ITEM 2 NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY EXMOOR CONSULTATIVE AND PARISH FORUM MINUTES of the meeting of the Exmoor Consultative and Parish Forum held on Thursday 19 November 2015 at 10.30am at Exmoor House, . PRESENT Steven Pugsley Exmoor National Park Authority and Chairman of the Forum John Addicott Beagles Richard Andrews Natural John Anson Parish Council Ron Buckingham Parish Council Liz Bulled North Molton Parish Council Kevin Connell Winsford Parish Council Sarah Cookson Brushford Parish Council Ian Cowling Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust Martin Dewdney Exmoor National Park Authority and West Council Richard Edgell Exmoor National Park Authority and County Council John Edwards Invitee Mike Ellicott Exmoor National Park Authority and Exford Parish Council Roger Foxwell Wheddon Cross Molly Groves Exmoor Uprising Michael Hankin Exmoor Natural History Society and Exmoor Society Bruce Heywood Exmoor National Park Authority and Council Ivor Jones Exmoor National Park Authority and West Somerset Council Graham Lamacraft Parish Council Susan May Exmoor Trust Mel Mileham Winsford Parish Council Robin Milton Exmoor National Park Authority Ron Morrison-Smith Invitee Frances Nicholson Exmoor National Park Authority and Sir Richard Peek Exmoor National Park Authority and North Molton Parish Council Fred Rawle Exton Parish Council Alastair Rodway Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council Rachel Thomas Exmoor Society Nick Thwaites Dulverton Town Council and West Somerset Council Penny Webber Exmoor National Park Authority and & Without Parish Council Vivian White Exmoor National Park Authority and Cutcombe Parish Council John Wibberley Exmoor National Park Authority Pat Williams Withypool & Hawkridge Parish Council James Wilmoth Parish Council Tom Yandle Badgworthy Land Company

1. Apologies for absence were received from: Keith Branfield Withypool & Hawkridge Parish Council Louise Crossman Invitee John Dallyn Martinhoe Parish Meeting Simon Derby Invitee Bernard Dru Invitee Lady Gass Invitee 1

Suzette Hibbert Lynton & Lynmouth Town Council Nick Holliday Exmoor National Park Authority Eric Ley Exmoor National Park Authority and North Devon Council Ann Mallelieu Invitee Karen Mills West Somerset Council Bernard Peacock Lynton & Lynmouth Town Council Sue Sanders Minehead Town Council Katherine Williams Exmoor Hill Farming Network

National Park Authority staff in attendance: Nigel Stone, Chief Executive David Wyborn, Head of Planning & Sustainable Development Sarah Bryan, Head of Conservation & Access Dan James, Sustainable Economy Manager

2. MINUTES: The minutes of the Forum meeting held on 24 September 2015 were agreed as a correct record subject to amendment to record apologies for absence from Richard Andrews. MATTERS ARISING: There were no matters arising.

3. QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR:  Recent local radio coverage had included a report on a commercial venture to harvest bracken to make briquettes for burning in fireplaces and stoves. As harvesting took place when bracken was dying back, this and any similar initiatives would be unlikely to significantly address the bracken spread. It was suggested that bracken control and harvesting be a topic for discussion at a future meeting.  It was confirmed that Arqiva, the company delivering the government-funded Mobile Infrastructure Project, had withdrawn from erecting a telecommunications mast at Haddon Hill, despite planning consent for the development being granted at the Authority’s meeting in October. It was understood that the principal reason for the withdrawal was that Arqiva did not consider that all necessary agreements would be in place to allow time for construction of the mast before the Project closed on 31 March 2016, and after which no further government funding would be available. It was confirmed that as the landowner, Exmoor National Park Authority had been in a position to sign a lease agreement (on terms limited by the nature of the project and the public funding being provided). However it was understood that Arqiva had yet to finalise an access agreement with South West Water. The situation was therefore disappointing and the Authority had been in contact with the local Member of Parliament with the aim of seeking government agreement to an extension of the Mobile Infrastructure Project to allow construction of the mast to proceed. It was suggested that individual Forum members contact the Minister responsible, Ed Vaizey (Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) in similar terms.  Concern was raised about significant water run-off observed outside the boundary of the National Park at a site used for large-scale growing of swede crops. It was noted that any concern about water run-off and potential contamination of watercourses was a matter for the Environment Agency. It was also noted that Defra was consulting on new basic rules for farmers with the aim of improving farm efficiency and reducing water pollution from agriculture.

