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63 DOVER DISTRICT COUNCIL Agenda Item No 11 REPORT OF

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63 DOVER DISTRICT COUNCIL Agenda Item No 11 REPORT OF DOVER DISTRICT COUNCIL Agenda Item No 11 REPORT OF THE COMMUNITY & LEISURE SERVICES MANAGER NON-KEY DECISION BUDGET/POLICY FRAMEWORK – EXECUTIVE CABINET – 3 MARCH 2003 WHITE CLIFFS COUNTRYSIDE PROJECT Recommendation That Members consider whether Dover District Council should accept funding offers from Heritage Lottery fund, English Nature and Interreg 3 for the White Cliffs Countryside Project. Contact Officer: Charles Walker, Community & Leisure Services Manager, 01304 872447 or Kirk Alexander, White Cliffs Countryside Project, 01304 241806 Reasons why a decision is required The Council has the opportunity to obtain major new funding from a number of national funding bodies for the White Cliffs Countryside Project (WCCP). This would substantially increase the WCCP budget for 2003/4 and two subsequent years; one project would require the employment of a new member of staff. The Council has been offered, or will soon receive a final offer for three new grant schemes for the White Cliffs Countryside Project. 1. Dungeness National Nature Reserve (Heritage Lottery Fund) 2. Wildspace! (New Opportunities Fund money administered by English Nature) 3. Interreg 3 (European Regional Development Fund) The WCCP is an undertaking of Dover District Council supported by the White Cliffs Countryside Project partnership, so has been the responsible body in the past for successful projects funded by Interreg 1 & 2, Countryside Agency and the Single Regeneration Budget. For each project, Dover District Council would have to sign an agreement with the funder or lead body. Dover District Council would also need to consider the declaration of a new Local Nature Reserve at Whinless Down, in order to access the Wildspace! grant funding. Evaluation of options available to the Council (1) The Council could agree to accept the funding offers, and act as the responsible body. The advantages of this are: 1. The new funding would help secure the employment of existing staff employed by Dover District Council on the WCCP. 63 2. There would be new funding available for the improvement of sites within Dover district to improve the environment and for the benefit of local people. 3. It would enable a number of prestigious projects in East Kent, including the enhancement of a National Nature Reserve at Dungeness, and the creation of a new Local Nature Reserve in Dover (Whinless Down). (2) The Council could refuse to accept the funding offer. The disadvantages of this are: 1. The funding is likely to be lost, and the projects will not progress if an alternative responsible body cannot be found. 2. There would be a loss of income to the WCCP, which would jeopardise the employment of existing staff. There would also be a loss of income to Dover District Council administration. (3) The Council might agree to one or two, of the three projects. The disadvantages of this are: All the projects offer clear environmental, social and cultural benefits. These will not be maximised if all three projects are not pursued. If some other body does not agree to be the responsible body, then the projects would not be able to proceed. Information to be considered in taking the decision 1. Significance of Projects to Dover District 1.1 The three projects combined would result in the spending of more than £1.1 million on prestigious environmental projects in East Kent in the next three years, of which £357,000 over three years would be the responsibility of WCCP. The wildlife and landscape of East Kent is of national importance; a large area is part of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the WCCP have been working closely with the Kent Downs AONB Unit to secure funding for environmental projects around Dover and Folkestone. The shingle of Dungeness is of national importance, even international significance, for wildlife and the WCCP, through a sub-project the Romney Marsh Countryside Project, has recently participated in the declaration of a National Nature Reserve. The Romney Marsh Countryside Project has been asked by English Nature to play a key role in the management of the National Nature Reserve, for which a major funding bid has been made to the National Lottery to tackle some of the major problems, in collaboration with the local people. 1.2 Under the Local Government Act 2000 every local authority has the power to do anything which it considers is likely to achieve the promotion or improvement of the economic, social or environmental well-being of its district. Furthermore the Act goes on to include the 64 power for the authority to do anything in relation to, or for the benefit of any person or area situated outside its district area if it considers that this is likely to further the economic, social or environmental well-being of the authority’s area. The general notes to the Act points out that the benefit may apply not only to permanent residents but people who visit and travel through an area. The Council clearly has powers therefore under the Act to take on the Dungeness project even though it is outside of the Dover district. 