John Clare Countryside Our joint vision for a heritage landscape with nature at its heart Contents

Objectives ...... 3

Introduction...... 3

Project Aims...... 4

Background ...... 5

Map ...... 6

Key deliverables of the project ...... 8

Appendix...... 11

Nightingale and cover image of grasshopper by Sarah Lambert

2 John Clare Countryside Our joint vision for a heritage landscape with nature at its heart

Objectives Introduction To create, launch and deliver an As residents, businesses, parish Working in partnership, the ambitious and accessible nature councils, landowners, farmers and Langdyke Countryside Trust now recovery area across the landscape visitors we want the countryside wants to ensure that we conserve areas west of , around us to be an area where the beauty of our landscape and designed, led and supported by nature is at the heart of our lives. conserve its rich local heritage and residents, landowners, farmers, Where swifts and swallows are a establish an area characterised by businesses and parish councils of central feature of our summer the area. evenings, where otters continue to l Outstanding natural biodiversity enthral people as they play in the through major habitat restoration This nature recovery area would be Maxey Cut, where bees and other connected through a mosaic of recognised by Natural England and insects thrive, not decline, and smaller wildlife havens and other statutory agencies and where there are far more, not less, corridors recognised in local policy ponds, meadows, wild flowers, documents including Local Plans. l An unspoilt landscape that is used hedgerows and trees. And where by local people and the people of It would be distinguished from people can walk or cycle out in an expanding Peterborough, other nature recovery areas safety and tranquility across this providing them with a large area because it is community led and thriving countryside, enjoying the of unspoilt countryside on their because of how it combines the sights and sounds and even the doorstep natural and built heritage and its silence of the natural world; enjoying l Well-kept heritage sites, links, through John Clare, to dark skies and cherishing the accessible to all and working literature and the arts. heritage – both natural and man- together to involve and attract made- around them. visitors That sounds like a countryside worth l Cycle paths, footways and ‘quiet living in. But it is a countryside under roads’ – a green transport threat and increasing pressure from infrastructure - where priority is housing growth and traffic and sadly given to walkers and riders even from lack of appreciation. In recent years, despite many l Prosperous and successful successes on and off the network of farming, profiting from a nature reserves, there have been combination of environmentally significant declines in many key friendly farming practice, species, particularly farmland and sustainable tourism and woodland birds, such as lapwing, recreational activities yellowhammer, nightingale, spotted flycatcher and woodcock; and decreases in the number of mammals such as hedgehog and hare and the variety of butterflies and moths.

3 Project Aims

European Turtle Dove by Brian Lawrence Building on the substantial work of the partners to date and on the heritage and legacy of the work of the poet John Clare this project aims to

Deliver significant increases in Raise levels of local pride, Pilot and champion best 1. key wildlife habitats, 2. aspiration and community 3. practice sustainable particularly those of limestone cohesion by helping local development in all aspects of grassland, wetland and arable communities to understand, future development within the farmland appreciate and enjoy their area including sustainable local natural and built heritage techniques of land management both on and off the existing nature reserves

Promote public health and wellbeing, providing Create new jobs and economic opportunities 4. large areas of accessible green open space for the 5. within the area, allied to the delivery of these people of Peterborough objectives, particularly in tourism, visitor attractions and farming and nature conservation.

The achievement of these objectives will create a better quality of life for residents and visitors through the creation of a more-sustainable local environment with easy access to rich and inspiring nature and greater appreciation of its heritage and history.

4 Background

John Clare Countryside lies manor house at Torpel, the beauty Bainton Heath, Etton Maxey Pits, between the Nene and Welland of the Medieval parish churches and Vergette Wood Meadow, Etton High valleys to the west of the history and landscape settings Meadow and Field Bank. Peterborough and to the east of of and Milton Hall The Trust has an active membership the A1. The area sits across two and their respective parks. of over 120 households and runs a National Character Areas – 92 variety of events throughout the year. Another important visitor attraction, Rockingham Forest and 75 the , a museum in In that time the Trust has also Kesteven Uplands. the birthplace of the poet in , created a new visitor centre at The birthplace of John Clare, one of lies at the centre of the area. Clare Torpel Manor Field and a range of the country’s most significant poets himself, lived and worked here and educational materials to help people of the natural world, it already wrote poignantly about the understand its heritage. It has put boasts a network of existing nature environmental pressures the up nearly 200 nest boxes across reserves across a varied range of landscape was under in the 19th the area and helped plant new habitats, including two Natural century. His voice can provide an hedgerows and new trees. As a England national nature reserves important focus for the development result, orchids thrive at Swaddywell, ( Hills and Holes and Castor of this nature recovery area. avocets have bred at Etton Maxey Hanglands), a number of SSSIs and and rare moths and butterflies The John Clare Countryside project several local nature reserves run by prosper at Bainton. We have is a partnership of local the Wildlife Trusts and the Langdyke planted a community orchard at organisations, initially co-ordinated Countryside Trust. Etton High Meadow. by the Langdyke Countryside Trust, To the south of the area, the Nene a voluntary, membership-based Working in close partnership with Park Trust manages large areas of organisation but in time likely to Natural England, the Wildlife Trusts, land in the interests of the develop its own organisational Nene Park Trust, PECT, William community and for nature. The structures. The project will be Scott Abbot Trust, John Clare William Scott Abbot Trust operates created and delivered by local Society, the John Clare Trust, parish the Sacrewell Farm visitor centre on residents, businesses and councils and landowners the Trust the western edge of John Clare landowners. now wants to take its work to a new Countryside. level and create a nationally Since its foundation in 1999 the recognised, but still locally led, This distinctive landscape is rich in Langdyke Countryside Trust has nature recovery area across the heritage – from the Roman roads of established a network of seven John Clare Countryside. King Street and Ermine Street, the nature reserves across the area – remains of Durobrivae, the Norman Swaddywell Pit, Torpel Manor Field,

