Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan Local Evidence Report October 2016 Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan Local Evidence Report Contents: Topic: page: Introduction 2 Natural Environment 3 Built Environment 10 People & Housing 15 Business and Jobs 22 Traffic and Transport 26 Community Facilities & Services 30 Sports and Recreation 33 Maps in this report are reproduced under the Public Sector Mapping Agreement © Crown copyright [and database rights] (2016) OS license 100057827 © Rockbeare Parish Council 2016 1 Introduction This report has been compiled from recent studies and other sources of information. We have endeavoured to bring it all together to provide the neighbourhood planning group for Rockbeare Neighbourhood Area (the Parish as defined in red on the map below) with a local evidence base that it can further develop and build upon to provide the context for the next stages. We present our findings under seven topic headings. Inevitably there are ‘gaps’ in our findings. We encourage others to bring forward further recent and relevant local information or authoritative opinion. At the end of each topic section we have listed a number of questions which we believe will be worthwhile further lines of enquiry as part of the neighbourhood planning process. We have also listed the key messages that we discerned from the evidence before us. 2 Natural Environment Rockbeare Parish is primarily a rural Parish despite being only a few miles from the centre of Exeter and bordered to the north by the new town development of Cranbrook. The central area of the Parish is occupied by Rockbeare Manor, recently refurbished under a 50-year lease as a wedding venue. The Parish rises to the east to Rockbeare Hill which forms a northern outlier to the ‘pebble heath’ landscapes found further south. This higher area contains a quarry and a small area of National Trust open land. Drainage through the Parish is primarily east to west, with some areas liable to flooding near to streams flowing through Rockbeare village and Marsh Green. Landscape Character Referring to the Landscape Character map1, Rockbeare Parish contains three designations: 1C – Pebble Bed Heaths. In Rockbeare Parish, the main area requiring protection is already under the ownership of the National Trust. Care should be taken that quarrying does not extend into this area. 3B – Lower rolling farmed and settled slopes. This forms the majority of the Parish and it is important to prevent encroachment of built-up areas relating to the Cranbrook development changing its character. 4D – Lowland Plains. This is the area most prone to flooding and as such is better preserved as meadowland and open space free from building. Soils The majority of soils are clay based with poor drainage in wet periods. The land is used for mixed agriculture with low lying areas tending to be meadows with cattle and sheep, and better drained areas used for cereals and maize. Key 1 East Devon District Council – http://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/343442/1-landscape-character-map.pdf 3 Agricultural Classification The available records from Defra’s website on agricultural land quality are incomplete. The map below shows the information that is readily available to us. It suggests that the Parish does include good quality farming land i.e. grade 2 and 3b. Priority Heathland There is an area of priority heathland within the area under ownership of the National Trust and which is open to the public with a small parking area. 4 Woodland Woodland areas primarily belong to Rockbeare Manor, adjacent to managed parkland, and also along the ridge of Rockbeare Hill. The Manor does have a permissive path around its boundary which does allow the public an extensive recreational path for walking and riding around the Manor boundary. The National Trust area also allows access to an area of woodland on Rockbeare Hill. This is described by the Woodland Trust website as follows: “Percy Wakley Wood is currently a quiet rural woodland located just off the old A30. It is composed of 2 narrow diagonally opposed blocks, with a narrow corridor between them. The wood is generally flat, with a slight north west aspect. Although within a mile of the villages of Rockbeare, Strete Ralegh and Marsh Green. The wood is tucked down a quiet country lane, with limited parking, and this limits use of the wood. The wood has a secluded feel, as it is bounded by mature hedges. Mature high forest woodland forms approximately 1/3rd of the wood, and a further 2/3rds were planted by the Woodland Trust in 1993/94 on semi improved grassland, with a small pond between the two. The woodland creation area is bounded by mature hedgerows. The wood is broadleaf, with predominant species being ash, oak, field maple and willow. The mature woodland is drawn-up over stood ash coppice in the main. Although in parts the ground