Appendix 1 Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2019-2024 (Final Version) Arnside & Silverdale AONB Partnership, May 2019 1 Ministerial Foreword I am fortunate that England’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are part of my Ministerial responsibilities. Whether it be rolling hills, sweeping coastline or a tranquil village, spending time in an AONB can stir the heart and lift the spirit. This is a pivotal moment for all AONBs. The Government has set its ambition in the 25 Year Environment Plan which states clearly the importance of natural beauty as part of our green future, while AONBs retain the highest status of protection for landscape through national planning policy. Leaving the EU brings with it an opportunity to develop a better system for supporting our farmers and land managers, who play such a vital role as stewards of the landscape. And the Review of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty led by Julian Glover - the first of its kind for generations - will make recommendations to make sure our designated landscapes can flourish in the years ahead. In my visits to AONBs around the country, I have been struck by the passion of many people - farmers, volunteers, and hard-working staff - for the beautiful places they live and work. In this spirit I am delighted to welcome publication of this Statutory Management Plan for Arnside & Silverdale AONB. It is significant that this plan will be delivered in partnership by those who value Arnside & Silverdale AONB. I would like to thank all those involved in preparation of this document, and wish you the best of success in bringing it to fruition. Lord Gardiner Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2 Arnside & Silverdale AONB Management Plan 2019-24 (Final Version) Chairman’s Foreword The Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an extraordinary place, a place that is loved and valued by many people from all over the world and nationally designated for its natural beauty - stunning views and distinctive and diverse landscape, geology, wildlife and history. The AONB Management Plan has been reviewed taking into account the results of consultations carried out throughout 2018. This Management Plan sets out proposals for delivering the AONB purpose over the period 2019-24. The AONB Partnership has reviewed the AONB Management Plan on behalf of Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, South Lakeland District Council and Cumbria County Council, with the support of Defra, the National Association for AONBs and many partner organisations, local groups and individuals. Thank you for your support and contributions! Together and with collaboration, cooperation and good relationships we are well placed to meet the challenges, and make the most of the opportunities, that lie ahead, not least through the current independent national Designated Landscapes Review. Everyone has a role to play in looking after the Arnside & Silverdale AONB, from local communities, landowners and farmers to businesses and individuals. Working together we can make a real difference for the area and its future. Thank you for your support, contributions and interest. Cllr Dr Brian C Meakin Arnside & Silverdale AONB Partnership Chair 3 Arnside & Silverdale AONB Management Plan 2019-24 (Final Version) Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 5 2 The Arnside & Silverdale AONB Management Plan ................................................................ 10 3 What is special about Arnside & Silverdale AONB? ................................................................ 14 4 Landscape and seascape character ......................................................................................... 30 5 Public benefits from our special landscape ............................................................................. 36 6 Planning and development .................................................................................................... 37 7 Vision for the future ............................................................................................................... 39 8 What is needed to conserve and enhance Arnside & Silverdale AONB? ................................. 40 9 Delivering the Plan ................................................................................................................. 66 10 Monitoring ......................................................................................................................... 67 11 Glossary of terms ................................................................................................................ 68 APPENDIX 1 Arnside & Silverdale AONB Partnership Executive Committee members ................... 71 APPENDIX 2 Ecosystem Services provided by the natural capital of Arnside & Silverdale AONB 72 4 Arnside & Silverdale AONB Management Plan 2019-24 (Final Version) Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2019-2024 (Pre-adoption Version) 1 Introduction 1.1 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) are particularly special landscapes whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so precious that it is in the nation’s interest to safeguard them. AONBs are unique and irreplaceable national assets and along with National Parks represent our finest countryside. There are 46 AONBs throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, covering 18% of the land area. The primary purpose of AONB designation is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area. In pursuing the primary purpose, account should be taken of the needs of agriculture, forestry, other rural industries and of the economic and social needs of local communities. Particular regard should be paid to promoting sustainable forms of social and economic development that in themselves conserve and enhance the environment. Promoting opportunities for recreation is not an objective of designation, but the demand for recreation should be met so far as this is consistent with the conservation of natural beauty and the needs of agriculture, forestry and other uses1. AONBs were brought into being by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000 confirmed the significance of AONBs and created improved arrangements for their management, placing a statutory duty on all ‘relevant authorities’ to have regard to the purpose of conserving and enhancing natural beauty when discharging any function affecting land in AONBs and placing a statutory duty on local planning authorities to act jointly to produce a Management Plan for each AONB within their administrative area, and review it every five years. This is done through the establishment and management of a joint AONB partnership. AONBs are recognised internationally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being within a worldwide category of protected areas, Category V – Protected Landscapes/Seascapes – ‘protected areas where the interaction of people and nature over time has produced an area of distinct character with significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic value’. AONBs offer a wealth of opportunities for both people and wildlife to benefit from our countryside; as vibrant living landscapes they underpin the economy and the health and wellbeing of our society. 1 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949; confirmed by Section 82 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 5 Arnside & Silverdale AONB Management Plan 2019-24 (Final Version) 1.2 Natural beauty Natural beauty remains largely undefined in legislation, despite being central to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Since then, qualifications and amendments to the legislation make it clear that natural beauty includes wildlife, geological features and cultural heritage while not being restricted to them. Government guidance relating to AONBs provides a useful nontechnical definition: ‘Natural beauty is not just the look of the landscape, but includes landform and geology, plants and animals, landscape features and the rich history of human settlement over the centuries’. More recently the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 clarified that land used for agriculture, woodlands, parkland, or with physiographical features partly the product of human intervention in the landscape, is not prevented from being treated as an area of ‘natural beauty’. The natural beauty of an AONB landscape is therefore partly due to nature and partly the product of many centuries of human modification and management. It encompasses natural and human factors that together make an area distinctive and special: geology, climate, soil, plants, animals, communities, archaeology, buildings, settlements, historic features, culture, people and the perceptions of those who live here or visit. Importantly, landscape beauty is not limited to visual amenity but includes all aspects which underpin and contribute to the landscape’s character. The conservation and enhancement of wildlife, built heritage and cultural heritage is integral to the conservation of landscape and its natural beauty. 6 Arnside & Silverdale AONB Management Plan 2019-24 (Final Version) 1.3 The National Association for AONBs AONB partnerships from across the country