2. Dungeness National Nature Reserve Project The Dungeness National Nature Reserve project is intended to employ a dedicated project officer to work with local people to carry out a series of agreed environmental and interpretation projects to enhance the special landscape and wildlife of the national nature reserve. The lead body would be the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), who have been responsible for developing the bid and would be the responsible body for accounting purposes. A simple agreement is required between Dover District Council and the RSPB, in order for funding to be passed from Heritage Lottery Fund to RSPB, and on to the White Cliffs Countryside Project. The total project involves £999,950 over three years, of which £273,000 over three years (next two years for Interreg 3) would be the responsibility of WCCP. The necessary match funding has been secured from RSPB, English Nature, Shepway District Council and the aggregates sustainability levy fund. Folkestone & Dover Water Services are a major landowner at Dungeness and are involved in this project. 2.1 DDC Involvement No contribution is required from Dover District Council, and the project will result in a contribution of £5,000 per year for three years towards WCCP administrative costs. Claims would be made quarterly by the RSPB; the WCCP would be responsible for preparing and submitting the necessary information to the RSPB. With similar projects in the past, the WCCP have prepared the financial reports which are then checked and confirmed by the Accountancy Section of Dover District Council. This may involve only small additional work for Accountancy. 3. Wildspace ! Wildspace! is a national grant scheme for the creation and enhancement of Local Nature Reserves (LNRs). It is funded by the New Opportunities Fund and administered by English Nature. There is an existing LNR at Western Heights and also at The East Cliff & Warren Country Park, Folkestone, which lies partly in Dover district. Currently the designated LNR at The Warren lies in Shepway district, but it is proposed to extend the LNR. 3.1 DDC Involvement English Nature have offered us £24,000 over three years for a proposed programme of work that includes the declaration of Whinless Down as a new Local Nature Reserve. No additional funding is required from Dover District Council; the match funding required is expected to be available from English Nature, Dover Town Council, Countryside Stewardship and the Kent Downs AONB Unit. 65 Whinless Down is owned by Dover District Council and has been managed on the Council¹s behalf by the WCCP for ten years. A range of improvements have been carried out that have improved access for local people as well as the conservation of rare wildlife on Whinless Down. Whinless Down has proved to be chalk grassland of national significance for wildlife, particularly for butterflies and other invertebrates such as the silver-spotted skipper (a butterfly), scarce forester (a moth) and straw belle (another moth). The silver-spotted skipper is found only on a few sites around Dover in Kent. This butterfly is a rare species in Britain, and Kent is a national stronghold. It is a priority species for action in the Kent Biodiversity Action Plan, and English Nature have been providing funding to assist the management of Whinless Down. Dover Town Council have acquired a number of areas of land adjacent to Whinless Down, and they have agreed in principle to create a Local Nature Reserve and Community Park, in collaboration with Dover District Council and the White Cliffs Countryside Project. This will be of great benefit to people in the Tower Hamlets and St Radigund¹s wards of Dover, which have been identified as lacking open space provision. 4. Interreg 3 Project For Interreg 3, the White Cliffs Countryside Project have been working in collaboration worth the Kent Downs AONB Unit, Kentish Stour Countryside Project and French countryside projects (Parc Naturel and EDEN 62) to develop a joint programme of environmental projects within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Kent County Council is the lead body, through the Kent Downs AONB Unit, and WCCP have received an offer of funding of £60,000 over two years. The proposed projects submitted as part of the bid were countryside events as well as a programme of environmental projects on both sides of The Channel. The projects include Dover¹s Western Heights, Whinless Down and Samphire Hoe in Dover district, together with the Folkestone Warren and Folkestone Downs in Shepway district. No additional funding is required from Dover District Council; the match funding is expected from English Nature, Countryside Agency, Kent Downs AONB Unit and Eurotunnel.
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