text in order to achieve the Council’s good intentions for the AONB.

Landscape Character Assessment. The Board may be interested to know that local Parish Councils affected by the Blackwell Farm development allocation west of the Research Park commissioned a consultant landscape architect practice to carry out a Landscape Character Assessment of the area based upon the same approach carried out by a similar practice, Hankinson Duckett Associates, to inform Natural England’s Surrey Hills AONB Boundary Review. The former concluded in their May 2016 report that much of the site meets NE’s criteria of natural beauty for inclusion in an AONB. Consequently, the Board’s submission asks that this conclusion be taken into account in the plan and a suggestion is made how best this might be done. Suggestions for improving other AONB aspects of the plan are also made.

Waverley Local Plan. The Waverley Draft Local Plan is about to be published for consultation in August. It is understood that this plan also excludes any development land allocations within the AONB and support will be given for that approach. However, Dunsfold Aerodrome has been included for 2,600 dwellings and commercial development. Concern has been raised to the current application for 1,800 dwellings and commercial development on the grounds that the inadequate road network will force more traffic to extensively use unsuitable country lanes in the Surrey Hills spoiling their tranquillity and character.

Dark Skies. An interactive map that uses the latest available satellite data has been produced by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) to show people how light pollution is distributed around the country and where the darkest skies are. The Surrey Hills is a buffer between London and the Weald area, although the eastern part of the Surrey Hills is severely blighted by light pollution.

3. LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION AND ACCESS

North Downs Escarpment – Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund. Following a workshop with farmers and landowners in March, we have informally been notified by Natural England that we have been successful for a Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund to cover the escarpment of the North Downs between Guildford and Dorking. The scheme offers 100% funding for farmer led initiatives covering a target area of over 2000 hectares. The project will review the existing agri-environment agreements and implement a baseline and monitoring framework to measure the conservation outcomes. The benefit is that such a partnership could target further funds for environmental enhancement and access works.

Big Chalk. The South Downs National Park Authority is coordinating a large ambitious EU Life + bid with the Protected Landscapes including the Cotswolds, the Surrey Hills and the Chilterns. The unique quality of these chalk landscapes is the ground water acquifers that provide the vast majority of drinking water for the region including London. The outcome of this project would be a better understanding of the ground water and enhanced landscape scale management of our Protected Landscapes. Following Brexit, the development of this project is uncertain, as with other EU funded programmes.

Inspiring Views. A programme of access improvements, viewpoint clearance, bench installation and education outreach work is underway for the 5 Inspiring View sites on the Greensand Way. This will be celebrated at a Reception at the Mittal’s Alderbrook Estate on Thursday 22nd September. The evening will include poetry reading and a visit to the Ai Weiwei Pavilion.

Tillingbourne Tales HLF Project (Chaired by David Wright): The Steering Group last met on 19th May. Dr Anne Sassin, Project Coordinator, updated the group on the progress of the various Task Groups. A River Monitoring Training Course took place in Chilworth on 21st May and another is scheduled for 24th September in Abinger Hammer. Future events include the Heritage Open Day on 11th September which will include storytelling at 4 locations and the launch of the Chilworth Gunpowder Mill leaflet. An event to celebrate the end of the project is being planned for 16th October. The Surrey Hills Society will be organising a walk in the morning and there will be a pageant in which schools will be invited to participate. There will also be displays and demonstrations, including weaving, blacksmithing and paper-making. The Steering Group is due to meet again on Thursday 14th July 2016.

Forgotten Landscapes – Surrey Hills Community Archaeology Project. An expression of interest has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a project to work alongside the Surrey Archaeological Society and relevant project partners to organize a community archaeology project. This project will target areas across the AONB, which will bring awareness of archaeology and its work to members of the public, and further explore the nature and degree of the local heritage. This will be achieved through a series of test pit excavations and geophysical surveys around select areas of the Surrey Hills, as well as a broad outreach programme incorporating workshops, reconstructions, exhibitions, seminars and open days.

Byways Working Group (Chaired by David Wright): The Group last met on 9th May 2016. Jackie Lees-Howes, Environmental Contracts Manager for Mole Valley District Council attended the meeting for the item on fly-tipping and outlined the measures Mole Valley is taking to combat this problem, including a £400 on the spot fine for people found guilty of fly-tipping. The group was informed that SCC is carrying out a consultation with a wider group with regard to its strategy on fly-tipping and it was agreed that the Byways Working Group would be ideal to take part in this exercise. Mark Trezise, Rural Affairs and Wildlife Crime Officer has taken up a new post with Surrey Police so has had to resign from the Group. It is hoped that Surrey Police will be able to send a replacement for Mark on the Group. The next meeting of the Group is scheduled for 12th September 2016.

Mountain Bike Working Group (Chaired by David Mir): The Group last met on 16th May 2016. The application to the London Marathon Trust for the extension to the Summer Lightning Trail could not be progressed as the Access Agreement currently in place with landowners was not considered to be robust enough. The application is being put on hold until legal advice can be obtained. Jon Rogers, Hurtwood Trails, gave a presentation on trail network identification. It is proposed that a sanctioned network of trails, including both circular and downhill trails, will be taken to landowners with the aim of controlling potential conflict between user groups. The next meeting of the Group is scheduled for 17th November 2016.

Quiet Lanes and De-Cluttering Working Group (Chaired by Liz Cutter): The Group last met on 26th May 2016. Each Parish Council in the Surrey Hills has undertaken a survey of the road signs in their parishes and has identified signs that could possibly be removed. This will be discussed at the next meeting of the Group on 14th July and plans made for the work to be carried out. There is also a focus on restricting HGVs and the Parish Councils are collaborating on a survey that will be undertaken in June and reported to the Guildford Local Committee in September.

Equestrian Working Group (Chaired by Dave Mir): The Group last met on 4th April 2016. Members of the Group had identified a number of potential circular hacking trails on an OS map. These were reviewed at the meeting and four circular trails were linked to complete a network of trails which would take approximately 2 hours to complete. Some problems with parts of the trails were identified but once these have been overcome it is planned to digitise the trails. Initially the Group will identify one or two paths/bridleways to be cleared/repaired and it is hoped that volunteers could join a work party from SCC’s Countryside Access Team to carry out this work. The Group will also identify car parks along the trail that are suitable for horse boxes/trailers. The next meeting of the Group is scheduled for 18th July 2016.

North Downs Way. Following the threat of a potentially major cut to the National Trail budget from Natural England, the budget has been re-instated for 2016/17 but there are negotiations about the future resourcing of the Trails which AONB and National Parks are engaged in as they all pass through the designated landscapes. The North Downs Way priorities will be identified in the 2016 – 2019 strategy and business plan, In the meantime, priorities include upgrading the Trail with significant Surrey improvements being proposed at Compton, Reigate Hill and StMartha’s. There is also continuing work on a European Pilgrimage project which would involve developing St Swithun’s Way to link the South Downs Way and North Downs Way National Trails between Winchester and Farnham

Undergrounding Power Lines. Various schemes are being proposed for UK Power networks, including the Hurtwood, Winterfold Heath and Coldharbour.

3. GROWING THE SURREY HILLS ECONOMY

LEADER and the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). Following Brexit there is uncertainty related to the grant programme. So far LEADER has only made 1 grant award and the Mole Valley DC Expression of Interest to the Coast to Capital LEP for a Destination Management Plan to cover walking, cycling and horse riding is still awaiting the result. The AONB Director has been actively involved in the preparation of the Coast to Capital Rural Statement that was launched on 5th July.