Local Nature Reserves

Location Plan and Details

Barnes LNR Site Area: Leases/Licences/Agreement: Separate Meadow Declaration 20.6 (2 Management agreements/plans between Wildlife Date: Initial hectares in Trust and NBC and NCC (both landowners) riverside Borough 1990 Council ownership) Extension 1997

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Bradlaugh LNR Site Area: Leases/Licences/Agreement: Separate Fields Declaration 8.0 Wildlife Trust had a management agreement Date: 1996 hectares signed 1 April 1996 for 5 years to end March Hills and 2001 Hollows

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Bradlaugh LNR Site Leases/Licences/Agreement: Separate Wildlife Fields Declaration Area: 5.2 Trust have a licence to manage Date: 1996 hectares Scrub Field

Bradlaugh LNR Site Leases/Licences/Agreement: Not declared due Fields Declaration Area: 4.9 to lack of funding being available for Date: Not hectares management by the Trust. Informal management Quarry Field LNR by Trust at present.

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Kingsthorpe LNR Site Area: Leases/Licences/Agreement: Separate Water Declaration N side 5.4 Leased to Wildlife Trust Meadows Date: 1990 hectares N side from 1990 S side 10.5 hectares S side from 1992

Total 15.9 Understood that lease now effective until hectares 2014

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Lings Wood LNR Site Area: Leases/Licences/Agreement: Leased to Wildlife Declaration 22.7 Trust with Management Agreement Date: 1990 hectares Rent for Lings House paid from Nature Conservation Revenue Budget since 2001 - £6,000 pa

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Storton’s LNR Site Area: Leases/Licences/Agreement: This is Pits Declaration 20.0 maintained by the Wildlife Trust, under the Date: 2005 hectares Section 106 Agreement and Management Plan (owned by for the site which has secured funding over a 10 HCA) year period. This site would not be included in arrangement in the short term due to funding existing through S.106 obligation.

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Draft Service Level Agreement

DRAFT SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT BETWEEN BOROUGH COUNCIL AND THE WILDLIFE TRUST FOR , , AND

Background

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough (hereinafter referred to as ‘The Wildlife Trust’) is part of a nationwide network of local Trusts dedicated to all aspects of wildlife protection.

The Wildlife Trust Mission Statement Vision:

People close to nature, in a land rich in wildlife Mission

Our mission is to

Conserve local wildlife, by caring for land ourselves and with others; Inspire others to take action for wildlife; and Inform people, by offering advice and sharing knowledge

PART 1: AGREEMENT ON MANAGEMENT WORK ON THE PART OF THE WILDLIFE TRUST This agreement relates to work in the Borough of Northampton and covers a period of five years from the 1st of April 2013 to the 31st March 2018, subject to an annual review of performance in terms of meeting the terms of the Service Level Agreement. Either party may terminate the agreement subject to a three month notice period.

The Wildlife Trust will work to assist Northampton Borough Council in meeting its commitment to protect and enhance the environment of the Borough by providing a specialist resource for the Council in support of biodiversity matters. This will be provided by the management of Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) and associated community involvement on the sites covered by the Agreement.

1. MANAGEMENT OF LOCAL NATURE RESERVES

The Wildlife Trust will manage Local Nature Reserves, owned by Northampton Borough Council, for the benefit of wildlife and people. Established and Declared Local Nature Reserves in Northampton are at , Lings, Kingsthorpe Meadows, and two sites at – a) Hills and Hollows and b) Scrub Field. Although not a declared LNR, the Quarry Field at Bradlaugh Fields can be considered as an extension of the Bradlaugh Fields Reserves and its management is included within the Agreement.

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Two other sites are known to have the potential to be included at a later date within the 5-year period of the Service Level Agreement, subject to review and the further agreement of both parties.

1) Storton’s Pits LNR is currently funded and maintained under a Planning Obligation, which will terminate in March 2015. The site is not in the ownership of Northampton Borough Council. However, a planning obligation has been agreed with the developers of the former British Timken site to fund management works to Storton’s Pits. The management arrangements from April 2015 through the Planning Obligation and potentially in subsequent years through funding obtained through other planning obligations would need to be the subject of further agreement between the Trust and the Borough Council. 2) A related site, Duston Wetland, has not yet been implemented. This site is similarly not in the ownership of Northampton Borough Council. The proposal, for habitat enhancement, is to be funded separately from the same Planning Obligation as the established Storton’s Pits LNR. Management arrangements including funding for Duston Wetland would need to be the subject of further agreement between the Trust, the Borough Council and the landowners (currently the Homes and Communities Agency). Such arrangements would commence on the completion of the scheme and also be subject to the investigation of management options by all parties and stakeholders. The Borough Council’s involvement would also be influenced by the funding provided for on-going maintenance through the Planning Obligation for creation of the site and the status of the site on completion i.e. if the site was of sufficient ecological value to warrant Declaration as a Local Nature Reserve

The Wildlife Trust will prepare and keep under review and implement management plans for each of the Reserves. The Plans and any modifications will be subject to the agreement of Northampton Borough Council.

