Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLAN 2012-2016 CONTENTS Page Page 4.1 Site Analysis 21-22 1.0 INTRODUCTION 4.2 Qualitative Assessment 22-25 1.1 Purpose of plan 1 5.0 VISION, AIMS, OBJECTIVES & ACTION PLAN 2.0 POLICY CONTEXT 5.1 Vision 26 1-2 5.2 Aims 26-27 3.0 SITE DECSRIPTION 5.3 1 and 5 year priorities 27-28 3.1 Location and access 3 5.4 Action plan 29-40 3.2 Relationship to green infrastructure 3 & 5 6.0 FINANCE 3.3 Ownership and Designations 4 & 6 6.1 Existing expenditure 41 3.4 History 7 7.0 MONITORING & REVIEW 41 3.5 Overview of the park today 7-9 Appendix 1: List of partners 42 3.6 Mapping the park 9-10 Appendix 2: Standard safety risk assessment forms 43-45 3.7 Description of Key Features 11-18 Appendix 3: Interesting and rare plants (photos) 46 3.8 Detailed site statistics 19 Appendix 4: Marketing strategy 47 3.9 Existing management arrangements 20 Appendix 5: Observations and surveys report 2011 48-57 Appendix 6: SSSI Citation 58 Appendix 7: Natural England views about management 59 Appendix 8: List of ‘operations likely to damage’ 60 Appendix 9: Inspection forms 61-63 Appendix 10: RSPB and farmer alliance bird survey 64 Appendix 11: Management and events 2011/12 65-68 Appendix 12: Butterfly survey transect route 69 Appendix 13: Bird survey stops 70 Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve Draft Management Plan Feb 2012 V4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose of the plan The need for site management plans has been identified as a key issue in the recent Green Infrastructure Strategy for the District1. The aim of this plan is to review and update the previous management plan produced for the site in 2006. It covers the period 2012 – 2016. This plan has been prepared in order to provide a framework within which all future management is carried out; and enable any person involved to understand how and why decisions are taken. It identifies specific objectives and priorities for management within the next five years, and sets out aspirations that may be delivered in the future. For the action plan, see pages 29-40. The structure of the plan has been developed using existing good practice including CABE Space’s ‘Guide to producing Green Space Management Plans’2, and guidance within Green Flag3. 2.0 POLICY CONTEXT The Council’s emerging Green Infrastructure Strategy is the primary document describing the need for management plans to deliver the objectives for land under its management. It defines green infrastructure as: “… the network of parks, open spaces, waterways, woodlands, trees, countryside, green corridors and the coastal strip within and between our towns and villages, across the whole of North Somerset.” 1 North Somerset Council’s Green Infrastructure strategy can be found at www.n- somerset.gov.uk/Environment/Parks+and+open+spaces/GreenInfrastructureStrategy 2 CABE Space promotes well-designed parks, streets and squares as a crucial part of our towns and cities. Its publications can be found at www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=484 3 The Green Flag is the national standard for parks in England and Wales. More information can be found at www.greenflagaward.org.uk 1 Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve Draft Management Plan Feb 2012 V4 The following relates to the key headline areas described in the Sustainable Community Strategy4 and the North Somerset Council Corporate Plan5. Management of green spaces meets North Somerset Council’s main aims of: Enhancing health and well-being Protecting and improving the environment Building safer and stronger communities The council has also identified nine key areas where it plans to focus its efforts until 2011 and several of these priorities relate specifically to the role of Green Infrastructure: Address environmental concerns. Make our streets and communities safer. Ensure development is well planned, with a focus on creating quality facilities and employment opportunities. Improve customer services. In 2006, the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act was introduced for all public bodies to conserve and enhance biodiversity 6 under this duty. To meet this obligation, the local authority needs to ensure that appropriate management for biodiversity is undertaken on its landholdings. Green infrastructure management plans provide a practical mechanism for meeting this obligation, as they include aspirations and actions for biodiversity. Management of open spaces that contain locally important habitats and species can also contribute directly to aims of the North Somerset Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) – Action for Nature.7 Management plans present opportunities to implement some of the actions within the LBAP, so that priority habitats and species are taken into account in the management of green spaces. 