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Annex 9 Working with Reduced Peat Consumption

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Annex 9 Working with Reduced Peat Consumption Annex 9 Working with reduced peat consumption - an inter-site approach Chat Moss offers an opportunity to explore the principles of shifting peat extraction (the possible need for compensation is acknowledged) from existing sites where to continue would be to reduce the bog restoration prospects, onto land currently without any biodiversity value. The Grade 1 (excellent quality) agricultural land here, as per the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) system, is currently used for a range of vegetable and cereal crops, or as grassland (including sports turf). Figure A9.1 The Chat Moss peatlands and archaic peat deposit SAC, SSSI Extraction sites Other peatland The Working Group on Peat Extraction and Related Matters (DETR, 1999) recommended that “English Nature” (now within Natural England) “and the peat industry should discuss with MAFF and the Forestry Commission, the feasibility of finding and exploiting sites of little or no conservation value as replacements for existing sites adjacent to internationally important areas.” This was, according to DETR (1999), in response to suggestions that the transfer should be to sites currently under woodland or agriculture. As a first step, English Nature and English Heritage cooperated with the recommendation by adding archaeological information and the extents of archaic peat, such as much of Chat Moss, to an existing database (see reference for FenBase 6; pers. comm. R Meade, English Nature‟s Senior Peatland Adviser at the time). It is not known whether any discussions took place in the intervening 12 years, but its potential benefit has now broadened to include HAP Target T3. The Chat Moss archaic peat extent, including extant sites, is 1,807 ha (FenBase 6). The sum of the extant peatland site area (FenBase 6) is approximately 470 ha. This includes Astley and Bedford Mosses (SSSI, SAC), Twelve Yards Road (SBI), Astley Moss East, Botany Bay Wood (SBI) and Little Woolden Moss (part SBI). The peat deposit coincides with, and has given rise to, a large area of the best quality Grade 1 agricultural land (Mersey Floodplain Mosses and Pennine Fringe & Outwash Mosses, Figures A5.7 and A5.8 in Annex 5). The main Chat Moss area of the Manchester Mosslands (excluding Holcroft Moss, Risley Moss and Rixton Moss) lies within the unitary authorities of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council and Salford City Council (Figure A9.1). The latter already has mossland protection policies within its Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and its emerging Local Development Framework (LDF), and Wigan is considering whether to develop some parallel policies (Salford City Council, pers. comm.). Peat is currently extracted from Astley Moss East, Twelve Yards Road and Little Woolden Moss. While there are post-extraction restoration plans that include raised bog for Twelve Yards Road and part of Astley Moss East, the requirement for the restoration of Little Woolden Moss is to agriculture. Chat Moss formed the core of a Mosslands Draft Vision developed by the Mosslands Action Group. This Group is a partnership which includes the responsible Local Authorities, Natural England, NWDA, Government Office North West, Mersey Forest and local Wildlife Trust. The Mosslands Action Group has developed a vision for the sustainable land management of the Mosslands area (Maslen Environmental, 2007). The visioning work proposed not only the prevention of further loss of remnant raised bog sites but also an approach to land use zoning which would establish Biodiversity Zones and Hydrological Management Zones. The integrated landscape approach proposed in the visioning work has been taken by Salford City Council into option consultation as part of the LDF process. Chat Moss offers an opportunity to explore the principles of shifting peat extraction from existing sites where to continue would be to reduce the bog restoration prospects, onto land currently without any biodiversity value. The Grade 1 (excellent quality) agricultural land here, as per the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) system (Table A9.1; Figure A9.2), is currently used for a wide range of vegetable and cereal crops, or as grassland (including sports turf). Table A9.1. Distribution of Grade 1(excellent) agricultural land in England and on Chat Moss Figure A9.2 Distribution of agricultural land grades on Chat Moss Table A9.2 Critique of the biodiversity improvement options on Chat Moss Factor Comment Peat depth Unknown, but at least 2m on Twelve Yards Road. Peat quality Three extraction sites present, though the usefulness of the peat under agricultural land is unknown. See below. Interest in peat extraction A planning application was filed in 