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4. ECONOMIC PROSPECTUS – DARTMOOR AND EXMOOR NATIONAL PARKS: Dan James, Sustainable Economy Manager, updated the Forum on progress in working with the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise to develop an economic prospectus for Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks. A summary version of the prospectus was circulated to the meeting (attached). A longer version was available on the Authority’s website and included a series of case studies illustrating that the National Parks were already home to thriving businesses of different scales in various sectors. The aims of the prospectus were to highlight:  that National Parks were economic as well as environmental and social assets;  that National Park designation is an economic opportunity;  a need for economic development appropriate to National Park status. Alongside the prospectus, a ‘map of investment opportunities’ had been developed so that Exmoor could respond quickly and effectively to any grant funding that became available. This document would remain ‘live’ and be updated as new investment opportunities came forward. The National Park Authority would be acting as facilitator, with the prospectus highlighting economic opportunities and bringing interested parties together to support businesses and to promote economic activity. The prospectus had achieved good press coverage and had begun to change perceptions about economic development in the two National Parks. Work was now continuing with the County Councils to development economic projects, and also to feed into the devolution process so that the environment as a resource was embedded in those discussions. The meeting welcomed the Economic Prospectus and in expressing support for economic growth Forum members noted the importance of conserving, rather than exploiting, the ‘natural capital’ of National Parks.

5. UNTIDY LAND AND UNFINISHED DEVELOPMENT: This topic had been raised by Winsford Parish Council, particularly in relation to unfinished development sites in their parish and any mechanisms available to resolve the issue. David Wyborn, Head of Planning & Sustainable Development, advised that authorised development must be implemented within 3 years of the grant of planning permission (formerly within 5 years). A permission would be regarded as implemented by the carrying out of a ‘material operation’, for example the digging of a trench for foundations. Once implemented, a planning permission remained ‘live’ in perpetuity, with there being no time limit for completion. For a variety of reasons a developer might choose not to complete a project, resulting in sites remaining unfinished for considerable periods of time. The meeting was advised that under planning legislation, a local planning authority may serve a Completion Notice stating that if the development were not completed within a specified time period (not less than 12 months), planning permission would expire. Crucially, a Completion Notice does not require the development to be completed and any unfinished works remaining on site after expiry of the permission would remain lawful. Therefore service of a Completion Notice had potential to result in unfinished (but lawful) development, with there being no ability for the developer to complete the project once planning permission had been withdrawn. A planning authority may also consider serving a Section 215 Notice (Untidy Land Notice) where any land or building was in an unreasonably untidy condition and which was considered to have an adverse effect on the amenity of the area. The Notice would specify the improvements required and a timescale for completion. Non-compliance with a notice was a criminal offence, with a right of appeal against service of a notice to the Magistrates Court (for instance on the basis that the land was being used for its lawful purpose or activity, eg as a building site during the construction phase of development). Service of Untidy Land Notices tended to be effective in urban areas, for example to address issues of 3

redundant industrial sites which may attract illegal activity such as fly tipping. However, they tended to be less effective in relation to individual homeowners, for whom the tidiness of their property may not be a priority, and where it may be questionable whether the site could be considered unreasonably untidy to the extent that area amenity was adversely affected. In relation to the sites in Winsford, Planning Officers would continue to work with the Parish Council to consider any appropriate action and to encourage completion of development.