flora is dominated by rank vegetation it also contains species such as honeysuckle, common spotted orchid, enchanter's nightshade, wood woundwort, red campion & herb robert, and is potentially a source for these species to spread into the newer woodland in the longer term.” 5 Biodiversity The Devon Biodiversity Records Centre has confirmed that there are no statutory sites within Rockbeare parish i.e. sites with a legal status warranting protection. We do however have a number of sites of local significance including County Wildlife Sites (CWS) see schedule and map below. these are sites of county importance for wildlife, designated on the basis of the habitat or the known presence of particular species. This is not a statutory designation like SSSIs, and does not have any legal status. The National Planning Policy framework (NPPF) requires local authorities to identify and map locally designated sites of biodiversity importance (such as County Wildlife Sites) as part of the Local Plan process and to draw up criteria based policies against which proposals for development affecting them will be judged. CWS recognition does not demand any particular actions on the part of the Landowner and does not give the public rights of access. However, it may increase eligibility for land management grants. We have a County Geological Sites (CGS) that is of regional or local importance. Like CWS, it should be included in Local Plans and referred to under NPPF. The Devon Biodiversity Records Centre tells us that we also have several Unconfirmed Wildlife Sites (UWS): these are sites identified as having possible interest but not fully surveyed. Some of these sites will be areas of significant wildlife interest. The UWS in the Parish includes one, the Grange, that is a proposed CWS and is either awaiting consideration from the CWS Designation Panel, or re-survey. DBRC Code Site Name Area (ha) Description Status SY09/024 Beautiport 0.1 Small ponds with amphibian interests CWS SY09/034 Prickly Pear Remnant heathland supporting CWS Blossoms Park bracken and acidic grassland mosaic, 6.8 mixed and coniferous woodland and neutral/acidic grassland SY09SE1 Beggar Roost A good example of the junction RIGS Quarry between Budleigh Salterton 0.8 Pebble Beds and Otter Sandstone, with ventifacts SY09/027 Rockbeare 12.4 Mixed woodland UWS SY09/033 Beggars Roost 8.1 Secondary woodland UWS SY09/044 Rockbeare Quarry possibly of importance for UWS 17.1 Quarry nesting sand martins S09/048 Home Convert 5.2 Broadleaved woodland UWS SY09/049 Rockbeare Parkland UWS 43.6 House: The Lawn SY09/050 Allercombe 1.0 Unimproved grassland UWS SY09/051 Rockbeare Hill Ponds UWS 2.2 Quarry Pond SY09/058 The Grange Parkland with veteran trees Proposed 48.3 CWS SY09/073 Carradale Farm Old field system, thick hedges and UWS 27.0 semi-improved grassland 6 Flooding Flood Risk is a significant and on-going concern for local residents. It could be made worse by further development. The map shows an extract from the Environment Agency flood map indicating the main areas of flood risk in the Parish. 7 Several members of the community can still remember the traumatic impact of the flood in 1972. This however has proven not to be a one-off event. A large are of the Rockbeare village was affected by flooding following heavy rainfall in October 2008. 29 properties were directly affected, including 19 that flooded internally (see map below2). Rockbeare 30th October 2008 Map shows flood extent and flood direction The map below shows the areas of Rockbeare that is still classified has being of higher flood risk3. high medium low The growth of maize crops as biofuel has contributed to greater flood risk. A Soil Association report entitled ‘Runaway Maize’ alleges that increased maize production has led to soil and water damage. Maize leaves soil exposed for significant amounts of time and is harvested late when soil is wet, giving rise to run-off and an increase in the risk of flooding. This phenomenon has been witnessed locally. 2 Source Site Report 4th November 2008 - Environment Agency 3 Environment Agency, October 2016 8 Public Access Generally, public access is good throughout the Parish with expectations that the new leaseholder of Rockbeare Manor will be opening the parkland to limited public access as well as maintaining the permissive path around the Manor boundary. The National Trust also maintains an area open to public access on Rockbeare Hill. Otherwise, footpaths are not extensive in the Parish but there are a number of lightly used lanes and roads that are regularly used for walking and cycling. Main Threats to the Natural Environment The main threat is expansion of Cranbrook to become joined to Rockbeare village thus causing the village and its setting to lose its character. The central part of the Parish lies under the flight path to Exeter airport and is therefore unlikely to be built on in the near future.