1997 to extract peat under agriculture next to Little Woolden Moss with subsequent restoration to lowland raised bog. National policy guidance Paragraph 56: “It may be possible to identify, in development plans, peatlands (MPG13) which would be acceptable for future working from sites which have been significantly disturbed and damaged in the past by drainage for agriculture or forestry or from earlier domestic peat extraction.” All of the Chat Moss deposit would be included within these categories. Local policy guidance Salford City Council UDP (adopted June 2006) policy E11 encourages (Salford UDP) for the developments that lead to bog restoration and discourages those that prevent it. mosslands There is currently (2009) no parallel policy in the neighbouring Wigan UDP. Local policy guidance Policy EN3: “Development that would involve the loss of the best and most versatile (Salford UDP) for agricultural land (Grades 1, 2 or 3a) will only be permitted where it can be agricultural land. demonstrated that there are no appropriate alternative sites available on lower grade agricultural land or on non-agricultural land.” It could be argued that lowland raised bog can only (subject to experimental evidence) be created on a low-nutrient peat residue, and that, consequently, there are no alternative sites to achieve national LRB HAP target T3. National policy guidance Paragraph 28: “The presence of best and most versatile agricultural land (defined for the protection of high as land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification), should be grade agricultural land taken into account alongside other sustainability considerations (e.g. biodiversity; (OPDM, 2004; PPS7) the quality and character of the landscape; its amenity value or heritage interest; accessibility to infrastructure, workforce and markets; maintaining viable communities; and the protection of natural resources, including soil quality) when determining planning applications. Where significant development of agricultural land is unavoidable, local planning authorities should seek to use areas of poorer quality land (grades 3b, 4 and 5) in preference to that of a higher quality, except where this would be inconsistent with other sustainability considerations. Little weight in agricultural terms should be given to the loss of agricultural land in grades 3b, 4 and 5, except in areas (such as uplands) where particular agricultural practices may themselves contribute in some special way to the quality and character of the environment or the local economy. If any undeveloped agricultural land needs to be developed, any adverse effects on the environment should be minimised.” Paragraph 29: “Development plans should include policies that identify any major areas of agricultural land that are planned for development. But local planning authorities may also wish to include policies in their Local Development Documents (LDDs) to protect specific areas of best and most versatile agricultural land from speculative development. It is for local planning authorities to decide whether best and most versatile agricultural land can be developed, having carefully weighed the options in the light of competent advice.” Factor Comment Integrated approach to In a recent study which considered a spatial vision for the Mosslands (Maslen land management and Environmental, 2007), broad land use „zones‟ were proposed which reflect the land use planning – the current and potential uses of the land as well as responding to the needs of local Mosslands Vision communities and land managers. Four land use zones were proposed: biodiversity zone, hydrological management zone, agricultural zone and the public enjoyment and access zone. The two of most relevance are described below. Biodiversity Zone The primary focus of this Zone was to protect and enhance the remnant mosslands (Manchester Mosses SAC) designated for their international, national and local biodiversity value, assist the delivery of UK Biodiversity Action Plan targets for the restoration of lowland raised bogs, increase knowledge and understanding of the mosslands landscape and secure the future of key farmland birds. No land uses will be excluded but all must be planned and managed to protect and enhance the biodiversity value of the land within this zone. The Vision considered that farms/land could be linked across the project area enabling the more intensive farming of the proposed agricultural zones to be offset by the creation of new areas for nature conservation linking the remaining designated sites within the biodiversity zone. This would require the input of additional resources, e.g. funding, manpower and local support. Issues to be addressed included the extent of funding available, some of the peat extraction sites were not designated for restoration to nature conservation after the cessation of peat extraction
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