6. UNAUTHORISED OFFROAD OVERNIGHT CAMPING: Concern had been raised about instances of unauthorised, off-road overnight camping (particularly in the Winsford Hill area) and associated issues including litter, lack of sanitary facilities and disposal of chemical toilets, damage to moorland, disturbance of livestock/wildlife and loss of revenue to authorised campsites. It was noted that off-road parking could be an offence under Road Traffic legislation. In relation to overnight camping, the Authority’s legal advisers had confirmed that this type of activity could be restricted by the introduction of a byelaw (a local law made by a statutory body, such as a local authority). A byelaw could not come into effect unless confirmed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and in seeking confirmation of a Byelaw a local authority would be expected to:  consult with interested parties;  follow prescribed procedures to publish and advertise the byelaw;  demonstrate that: o the byelaw related to a genuine and specific local problem; o the nuisance it was intended to address merited criminal sanction; and o the proposed penalty would seem appropriate to a reasonable person. As alternatives, a range of potential solutions to help tackle the issue were suggested including:  Use of low height, ENPA-style wooden signage in laybys most affected.  Use of boulders as barriers to prevent parking by larger vehicles.  In consultation with the landowner, publication of an ENPA leaflet for issue to the landowner/manager and/or parish councillors for placing under the windscreen wipers of offending vehicles. While having an official appearance, the leaflet to be as welcoming and as friendly as possible in explaining that overnight camping on moorland was not permitted and advising of where to access details of nearby campsites.  In the case of Winsford Hill, and in consultation with the landowner, closer working with National Trust staff to help address the issue.  Information on the Authority’s website and at National Park Centres about the issues associated with overnight camping on moorland, the reasons why it was not permitted, and providing information about authorised campsites.  Approach the Caravan Club and The Camping & Caravanning Club about the potential to feature an article about the issue in their publications; again ensuring that the overarching message from Exmoor was welcoming. It was agreed that depending on the particular location, one or more of the above seemed an appropriate initial response. It was also noted that the scattering of ashes on moorland and at popular viewpoints was increasing and that a tactful and sensitive approach was needed.

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7. HEADWATERS OF THE RIVER EXE PROGRAMME: Sarah Bryan, Head of Conservation & Access, advised the Forum of a new project working with farmers and land managers to maintain good water quality in the catchment of the River Exe. The project was funded by South West Water as part of its wider Upstream Thinking programme and Exmoor National Park Authority. South West Water was choosing to invest in maintaining or improving river water quality in order to reduce its costs at the water treatment stage. While evidence suggested that water quality in the River Exe catchment was good, it was important that this was maintained by understanding the risks to water quality, by encouraging good land management practices and by reducing the potential for silt or pollutants to enter rivers. The project comprised six strands of work: Farming: FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group) would be working with farmers to provide advice and training on how sustainable land management could reduce the risks to water quality, for example by reducing soil erosion and water run-off. The programme would include an element for small capital grants. Forestry: A programme of training would be available to woodland owners and managers, for example by ensuring that forestry tracks were well designed to prevent water run-off into rivers. The programme would include an element of capital grants and opportunities for woodland creation would be explored in appropriate locations. Game Shoots: The project would be working with game shoots to examine the impact of the siting of release pens, game crops and access tracks in close proximity to water courses. Access: Research by the Holnicote Flood Relief Project had revealed that the impact of water run-off along rights of way, tracks and roads had been underestimated and the project would be identifying and focussing on routes where there was a high risk of erosion and run-off affecting rivers. Sewerage: Monitoring of smaller sewage treatment works would be carried out by volunteers through the Riverfly Partnership / River Exe Tributaries Association. Ecology: The programme would support the control of non-native invasive species in the Exe catchment through existing projects for the control of Japanese Knotweed, Montbretia, Himalayan balsam and signal crayfish. Westcountry Rivers Trust had won the contract to produce initial baseline data and following desk studies, fieldwork was currently underway in ideal, rainy, conditions. The project was being managed by Bea Davis, through an internal secondment at Exmoor National Park Authority, with part-time assistance from Katherine Williams at the Exmoor Hill Farming Network. The project’s steering group was chaired by Mark Thomasin-Foster, a member of the Exmoor Rivers & Streams Group. Forum Members were pleased to hear about the work of the project and welcomed the funding support from South West Water. The Forum also welcomed the involvement of FWAG in relation to liaison with the farming community.

8. NATURAL ENGLAND DISCUSSION: Richard Andrews, 3 Moors Team Leader at Natural England updated the Forum on the changes to agri-environment schemes and on the progress of the England Coast Path. Countryside Stewardship: Defra’s new Countryside Stewardship agri-environment scheme was being administered by Natural England. The programme would run for 6-7 years with a budget of £3.1bn, of which £2.2bn was already allocated to existing environmental stewardship schemes (now closed to new applications), leaving £900m available for new Countryside Stewardship schemes.

