Mendip Hills AONB Partnership Committee Draft Minutes of The
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Mendip Hills AONB Unit Charterhouse Centre, Blagdon, BS40 7XR [email protected] 01761 462338 www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk Mendip Hills AONB Partnership Committee Draft Minutes of the meeting held Online, 19th November 2020 Present: Partnership Committee Cllr Nigel Taylor (Chair) Somerset County Council Cllr Roger Dollins Somerset Parish Councils Representative Jon Doyle Somerset County Council Officer Richard Frost Mendip Society Jim Hardcastle AONB Manager Cllr Karin Haverson North Somerset Council Prof Chris Lewis CPRE Jo Lewis Natural England Pippa Rayner Somerset Wildlife Trust Di Sheppard Bath & North East Somerset Claire Sissons Avon Wildlife Trust Rachel Tadman Mendip District Council Officer Cllr Lucie Taylor-Hood Mendip District Council Rachel Thompson MBE The Trails Trust Other attendees Judith Chubb-Whittle AONB Landscape Planning Officer Rachel Clarkson AONB Support and Communications Officer Kelly Davies AONB Volunteer Ranger Mick Fletcher AONB Volunteer Ranger Tim Haselden AONB Project Development Officer Lauren Holt AONB Ranger Volunteer Coordinator Fi Isaacs AONB Volunteer Ranger Andy Jones Avon Wildlife Trust Andrew Palmer AONB Volunteer Ranger Malcolm Parsons AONB Volunteer Ranger Kevin Rogers Prof Danielle Shreve Dave Tranter AONB Volunteer Ranger Judith Tranter Mendip Society Apologies Mike Adams North Somerset Parish Councils Representative Julie Cooper Sedgemoor District Council Officer Steve Dury Somerset County Council Officer John Flannigan North Somerset Council Officer Cllr Mike Pullin Mendip District Council Paul Rowland National Trust Cllr Elizabeth Scott Sedgemoor District Council Cllr James Tonkin North Somerset Council Chris Westcott Natural England Cllr David Wood Bath & North East Somerset The Mendip Hills AONB Unit promotes and coordinates the conservation and enhancement of the Mendip Hills AONB Summary of Actions Item Item Notes Action 1. Introduction and No declarations. Apologies, and Apologies as Stated Declaration of interest 2. Notes of Previous 1. Elections of parish reps update from JH Meeting Somerset Association of Local Councils have started the process for elections for parish council rep. Ongoing. 2. AONB Unit to circulate draft ash dieback statement. JH 3. Request for all to keep TH informed of proposed nature ALL recovery projects, research, plans, strategies or funds. JH 4. JH due to meet with Cllr Taylor-Wood (Mendip District Council), part of the council’s Climate & Ecological Emergency Group, Food & Nature workstream. Still outstanding 5. Update on the proposed local authority changes in Somerset: Nigel Taylor updated the partnership on the full council meeting at SCC 18/11/20: It was agreed with a majority vote that the May 2021 county council elections are likely to be postponed. There are 3 electoral authorities in the running for Unitary Authority, of which Somerset is one. There are two options for changes to Somerset: One Somerset, or splitting Somerset two ways. Secretary of State will be looking at this late Nov/early Dec 2020, with an expected decision of Feb/Mar 2021. This will likely be too late for elections, which were due to be held on 07/05/2020. AONB funding from SCC has been secured regardless of outcome of Unitary Authority changes. No other matters arising. Accepted as a true and accurate record. 3. Paper A – OSG Officer Support Group Paper presented (JH). Report See Paper A (appended) Visitor pressure at unprecedented levels this year – more than double the number of visitors cf 5 years ago. Particularly high visitor numbers between May and August as lock down restrictions were eased. Volunteer Rangers have been The Mendip Hills AONB Unit promotes and coordinates the conservation and enhancement of the Mendip Hills AONB invaluable in helping to manage those pressures, and JH & NT thanked them for their efforts. Staffing changes to the AONB Team: Judith Chubb Whittle in position as Landscape Planning Office, and Rachel Clarkson in position as Support and Communications Officer. Announcement from Defra expected 26/11/2020 on new 3-year financial statement. Partnership Committee to be updated accordingly. 4. Partner Updates Collated Updates Paper presented Updates received prior to the meeting appended: SCC B&NES MDC North Somerset SWT AWT NE Mendip Society North Somerset Parish Clerk Rep The Trails Trust Question arising from Somerset Wildlife Trust Update: JH noted that the AONB had an increasing in reporting of poaching. Tim Haselden (who co-ordinates the Land Management Group for the AONB Unit) to meet with Wildlife and Rural Crime Unit Sgt Andrew Palmer ref poaching. AWT Reserve Managers would be keen to be involved in this meeting TH too (PR). Comment arising from North Somerset Parish Clerk Reps Update: WCs at Burrington Combe were initially closed during beginning of lockdown, although opened up later on due to human waste problems in the countryside around Burrington. The WCs do however cost 150% of the Parish Councils budget, and usual outside funding contributions from