The Wildlife Trust will prepare an annual statement of its proposed management of each of the Reserves for the financial year highlighting how the Council’s payment will be spent, together with a review of its activities against those proposed in the previous year’s management plan and submit this to the Council as part of the Annual Report detailed in part 3 of this Agreement.

The Wildlife Trust will attend meetings as agreed in consultation with the Borough Council to discuss management issues concerning Local Nature Reserves. Meetings may also include those with specific nature reserve management groups, liaison and publicity meetings with local residents, community groups and neighbourhood meetings, as may be required and in agreement with Northampton Borough Council This will include discussions on proposed projects for the creation of further wildlife habitats and potential Local Nature Reserves (where there is evidence that long term maintenance funding /management is likely to be forthcoming) in Northampton and their relationship with wider strategic Green Infrastructure networks.

2. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The Wildlife Trust will continue to use the resource provided by designated and potential Local Nature Reserves in the Borough, to involve local residents in wildlife conservation through its programme of conservation volunteering, groups for young people, schools/educational visits and training activity.

Jmd/committees/cabinet report template/21/02/13 The Wildlife Trust will ensure that its activities in the Borough, relating to the Local Nature Reserves, are publicised to Borough residents through all appropriate media in order to maximise community involvement and awareness. Details of these activities will be set out in the Annual Report as identified in Part 3 of this agreement.

3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING STREAMS

The Wildlife Trust and Council will use its best endeavours to secure additional resource towards the management and maintenance of the Local Nature Reserves in Northampton. This will either be through direct funding by the Borough Council,, the Wildlife Trust or third parties, or through ‘works in kind’ to complement the financial sum as set out in PART 2 of this agreement made available by the Borough Council.

PART 2: AGREEMENT ON FUNDING ON THE PART OF NORTHAMPTON BOROUGH COUNCIL

Northampton Borough Council will provide in each year of the Agreement the sum of

£ 33551.00 or such sum as may otherwise be approved. Of this, £10,500 is to cover the annual rent of Lings House and £23,051.00 is for the management of the Local Nature Reserves. Payment in the second and subsequent years will be subject to evidence in the Trust’s annual report to the Council as detailed in PART 3 that the Trust has fulfilled the terms of this Service Level Agreement in the previous twelve months.

Payment of the £23,051.00 will generally be released to the Trust by 31st August in each year of the Agreement, subject to approval by the Council of the Annual Report as detailed in part 3 of this agreement.

In making the payment, Northampton Borough Council does not accept or imply any responsibility for any loss or damage whatsoever resulting from the Agreement and the Trust will keep Northampton Borough Council and its officers indemnified against all claims of liability in respect of injury or death or damage to any property resulting from the agreement.

PART 3 ARRANGEMENTS FOR LIAISON AND REPORTING

The Trust will provide to the Borough Council by 31st May in each year of the Agreement, a written Annual Report, or if the Agreement is terminated within two months of the termination a Final Report. The Report will detail:

a) A statement setting out for the existing financial year how the Council’s payment, together with any other associated direct funding by the Wildlife Trust and third parties or works in kind will be spent in relation to Management Plans for the Reserves

b) A statement reviewing the management activities in the previous financial year against those proposed over the in the previous year’s statement, together with any additional activities that might have taken place

c) A statement of planned community engagement and or educational programmes for the existing financial year together with those undertaken with regards to the Local Nature Reserves with evidence of recognition of the engagement with the

Jmd/committees/cabinet report template/21/02/13 specific groups with protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010 (and any subsequent amendments).

d) A note of any future plans of relevance to the Borough’s nature conservation commitment and the Trust’s particular priorities for the following twelve months.

The Trust will agree on request to:

a) Undertake at least one site visit to each of the Reserves with representatives of the Borough Council (officers or Councillors) to provide commentary on the Reserves in relation to the content of the Annual Report

b) Attend a meeting at the Council to present and respond to questions on its annual report.

The Trust and Council will agree to reasonable requests to meet:

a) To discuss management issues concerning Local Nature Reserves with specific nature reserve management groups or liaison and publicity meetings with local residents and community groups

b) To discuss proposed projects for the creation of further wildlife habitats and potential Local Nature Reserves (where there is evidence that long term maintenance funding /management is likely to be forthcoming) in Northampton and their relationship with wider strategic Green Infrastructure networks

The Council will approve the Annual Report (if necessary after amendment agreed with the Wildlife Trust) by 31st August.

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