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The key priorities of Countryside Stewardship were biodiversity and water quality, with secondary objectives relating to historic environment, genetic conservation and landscape. The key priority that Exmoor could deliver through the scheme was biodiversity. The government had emphasised that funding through the scheme supported environmental enhancement and did not include a social economic component to support farmers. The scheme comprised three elements: higher tier; mid-tier and capital grants for small- scale restoration of boundary features. It was expected that many (although not all) of Exmoor’s Higher Level Environmental Stewardship agreements would move into the higher tier, with some HLS agreements being eligible for the middle tier. However for a number of reasons, it was unlikely that existing Entry Level Environmental Stewardship agreements would be eligible to move into any element of Countryside Stewardship, and this had led to concerns being raised by a number of interested organisations. In response, Defra was carrying out a ‘lessons learned’ process to consider the operation of each element of the scheme. All tiers of the scheme were competitive and applications would be assessed on a scoring basis to determine whether or not an agreement would be offered. The scheme was a parcel-based (not holding-based) scheme and anyone with a current environmental stewardship agreement may be able to apply for Countryside Stewardship in relation to any parcel of land not covered by an existing agreement. To date, there had been a limited number of applications for Countryside Stewardship on Exmoor. However many of Exmoor’s Environmental Stewardship agreements were not due to end until circa 2020 and were therefore not yet eligible to apply. With an overall reduction in funding, it was expected that the land area of England covered by agri-environment schemes would reduce from approximately 70% to between 30-40%. It was agreed that the lower level of funding to Exmoor’s farming sector was a concern and was likely to have a detrimental impact on the wider Exmoor economy. It also highlighted the need to seek alternative funding opportunities, for example the contribution from South West Water to the Headwaters of the Exe Project. The meeting noted that Defra was currently inviting representatives from the food and farming sectors to help develop a 25-year plan to grow, buy and sell more British Food. Defra had also announced that the government would be producing a 25-year plan for the natural environment. The importance of promoting a connection between people and the natural environment was acknowledged and it was questioned whether there ought to be greater integration between the two plans, particularly as those involved in the agricultural industry played a fundamental role in managing landscape and delivering ecosystem services. Coastal Access – The meeting was advised that work to improve coastal access and to create an England Coast Path was in progress, with completion of the route scheduled for 2020. Natural England was managing the project (which had now reached the coast of Exmoor) and was in contact with Exmoor National Park Authority, Parish Councils, landowners and others with legal interests in affected land, to seek their views. While the proposed England Coast Path would be likely to follow the route of the existing South West Coast Path, there was opportunity to identify improvements to the route and to ensure that sensitive features were protected. It was suggested and agreed that the Forum receive a more detailed presentation from Natural England at a future meeting, including in relation to any issues arising from the Exmoor section. [Note: arranged for meeting on 10 March 2016].

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9. FARMING ISSUES  The Exmoor Hill Farming Network was funded from 2014 to 2016 and was hosted by economic development company, North Devon +. Forum Members expressed praise and support for its work and hoped that the Network could continue beyond 2016. The meeting was advised that Exmoor National Park Authority would be working closely with the project, other partners and North Devon +, with the aim of securing additional funding to try to sustain the Network in the longer term.  The difficulties facing the dairy farming industry were acknowledged and it was questioned whether schools in Devon and Somerset provided local milk to school children as part of the government’s school milk subsidy scheme. It was understood that the provision of school milk was a matter for individual schools and was not under the direction of local authorities.  The meeting was advised that farmers with common land were experiencing delays in relation to the basic payment scheme.  In the lead up to the referendum on EU membership, representative organisations would be working to consider and highlight the potential impact on the agricultural sector of a UK exit from the European Union.

10. PLANNING ISSUES: David Wyborn (Head of Planning & Sustainable Development) advised that the Home Office was progressing plans to replace the existing (2G) Emergency Services Network provided by Airwave, with a new 4G network. Following a competitive tender process, eight suppliers had been selected to proceed to the next stage, including EE. If successful, EE would combine provision of the emergency service with their domestic service, with potential to achieve improvements to domestic mobile coverage on Exmoor. All National Park Authorities were having discussions with the Home Office about implementation of the new network within National Park boundaries.

11. EXMOOR NATIONAL PARK PARTNERSHIP FUND: The meeting noted the recent successful applications to the Partnership Fund:

12. EMERGING ISSUES OR TOPICS FOR WIDER DEBATE: The following were noted:  England Coastal Path  Bracken control/harvesting  Update  Social Wellbeing of Exmoor Communities  Renewable Energy

13. DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING: The next meeting would be held on Thursday, 21 January 2016, at 10.30am, venue to be advised.

14. OTHER BUSINESS OF URGENCY: There was none.

The meeting closed at 12.25pm

Chairman

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