4 www.northsomersetpartnership.co.uk 5 http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Your+Council/Policies+plans+and+strategies/Corporate+Plan/ 6 Biodiversity, or biological diversity, refers to the number of species of plants and animals in a given habitat. 7 See https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Environment/Conservation/Wildlife/ for link to Action for Nature 2 Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve Draft Management Plan Feb 2012 V4 3.0 SITE DESCRIPTION 3.1 Location and access (Map 1 and 2) The site is situated on the southern edge of Uphill village, to the south of Weston-super-Mare. The central grid reference of the site is ST317 583. The area covered by the SSSI is 15.25 hectares; the woodland covers an additional 1.42 hectares and Underwood Field covers 1.1 hectares. There is pedestrian access to the site via Folly Lane, the church path off Uphill Way and via the Uphill boatyard. Vehicular access for management or emergency purposes only is possible from Folly Lane and via the boatyard. Car parking is possible along Uphill Way, including the car park situated towards the wharf entrance which has a designated disabled parking bay. There is also a car park at the entrance to the boatyard, and a bus stop by the sluice gate. There is disabled access onto the hill from the boatyard entrance along the Tidal Trail. The majority of the site is designated as open access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act. This allows pedestrian access over most of the site, but introduces an obligation on dog walkers to keep their animals on the lead when agricultural stock are present. Two public footpaths run through the site. Cycling is permitted along the Tidal Trail only. Horse riding is not considered appropriate, since there would be conflict with other site users. Riders would either leave the path, with potential for damage to special features, or the path would have to be fenced, which would be unsightly, detract from the visitor experience and interfere with site management. 3.2 Relationship to other green infrastructure (Map 1) Uphill Hill is at the western end of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and lies to the east of the Severn Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Most of the site is designated as a SSSI and Local Nature Reserve (LNR). The calcareous grassland is within the Mendip Limestone Grasslands Special Area of Conservation (SAC) which means the grassland is of nature conservation value in an international context. The hill lies within a complex of important wildlife sites such as coastal grazing marsh at Bleadon Level and tidal habitats along the Axe Estuary and adjoins Walborough Hill SSSI (an Avon Wildlife Trust LNR), it is also a gateway for many walks in the area. 3 Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve Draft Management Plan Feb 2012 V4 3.3 Ownership and designations (Map 2) 3.3.1 Typology Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve is categorised as a Conservation Site within North Somerset’s Green Infrastructure Strategy. This means it is managed primarily for its wildlife and amenity value. 3.3.2 Ownership Uphill Hill is owned and managed by North Somerset Council as Public Open Space for its nature conservation and amenity value. The site has various designations; At a local level it is designated as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) for its value to wildlife and people At national level as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its species-rich calcareous grassland (this does not include the woodland or Underwood Field). See appendix 6 for citation. At international level as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for Mendip Limestone Grassland. The site's conservation status means that management works have to be approved by Natural England. As one of the outstanding calcareous grassland sites in North Somerset, management of this site contributes substantially to the aims of the council's Species Rich Grassland Habitat Action Plan, contained in the North Somerset Biodiversity Action Plan ‘Action for Nature’. It should be noted that, owing to the site's designations and their statutory obligations, North Somerset Council has an obligation to make enhancement of the site's nature conservation value a priority. 4 Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve Draft Management Plan Feb 2012 V4 Map 1 Location of Uphill Hill and its relationship to other green infrastructure 5 Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve Draft Management Plan Feb 2012 V4 Map 2 Uphill Hill Designations 6 Uphill Hill Local Nature Reserve Draft Management Plan Feb 2012 V4 3.4 History of the site There is evidence of human activity on the site from the Pleistocene to the present. Numerous mammal remains (e.g. woolly rhinoceros, hyena, bear, ox, cave lion, woolly mammoth, reindeer, giant deer and polecat), dating from the Stone Age, have been found in caves in the quarry area and attributed to the Neanderthals who were believed to have lived in the enclosure area.