Contents 2018-19 Review of progress & achievements 2. Foreword by Chairman of the AONB Partnership, and about the Shropshire Hills and the AONB Partnership 3. 5-year review of the AONB Management Plan 4. River Clun Recovery Project 5. Land Management supporting Landscape and Natural Beauty 6. Raising Awareness & Community Involvement 7. Sustainable Tourism in the Shropshire Hills 8. Working Together - the AONB Partnership & AONB Trust 9. Shropshire Hills AONB Conservation Fund, 2018-19 10. Influencing and wider networks 11. 2018-19 Financial Summary The Shropshire Hills, by Phil King About the Shropshire Hills AONB and the AONB Partnership AONB the and AONB Hills Shropshire the About Foreword by James Williamson, Chair of the About the Shropshire Hills Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership AONB and the AONB Partnership Yet another busy year – the team have achieved many To achieve all this the report recommends the great things as outlined in the following pages. It always National Landscapes are given more funding – amazes me how they manage to do so much with so something we have been saying for many little resources although a major key to this is their ability years! to work in partnership with so many organisations and to harness the help of volunteers. I would like to extend a In addition to the Glover report, the National really big thank you to everyone who has worked so hard Association for AONBs launched the Colchester in the year. Declaration in the summer that clearly sets out challenging targets to improve the scale and There have also been some other very significant events pace of nature recovery in the AONBs in the during the year that will hopefully positively impact the context of the Environment and Climate 2018 marked the 60th anniversary of the Shropshire Hills AONB and all the protected landscapes Emergency. designation of the Shropshire Hills Area of for many years to come. Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1958. In addition to all the ongoing projects that the The hills, rolling farmland, woods and river As you know the Government asked Julian Glover to team are working on they will also be working valleys of this varied and special landscape carry out a thorough review of Protected Landscapes and hard to incorporate many of the Glover was one of the first areas in the country to he and his team released their report at the end of recommendations and Colchester Declaration be designated. September. Their report runs to 168 pages and so I will aspirations. only pull out some key recommendations: The main purpose of the designation is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of • The National Landscapes as they want them to be I believe it is essential that everyone fully the Shropshire Hills landscape. A legal duty called in the future should have a renewed mission to realises the potential benefits of the country’s to fulfil this rests with Shropshire Council recover and enhance nature National Landscapes and that we in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Council. and Telford and Wrekin do as much as we can • The 5 yearly Management Plans should set clear to make the Shropshire Hills an even more The AONB also has protection in planning priorities and actions for nature recovery and their valued and cherished asset to everyone who policy, and a statutory Management Plan for implementation should be backed up by stronger lives and works in the area and those that visit the area is reviewed every five years, led by status in law the AONB Partnership. the area from the towns and cities in • AONBs should be given statutory consultee status in Shropshire, the West Midlands conurbation The formal Partnership joint advisory the planning system and encouraged to develop local and beyond. committee plays an important role in plans championing the interests of the AONB, co- • A stronger mission to connect all people to our ordinating activity, raising understanding National Landscapes with new long-term programmes and setting strategic direction. to increase the diversity of visitors and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing The 40 members of the Partnership are key stakeholders and supporters of the • National Landscapes should be leaders in sustainable Shropshire Hills and include the local tourism authorities, landowners, individuals, and • A new National Landscapes Housing Association with representatives from organisations and local the objective of building more affordable homes interest groups. 