MEGALITH JULY 2015 MEGALITH Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter JULY 2015 NIO M O UN IM D R T IA A L P W L O Thank you to the following A I R L D D N H O E M R I E people for assistance with text TA IN GE O PATRIM for this edition of Megalith: United Nations Stonehenge, Avebury (GXFDWLRQDO6FLHQWL¿FDQG and Associated Sites Cultural Organization inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986 Clare Blick Jess Trethowan Anneka Harris Patrick Cashman Ben Cooke Sarah Simmonds Nick Snashall Rose Somerset Gill Swanton David Dawson CONTACT US Stonehenge and Avebury WHS Coordination Unit Sarah Simmonds Avebury WHS Coordinator [email protected] 077966 900 324 Beth Thomas Stonehenge WHS Coordinator [email protected] 07769 741 066 Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre Cocklebury Road Chippenham SN15 3QN 01225 718 470 www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org @StoneAveWHS Compiled by Beth Thomas Designed by Michael Goddard [email protected] Published by Stonehenge and Avebury WHS Coordination Unit 2015 Supported by Historic England and Wiltshire Council MEGALITH JULY 2015 Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter JULY 2015 Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter Welcome Naturally cultural, culturally natural Welcome to the fourth UNESCO has four categories of World edition of Megalith, the newsletter Heritage Site: cultural, natural, cultural of the Stonehenge and Avebury landscape and mixed. The Stonehenge and World Heritage (WHS). Avebury World Heritage Site is inscribed as It provides a snapshot of the work a cultural site but managing the “landscape carried out in both parts of the without parallel”, as Stonehenge and WHS over the past year and looks Avebury is described by UNESCO, forward to forthcoming events. inevitably means that conservation of the natural environment is key to the The World Heritage Site is managed protection of the hundreds of by a wide range of partners from archaeological features in the landscape. Wiltshire Council, English Heritage, Historic England, North Wessex The WHS Coordination Unit work closely Beth Thomas with a number of partners usually more Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Stonehenge WHS Coordinator Beauty and the National Trust associated with the natural environment Megalith to parish and town councils and than the historic. In this edition of we feature a number of projects focusing individual landowners. on the wildlife and landscape of the WHS. These include: the RSPB’s “Magnificent If you want to find out more Meadows” project at Normanton Down; about the work of the WHS why the bird survey carried out in 2014; the not take a look at our website habitat survey undertaken by the Wiltshire www.stonehengeandaveburywhs. Wildlife Trust for the WHS in 2014; and org or follow us on Twitter information on developments at Fyfield @StoneAveWHS. Down in Avebury. We hope that you enjoy this This edition of Megalith covers a wide edition of Megalith. Please contact range of subjects and introduces the new us if you want to know more. Stonehenge and Avebury WHS Management Plan 2015, the first joint Management Plan for the WHS. We do hope that you enjoy reading this Sarah Simmonds Avebury WHS Coordinator year’s edition of Megalith. Please contact us if you require any further information about any of the projects mentioned. Maps © English Heritage 2 3 MEGALITH JULY 2015 Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter JULY 2015 Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Management Plan 2015 The first joint Stonehenge and Avebury The Plan is organised into four parts with The most significant issues affecting the WHS Management Plan was launched on supporting information in the form of WHS are: 18 May 2015. The purpose of the appendices and maps: Management Plan is to protect and sustain n Sustaining the OUV of the WHS for the Outstanding Universal Value of the Part One: The Management Plan and the present and future generations World Heritage Site for this and future significance of the Stonehenge and Avebury generations. The Plan also takes into WHS includes a description of its n Providing adequate protection of the account other interests such as access, Outstanding Universal Value and other values WHS and it setting through the planning interpretation, nature conservation, farming as well as the policy and management system education, research and the needs of the context and an assessment of the 2005/2009 local community. Management Plans; n Continuing reversion to grassland and ensuring renewal of existing agreements Within the UK, Management Plans provide Part Two: Key management issues and the overarching strategy for the management opportunities; n Improving the condition of the of the WHS. They are a material monuments under threat from burrowing consideration in planning decisions and Part Three: Aims and policies; animals, scrub and tree cover. provide an advisory framework for guiding management initiatives. Management Plans Part Four: Implementing the Plan. this n