Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan Strategic Environmental Assessment Figure 2.12 - Roads and Access to AONB There is strong anecdotal evidence that traffic in the countryside can be both a deterrent and a hazard to recreational users, especially for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Those who are inexperienced or less confident can easily be discouraged from using the highway network. The provision of designated Quiet Roads in consultation with highway authorities could overcome this problem and help to maintain the rural charm and character of the area. The increase in roads signs on the edge of the highway has been a recent issue, and partnership activity will continue to assess and seek to rationalise any unnecessary signage. The Traditional Road signs in Lincolnshire project has been instrumental since 2004 in replacing and restoring almost 70 traditional road signs across the AONB. Many are more than 60 years old, and typically comprise concrete post, usually painted black and white, supporting wooden directional arms © Mouchel 2011 113 Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan Strategic Environmental Assessment with raised cast iron lettering. The project has been very well received locally and has been promoted nationally as an example of good practice. 2.19 Access to Services Accessibility is central to the safeguarding of sustainable communities, in particular people’s ability to reach services by available, affordable and accessible public and community transport. In rural areas of Lincolnshire, access to facilities and services is limited and has been compounded by the gradual loss or centralisation of services. Improvement to the transport system has a key role in improving access to services across the County. Many parts of Lincolnshire suffer some degree of deprivation. In the deeply rural parts of the county, social exclusion remains a problem, particularly access to important services such as health facilities, shopping and employment opportunities. This has been compounded in the recent past by the gradual loss or centralisation of many of these facilities (e.g. village shops, post offices, health facilities). As Figure 2.13 shows the problem is most acute within East Lindsey with it ranking among the top 100 most deprived district authorities in England. © Mouchel 2011 114 Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan Strategic Environmental Assessment Figure 2.13 - Access to Supermarkets and Service Centres West – Lindsay District Council carried out an Accessibility Audit 2007 the results highlighted the continuing problem of a lack of access to the regular scheduled bus services for many of the small rural settlements across the District. Although this more detailed study does highlight that there are other frequent and flexible services available to residents across much of the District. There were instances however of settlements not having access to any form of public transport or taxi service. The main points to come out of the 2007 Study were: • 64% of Settlements has access to a scheduled Stagecoach service; © Mouchel 2011 115 Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan Strategic Environmental Assessment • Of the 36% that didn’t have access to a scheduled Stagecoach service, however of these 36%, 71% had an alternative bus service, i.e. Call Connect or Interconnect Service available; • 3% of settlements had no access to any public transport of any description or taxi service and had to rely on walking or cycling to access other settlements; • Saxilby was the only settlement that had a rail service (although other Settlements could access Gainsborough and Saxilby rail services by walking, cycling or bus; • 15% of settlements were not in walking distance of another. 2.20 Air 2.20.1 Air Quality Management Air quality across Lincolnshire County is generally considered to be good. However vehicle emissions are a primary source of air pollutants at some locations, particularly in areas that suffer from congestion (e.g. Lincoln and other town centres), as well as within settlements situated along the county’s strategic road network. This has adverse environmental implications in terms of the effects on human health and the natural and built environment. As part of the National Air Quality Strategy (NAQS), all local authorities are under obligation to establish air quality levels in their area. These air quality levels must meet national air quality objectives which are set by concentrations of airborne pollutants considered to be acceptable for health and the environment. If an area does not meet these objectives, Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) are declared. The authority must then draw up an Air Quality Action Plan to set objectives for improving air quality in problem areas. There are no AQMA in either West Lindsey or East Lindsey District Councils. North East Lincolnshire Council has declared one AQMA within the town of Immingham relating to particulate matter (PM10 ). This is to the north of and outside of the ANOB boundary. 2.21 Tourism Tourism is an important industry in Lincolnshire, particularly along the coast, in and around the Lincolnshire Wolds and in the historic settlements. Attractions include: • Magic World of Fantasy Island (East Lindsey); • Skegness Water Leisure Paradise (East Lindsey); • Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve (East Lindsey); • All Saints Steam Brewery Museum (South Kesteven). In addition, Lincolnshire hosts the Lincolnshire Show, Burghley horse trials, RAF Waddington air show, Lincoln Christmas Market and Market Rasen Racecourse. © Mouchel 2011 116 Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan Strategic Environmental Assessment In 2003, Lincolnshire hosted 3,058,800 staying tourism trips, of which 5% were from overseas visitors. In total, 11 million tourist nights were spent in the county and the average trip length was 3.61 days. Holidays accounted for approximately 68% of trips, social visits for 21% and business trips for 10%. In addition to staying trips, there were almost 19 million day tripsxix Tourism is a very significant source of employment and revenue in Lincolnshire, particularly in East Lindsey (EMRA, 2009). The total visitor spend was estimated at over £961 million, of which tourists staying overnight spent £412 million and day trippers spent £550 million (Geoff Broom Associates, 2005). The number of Full Time Equivalent jobs is estimated at 15,576, although jobs tend to be seasonal, with just under a third of tourist trips are during the summer months. The Wolds AONB has an extensive network of public rights of way including the long distance footpath the Viking Way, Sustrans Cycle Route and other promoted trails. These provide residents and visitors with some of the best opportunities to discover its hidden delights. However, many of the footpaths, bridleways and country lanes appear to be seldom visited and this sense of rural isolation is arguably one of the Wolds biggest appeals. Access to the wider Wolds is fairly restricted as, unlike other chalk upland areas in the country, much of the area is cultivated and in private ownership. Red Hill Nature Reserve, Hubbards Hills, Snipe Dales Country Park and Willingham Woods are the exceptions. The Open Access mapping process has helped increase increased access, initiated by the CRoW Act. The establishment of the northern Local (Countryside) Access Forum and development of the Public Rights of Way Improvement Plans will enable further consultation to raise awareness of both landowner and public interests including those of various user groups e.g. walkers, horse riders, cyclists, mountain bikers and recreational vehicle users. Shooting, hunting and fishing, often associated with the larger estates in the Wolds, provides important local and visitor recreation opportunities and helps boost the rural economy. The large country shows like Brocklesby, local fairs such as the Tathwell Art Fair and other unique curiosities like the Tetford Scarecrow Festival also prove popular. Limited research has been undertaken on the number and profile of people currently visiting the AONB for leisure purposes, although the Lincolnshire Tourism Model 1999 survey provided some insights into the recreation and tourism opportunities of the wider Wolds. The study identifies total visitor numbers (where known) for the wider Wolds as 281,291 and includes the market town attractions on the edge of the Wolds. The survey estimated that 156,000 tourist trips were taken to the Wolds area in 1999, providing an estimated 600,000 overnight stays. © Mouchel 2011 117 Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan Strategic Environmental Assessment Tourism is a very significant source of employment and revenue in Lincolnshire, particularly in East Lindsey (EMRA, 2009). The total visitor spend was estimated at over £961 million, of which tourists staying overnight spent £412 million and day trippers spent £550 million (Geoff Broom Associates, 2005). The number of Full Time Equivalent jobs is estimated at 15,576, although jobs tend to be seasonal. Just under a third of tourist trips are during the summer months. In 2003, Lincolnshire County hosted 3,058,800 staying tourism trips, of which 5% were from overseas visitors. In total, 11 million tourist nights were spent in the county and the average trip length was 3.61 days. Holidays accounted for approximately 68% of trips,