Thick-legged Flower Beetle by Paul Braham

5 6 LANGDYKE RESERVES: 1 – Etton Maxey Pits 2 – Etton High Meadow 3 – Vergette Wood and Meadow 4 – Bainton Heath 5 – Torpel Manor JCC Boundary 6 – Swaddywell Pit 7 – Marholm Field Bank

NATURAL ENGLAND NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES: 8 – Barnack Hills and Holes 9 – Castor Hanglands

WILDLIFE TRUST NATURE RESERVES: 10 – Meadow 11 – Southorpe Paddock

7 Key deliverables of the project

Increases in key Increase levels of encouraging them to provide nesting 1. indicator species 2. public engagement, and feeding habitat in their gardens understanding and and houses. This will be achieved through a participation in the significant increase in the area of land We would look to use on-line natural and built actively managed in the interests of platforms to teach people how to heritage of the area nature and heritage including both recognise and support these species This will be achieved through the active and to encourage them to record a. Land under the direct and co-ordinated promotion of visitor their sightings and to take pride in management of the partners – facilities at existing centres such as the their role in the recovery of these through the expansion of existing John Clare Cottage, Sacrewell Farm populations. nature reserves, particularly around and potentially at new facilities within Hills and Holes, Castor Hanglands, The partners would work together to the estate of the Nene Park Trust. A Swaddywell Pit and along the reach out to residents of jointly managed natural and built Maxey Cut, linking the reserves at Peterborough, particularly those with heritage engagement and education Bainton Heath and Etton Maxey limited existing access to green open programme would be run across all Pits space and help them to visit, enjoy the partners, providing multiple and appreciate John Clare b. Land managed by other opportunities to learn about the natural Countryside. This would include landowners as part of new agri- and built heritage of the area and to educational programmes run at environment schemes designed to participate in all aspects of the project, locations within the city, with the aim help the recovery of key species including volunteering opportunities. of taking the countryside into the city, and as part of nature rich wildlife The project aims to link the existing rather than waiting for people to visit corridors which join up the visitor attractions through the creation the countryside. network of nature reserves of a network of well-maintained The project would also build on As part of this work and working with footpaths, bridleways and cycle existing work designed to engage partners and other landowners we paths, making John Clare local people and residents of would aim Countryside a visitor destination with Peterborough (and indeed visitors multiple easily accessible points of l To create additional hectares of generally) in the history and heritage interest, without increasing levels of limestone grassland of the area, making use of heritage car traffic in the area. l To create additional hectares of assets at Durobrivae, Castor, village wetland, wet woodland and wet Within this context we would aim to churches, John Clare Cottage and meadows work with local landowners to consider Torpel Manor Field. l To create new ponds including in a. Creating and maintaining new We would seek to replicate the gardens and on farmland waymarked cycle ways successful Torpel Heritage Lottery Funded project and expand l b. Creating and maintaining new To plant trees as part of new Langdyke’s existing history and waymarked permissive footpaths hedgerows and as standards archaeology group to engage more l To create actively managed wildlife c. Designating more local roads as local people. quiet lanes and establish a clearer corridors Finally, there would also be a creative priority for pedestrians, cyclists l To create habitat and nesting theme throughout the project, linking and horse-riders on key roads space for key target species such the natural world with art and literature. as orchids, hedgehog, bats, barn The project would actively involve Again, this would build on existing owl and swift local people in the achievement of its work through the John Clare Society nature objectives by choosing to and John Clare Trust and previous and target key species that people are current arts-based projects supported familiar with, but which need help, by local artists and members of the such as hedgehog and swift and Society of Wildlife Artists.