Enhancing the ecological value of the area are endorsed by the Department of Culture, includes a table of aims, policies and actions Media and Sport (DCMS), and referred to setting out priorities, lead and key partners n Reducing the adverse impact of roads on UNESCO. and outputs/success measures. the WHS, its attributes of OUV and ability to explore the landscape The Plan identifies 61 management issues The Plan establishes an overall vision for the The Plan was developed in consultation with agreed by WHS partners and stakeholders n Monitoring the impacts of tourism and long term future of the Stonehenge and a wide range of partner organisations and and discusses them in detail. These formed managing this sustainably Avebury WHS and sets out aims, policies individuals through a wide ranging public the basis for the development of the aims and actions for the positive management of consultation process. We look forward to and policies for the management of the n Improved interpretation of the WHS the WHS in partnership with landowners, implementing the Plan over the next six WHS as well as the 178 related actions set particularly the outlying monuments and the farmers, relevant agencies and organisations years with the help of those partners. in the local community. out in the Plan. landscape as a whole The full plan and a summary can be The issues fall into eight main themes: n Encouraging sustainable research and downloaded at planning and policy; boundaries of the WHS; education www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org/manag conservation; visitor management and ement-of-whs/stonehenge-and-avebury- sustainable tourism; interpretation, learning n Funding and resourcing the coordination whs-management-plan-2015/ and community engagement; roads and of the WHS and implementation of the traffic; research; management, liaison and Management Plan monitoring. 4 5 MEGALITH JULY 2015 Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter JULY 2015 Avebury WHS Transport Strategy Volunteering in the World Heritage Site The Avebury WHS Transport Strategy is now complete. This is the first such document produced for a UK World Heritage Site and represents an innovative blueprint for best practice in an internationally protected landscape. The Strategy provides a holistic approach to managing the impacts of roads and traffic in the World Heritage Site and maximising the ease and enjoyment with which visitors and local people can explore this magnificent World Heritage landscape. These partners include the North Wessex Downs AONB who jointly funded the The Transport Strategy addresses the Strategy with Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire challenges related to the management of Police, English Heritage, the National Trust roads and traffic in the Avebury part of the and Wiltshire Council Highways, World Heritage Site. These challenges Archaeology Service and conservation include direct damage to monuments and officer. Avebury Parish Council has helped their setting as well as impacts on the to shape the World Heritage Site experience of visitors and the day to day Transport Strategy as members of the task Phil Andrews explaining the excavation at Barrow Clump to volunteers and finish group and through their lives of the local community. The Strategy Many of the partners working in the WHS Recent events have included a trip to the proposes a series of recommended Avebury Parish Traffic Plan which has fed into its recommendations. offer volunteering opportunities in a wide Barrow Clump excavation near Figheldean in schemes to overcome these challenges range of activities from working outdoors to July last year and a sneak preview of the while maintaining an efficient transport The next steps will be to review the conservation work, and from assisting with Wish You Were Here exhibition at the network and access for local people and education work to room stewarding. Stonehenge Visitor Centre in April 2015. visitors. It also provides a set of Design recommendations and draw up detailed schemes. These will need to go through The latter event was attended by volunteers Principles to ensure that any proposed The WHS works with its partners through who work with the National Trust at changes related to highways within the a process of public consultation to help ensure that we satisfy the need to protect a group called the Stonehenge and Avebury Avebury some of whom had not visited the World Heritage Site are sensitive to its Learning and Outreach Group (SALOG for new Visitor Centre before. unique characteristics. and enhance the WHS while meeting the needs of visitors and the local community. short!). The WHS Coordination Unit has helped to facilitate recruitment events and Volunteers enjoy the opportunity to hear WHS partners have worked alongside the also social activities, known as Volunteers about the latest news from WHS partners, Council’s consultants Atkins to produce this You can find the Avebury WHS Transport Strategy online at Together, for the hundreds of volunteers meet new people and swap experiences.