2 Shropshire Hills AONB Management Plan 2019 Management AONB Hills Shropshire Reviewing the AONB Management Plan for the next five years VISION: “The natural beauty of the The new AONB Management Plan 2019-24 calls for: Shropshire Hills landscape is Greater consideration of the valuable Supporting strong communities conserved, enhanced and helped to AONB landscape in planning looking after their landscape, including adapt - by sympathetic land decisions, especially about major more opportunities for young people to management, by co-ordinated developments. get involved in outdoor and action and by sustainable conservation activities. Improving the quality of our rivers communities; and is valued for its and water, and looking after river Reducing greenhouse gas emissions richness of geology, wildlife and catchments in an integrated way to through energy efficiency and heritage, and its contribution to benefit wildlife, protect soils and appropriate renewables, and through prosperity and wellbeing.” improve flood management. sustainable transport and agriculture. Establishing more new woodland and Promoting enjoyment of the A series of workshops and topic groups trees to benefit the landscape, wildlife, landscape, nature and heritage as a vital were held by the AONB Partnership in farming and water, and to offset losses aid to people’s wellbeing, including 2018 to develop a new draft from tree diseases. recreation and volunteering. Management Plan for the AONB. Collaboration to find a sustainable Promoting an ethos of environmental We received over 200 responses to our future for farming especially in the care in tourism, so that this important online public opinion survey, which also uplands, and to develop the new economic sector does not undermine helped to inform the Plan. Environmental Land Management the qualities on which it is based. - The Plan sets out how to best manage scheme. 24 Stronger status for the AONB our nationally protected landscape over organisation as part of national and the next five years. Policies and Building resilient networks of good international networks, along with more proposed actions fall under three main quality wildlife habitat across the charitable fund-raising to support headings: landscape to reverse the decline of nature. conservation projects. • Land management supporting natural beauty and landscape What people value most about the AONB (from on-line survey) • Planning for a sustainable economy and communities • People enjoying and caring about the landscape Follow a period of public consultation, the Plan was finalised in March and then approved by the Cabinets of Shropshire Council’s and Telford & Wrekin Council. Click on the link to view the Management Plan 2019-24 3 4 Land management supporting landscape and natural beauty natural and supporting landscape management Land Stepping Stones Our Common Cause - Upland Clun Crayfish Project Restoring habitat networks around Commons project The AONB is home to the endangered white-clawed crayfish. It is the UK’s only the Long Mynd and Stiperstones Here in the Shropshire Hills, the focus native crayfish, but in recent years, due in 2018 has been to identify and work to a combination of declining habitat This is a partnership project, led by the with the key stakeholders for each of National Trust. It is working with and the invasive American signal the three local commons participating crayfish it is under threat. farmers and other landowners to in this national project; Long Mynd, connect wildlife habitats by creating Stiperstones and Clee Liberty. In 2018, we teamed up with the Marches stepping stones and corridors to enable Crayfish Partnership to survey streams in wildlife to thrive in the Shropshire Hills. We organised a series of public MOREwoods - more trees the Clun Catchment. With a small grant events to help engage the local from the AONB Conservation Fund we In 2018, the AONB Partnership has led communities from each common. We are acting as the local facilitator on engagement by identifying the key were able train volunteers to help with Through these events, we wanted to for the Woodland Trust national the surveys. farmers and landowners in the project find out about local community scheme to plant more trees. area and presenting the Stepping interests, concerns and questions Supported by staff from Environment Stones idea to them. around the management and future Planting small woodlands and Agency and a Natural England licenced hedgerow trees in the AONB has many From this series of one-to-one of commons. crayfish expert, 17 volunteers attended a benefits such as protecting soils, Crayfish Training Day. meetings, 12 farmers and landowners This is the development phase of Our improving water quality and have come together to form the Upper Common Cause, to secure funding to infiltration and helping in building a White-clawed crayfish were found at 8 Onny Farmer Group. deliver projects and activities from joined-up network of wildlife habitats. of the 26 sites surveyed. Some of these This group acts as a sound-board for 2020 to 2023. The project is led by were new records for the sites. the Stepping Stones project, especially the Foundation for Common Land, on behalf of a broad partnership of Click here to download White-clawed for the Defra tests and trials for the new Water Environment Grant (WEG) Environmental Land Management organisations. Crayfish Survey Report System (ELMS). This will seek to reward In 2018 we submitted a bid to Defra to farmers for providing a wider range of deliver a WEG project, in partnership environmental and public benefits.