Agenda Item No.

Committee Lead Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment

Date 4 March 2002

Report By Director of Transport and Environment

Title of report Local Nature Reserve renewal and declaration

Purpose of report To obtain authority to renew and declare Local Nature Reserves.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. To authorise the Director of Legal and Community Services to enter into new nature reserve management agreements to secure the continued management of land currently declared as local nature reserve at , Forest Row and Old Lodge, Hartfield. 2. To authorise the Director of Legal and Community Services to enter into a nature reserve management agreement and to declare a local nature reserve on land, known as Hempstead Meadows, owned by Uckfield Town Council.

1 Financial Appraisal

1.1 The drawing up of a new management agreement for Weir Wood Reservoir Local Nature Reserve (LNR) will involve staff time and therefore there will be a cost implication, however the updating of the agreement is unlikely to be very complex. has undertaken to draw up the new agreement for Old Lodge and therefore this cost will not fall on the County Council.

1.2 The current management of Weir Wood Reservoir LNR by the County Council costs approximately £3000 per annum (one ranger day per week) and will not be increased by renewal of the management agreement. Ceasing involvement with this reserve could release staff time for redeployment on another site but would not necessarily result in a financial saving as only a relatively small proportion of one staff post is involved.

1.3 There is no cost implication to the County Council in the creation of a new LNR at Uckfield except for advertisement of the declaration in a local paper, at a cost of approximately £200 + staff time.

2 Supporting Information

2.1 The County Council has power under the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act to declare as local nature reserve (LNR) land that it considers expedient in the interests of the locality should be managed as a nature reserve. However, the power can only be exercised where the County Council owns the land or has an agreement with the landowner to manage the land as a nature reserve.

2.2 The 1949 Act defines nature reserves as land managed for the purpose of providing special opportunities for the study and conservation of flora, fauna and geology. However, the County Council has, as have many local authorities, extended the purpose of LNRs to place emphasis on providing public access to wildlife in a manner that is not damaging to the nature conservation interest.

2.3 The County Council has declared six LNRs, all by agreement with landowners. Two of these agreements (for Weir Wood Reservoir and Old Lodge) are time limited and need to be renewed if the LNRs are to continue. In both cases representatives of the owners have indicated that they wish to see the agreements renewed.

2.4 The area of LNR per 1000 population in a local authority area is one of the performance indicators included in the consultation by the Audit Commission and the Improvement and Development Agency for a Library of Local Performance Indicators (October 2001). 2.5 Weir Wood Reservoir is owned by Southern Water and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The western end of the reservoir and the adjacent fields (33 ha) were declared a LNR in 1988 under a management agreement that expires on 15 March 2002 (Map 1). The LNR is particularly important for wetland birds and has the largest breeding population of Great Crested Grebes in . The reserve has a small public car park provided by Forest Row Parish Council and a bird watching hide with disabled access (currently being reconstructed after a fire). Site management is by a ranger from the County Council's Rights of Way and Countryside Management Group. There is an active ‘Friends’ group that raises money for works in the LNR (more than £25,000 in the last three years) and assists the ranger with recording and management tasks.

2.6 Old Lodge is in private ownership, is a part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation and adjoins land managed by the Conservators of Ashdown Forest. The LNR (93 ha) was declared in 1983 under a management agreement that expires on 31 December 2003 (Map 2). The reserve is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust and has a small car park with public access via a defined nature trail.

2.7 Uckfield Town Council wishes to manage an area of land in its ownership and known as Hempstead Meadows, (Map 3) alongside the River Uck as an LNR but the power to declare LNRs is not directly available to Town Councils. The simplest method to create such an LNR is for the County Council to enter into a management agreement with the Town Council and then declare the LNR, however the future management of any LNR would be the entire responsibility of the Town Council. The management agreement could be achieved via a supplementary agreement to the existing West Park LNR Management Agreement or by an entirely separate agreement. The latter would take longer but would result in an agreement tailored to the particular circumstances of the land concerned. It is suggested that officers be authorised to consider which course of action is better following more detailed discussions with the Town Council.

3. Environmental Issues

3.1 Failure to renew the management agreements at Weir Wood Reservoir and Old Lodge would jeopardise the continuation of good environmental management at these sites.

3.2 Declaration of a new LNR in cooperation with Uckfield Town Council will bring an area of land into appropriate management with consequent benefits to nature conservation and the environment of East Sussex.

BOB WILKINS Director of Transport and Environment 21 February 2002 LMTE4March-LocalNatureReserve

Contact Officer: Dr Alex Tait - Tel. No. 01273 481621 Local member: Councillor Whetstone & Councillor Dowling

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS 1. Sustaining Biodiversity – Consultation for the library of local performance indicators from the Audit Commission and the Improvement and Development Agency (October 2001). 2. Agreement for the establishment of a Local Nature Reserve at Weir Wood Reservoir, Forest Row. East Sussex County Council (March 1988). 3. Agreement for the establishment of a Local Nature Reserve at Old Lodge, Nutley. East Sussex County Council (December 1982). 4. Agreement for the establishment of a Local Nature Reserve at West Park, Uckfield. East Sussex County Council (April 1996).