outdoor pursuits companies were not being made dur to lockdown. JH offered to get in touch with N Somerset Council to see if JH there are grants available to support in the upkeep of public WCs, due to it being a public health issue. NT or JD to contact Trudy Grant – (Public Health at SCC) to see if NT/JD there is any help available. Comment arising from Mendip Society Update (Richard Frost) The Mendip Hills AONB Unit promotes and coordinates the conservation and enhancement of the Mendip Hills AONB Richard Frost to step down as Chair of the Mendip Society: seeking applicants: please ask your contacts or step forward if you would be interested. Nigel Taylor thanked Richard Frost for ALL his contributions. Comment arising from The Trails Trust Update Pippa Rayner (SWT): How we can best respond to visitor pressure – it’s not just Countryside Code education, but also helping people to connect with nature: it’s not just about being outside, but also the sense of connection and forging a personal relationship with nature. RT agreed that there could be a collaboration between Pippa RT/PR Rayner, on user education, and how to help people to engage with nature, in conjunction with farmers/landowners and how to prompt people into doing the right thing. CPRE Update: Chris Lewis CPRE financially not affected adversely due to Covid, and work continues largely as normal. Extra planning work being completed by Fletcher Robison, including linking with various AONBs CPRE have been running national and local campaigns to get people out into the countryside, increasing media presence. In relation to Mendip Hills AONB, CPRE has received a grant to organise litter picking throughout Somerset. Organised via Lauren Holt (AONB Volunteer Co-ordinator) a litter pick with a group of Young Ramblers. North Somerset Council Update - Karin Haverson North Somerset – apologies for no update, KH stepping in for Cllr James Tonkin. At the organisational level, North Somerset have applied to join WECA (West of England Combined Authority). BaNES and S Glos in support, but still seeking support from Mayor of Bristol so decision delayed. Within North Somerset, there has been reorganisation of the Executive, Cllr Caritas Charles has resigned and been replaced by Mike Solomon. There are also 2 new assistant executive posts. At officer level there has also been reallocation of work and restructuring. Environment Update: At the last full council meeting North Somerset declared a biodiversity emergency and committed to integrate that into our emerging local plan. Every development project should now commit to increasingly biodiversity. The Mendip Hills AONB Unit promotes and coordinates the conservation and enhancement of the Mendip Hills AONB This is as well as the climate emergency (action plan in place), including tree planting. KH noted that however lots of failures in tree planting due to spring drought during lockdown. As part of the Climate Emergency Action Plan, N Somerset are also committed to have much higher environmental standards for development, particularly where N Somerset is the landowner. Major developments include Locking Parklands development, comprising 30% affordable housing, solar panels on every house, 15% zero-carbon homes, and remainder of homes with up to TH 85% reduction in carbon emission. Homes are of timber framed construction (much more carbon efficient way of building houses). Also, the Uplands Development south west of Nailsea, where N Somerset will be both builders as well as landowners. Similar building standards to Locking Parklands. Comment from JCW: The new Environment Bill states that all future new development must deliver 10% biodiversity net gain. How can the AONB Unit engage with this and can they be on the off-site register when the Local Authorities come to operate them, and how do we maximise on opportunities that this offers? ALL KH unable to advise at this stage but all to note this emerging policy, and potential opportunities for the partnership JCW briefly outlined that all future developments will be required to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain – either on- site or off-site (either locally or nationally). Still lacking clarity on whether this includes small sites and/or single-dwelling sites. If a developer can’t deliver Biodiversity Net Gain on site, then there will be an ‘off-site register’ of available sites, managed by the LPA. JCW keen to secure Biodiversity Net Gain within the AONB rather than off site net gains disappearing into the national off- site register. Emerging policy and JCW keen to get the AONB on board at an early stage. Mendip District Council Update: Rachel Tadman Main issue for MDC and surrounding LAs is the submission of the NE advice in August that the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar site is now in an unfavourable condition. This has had a major impact on determining planning applications as MDC are no longer able to grant planning permission for developments unless an HRA assessment is completed, for anything where anyone stays overnight, due to impact of increased effluent and elevated phosphates in the water.