8 Pilot and champion 3. best practice sustainable development in all aspects of future development within the area including sustainable techniques of land management both on and off the existing nature reserves Small scale housing and commercial development within the village envelopes and to support local farming are encouraged within the existing policy framework, including the neighbourhood plans (either in place or emerging) of Castor, , Glinton, , Northborough, Helpston and Barnack. Pond at Swaddywell Pit The project would develop guidelines, Promote public health that we do not create additional based on the local nature 4. and wellbeing, traffic or put undue pressure partnership’s Developing with Nature providing large areas through disturbance on important toolkit, to help developers support the of accessible green sites for nature. objectives and aims of the project in open space for the terms of best practice design Initial thinking is that we would people of encourage people to use existing concepts and for achieving net Peterborough biodiversity gain. (and improved) access points rather A primary function of the John Clare than create new ones and look at The project would work with local Nature Recovery Area will be to ways in which they can be linked by landowners to identify and promote provide the combination of well-maintained footpaths and cycle new techniques of sustainable land accessible green open space and ways. It might also be worth management and techniques of protected areas for nature considering developing improved nature conservation. necessary to complement the access point(s) (car park with economic growth agenda of the footpaths etc) in the northern part local and wider region. of the area, perhaps as part of the evolving Etton-Maxey Pits complex, JCC would be planned and which already attracts dog-walkers managed to offer opportunities for and birdwatchers. local people to enjoy the countryside, and its thriving natural world and well Another idea is to create access conserved built heritage. points into the JCC within the urban area of Peterborough from which The project would consider carefully people could walk or cycle out into how to manage increased access the area. to the landscape area to ensure Froglet by Mike Horne

9 Key deliverables of the project (cont)

Create new jobs and contracts with local suppliers to deliver Conclusion 5. economic projects such as creating new ponds, The John Clare Countryside opportunities within mowing areas of grassland, planting concept will deliver significant the area, allied to the hedgerows etc, where these cannot benefits to both people and delivery of these be delivered by volunteers. wildlife. objectives, particularly The increased visitor numbers would The strength of the concept lies in in tourism, visitor also support the creation of new jobs the fact that it already exists. JCC is attractions and at existing visitor destinations. farming and nature an established landscape feature conservation. We also expect that the increased that contains a mosaic of nationally visitor numbers would lead to new important natural habitats, nature The creation and long-term delivery of jobs in other leisure facilities through reserves, heritage sites and is the John Clare Countryside vision increased demand at local shops, supported by ambitious and like- would create a small number of jobs cafes and pubs and potentially to the minded local partners. both directly and indirectly. creation of new facilities in the area, It is already happening - much has Directly we would expect to see such as tea-rooms, cycle hubs etc. already been done and will between 2-5 permanent jobs created The partnership would like to explore continue be done through the to manage the delivery of the vision whether it could link into the efforts of the existing partners. and of key projects within it. These University of Peterborough to support would include a partnership and But our ambition is to make this so the local skills agenda with an project manager role, plus much more. emphasis on courses linked to conservation jobs in managing the sustainable development; natural JCC has the potential to combine expanded network of nature reserves sciences and land use. improvements to the health and and public education and engagement wellbeing and social cohesion of roles. Commercial opportunities would local people with landscape-scale also be created through nature recovery. It can support the wider environment capital ambitions of Peterborough and the natural capital plans of our statutory partners. It is an ambitious, but relatively easily achieved long-term project that can be sustained because it has been created and will be delivered by local people and landowners who have a personal interest in making it succeed. It is about creating a thriving and cherished landscape – good for people, good for nature, good for the future.

10 Appendix A - Current supporters (September 2019)

The following organisations have been involved in developing this document and support its aims and will be involved in its delivery l Langdyke Countryside Trust l Protect Rural Peterborough l Ailsworth Parish Council l Nene Park Trust l John Clare Society l Castor Parish Council l Wildlife Trusts for Bedfordshire, l John Clare Trust l Barnack Parish Council and l Natural England l Ufford Parish Council l Natural Cambridgeshire l Helpston Parish Council l PECT l Peterborough City Council l Sutton Parish Council l William Scott Abbott Trust l Milton Estate

Emperor Dragonfly by Steve Zealand Appendix B - Proposed target species for public engagement

Flower rich grassland Woodland Wetland Farmland Villages and gardens l Orchids – Man, l Marsh tit l Cuckoo l Skylark l Swift Pyramidal, l LS Woodpecker l Lapwing l Turtle dove l Hedgehog Fragrant l Longhorn beetle l Otter l Brown hare l Toad l Glow-worm l Purple emperor l Toad l Key arable plant l Frog l Grizzled and dingy species skipper l Bluebell l Frog l Wall ferns l Freshwater mussels l Bats

11 www.langdyke.org.uk Email: [email protected]