Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Draft Management Plan 2014 - 2019 PARTONE STRATEGY December 2014 PARTONE STRATEGY Contents Introduction 2 SECTIONONE 1 AONBDesignation 2 1.1 PurposeoftheDesignation 3 1.2 Significanceofthedesignation 3 1.3 WhoisthePlanfor 3 1.4 Governance 4 SECTIONTWO SettingthePlaninContext 2.1 EuropeanLandscapeConvention 5 2.2 IUCNCategoryV 5 2.3 TheEnvironmentBill 6 2.4 TakingtheLongView 6 2.5 RiverBasinManagementPlans 6 SECTIONTHREE 3.1 AnEcosystemApproach 7 SECTIONFOUR WhatmakestheClwydianRangeandDeeValleySpecial SpecialQualities 10 SpecialFeatures 11 AVisionfortheClwydianRangeandDeeValley 12 LandscapeQualityandCharacter 13 HabitatsandWildlife 14 TheHistoricEnvironment 18 Access,RecreationandTourism 21 TheBuiltEnvironment 24 INTRODUCTION TheClwydianRangendDeeValleyAreaofOutstandingNaturalBeautyisthedramatic uplandfrontiertoNorthWalesembracingsomeofthecountry’smostwonderful countryside. TheClwydianRangeisanunmistakeablechainofheathercladsummitstoppedbyBritain’s moststrikinglysituatedhillforts.BeyondthewindsweptHorseshoePass,overLlantysilio Mountain,liesthegloriousDeeValleywithhistoricLlangollen,afamousmarkettownrichin culturalandindustrialheritage. TheOffa’sDykeNationalTrailtraversesthisspeciallyprotectedarea,oneoftheleast discoveredyetmostwelcomingandeasiesttoexploreofBritain’sfinestlandscapes. AboutthisPlan. ThisManagementPlanisthefirstoverarching5yearstrategyforthenewlyformed ClwydianRangeandDeeValleyAreaofOutstandingNaturalBeauty. ItisaplanforallthosewithaninterestintheClwydianRangeandDeeValleyand hasbeenpreparedbytheAONBUnitinclosecollaborationwithkeypartnersand stakeholders.ThisisafiveyearplanfortheentirecommunityoftheAONBnotjust theAONBunit.ItalsorecognisesthattheAONBhasanimpactonthewiderregion andcanbeaffectedbyinfluencesoutsideofitsboundary.ItisaPlanfortheAONB, itscommunities,businesses,visitorsandorganisationsandwillrequireallwhohave aninterestintheAONBtoworktogethertoachieveitsaspirations.Itwillensure thatAONBpurposesarebeingdeliveredwhilstcontributingtotheaimsand objectivesofotherstrategiesforthearea. ThisManagementPlanisdifferentfromitspredecessorsinthatitalsobeginsto tacklethequestionofwhattheAONBcanproducetomeetsociety’sneedswhilst ensuringtheachievementofAONB’spurposestoconserveandenhancenatural beauty. SECTIONONE 1..AONBDESIGNATION TheClwydianRangewasdesignatedasanAreaofOutstandingNaturalBeautyinJuly 1985.In2011followingdetailedworkbytheCountrysideCouncilforWalesandthe threeLocalAuthoritiesofDenbighshire,FlintshireandWrexhamtheAONB designationwasextendedtoincludetheDeeValley.Thisisthemostrecent landscapedesignationinWalesandmakestheClwydianRangeandDeeValleyAONB forlargestofthe5AONBsinWales. Page | 2 1.1PurposeoftheDesignation AONBstogetherwithNationalParksrecogniseourfinestlandscapesandseta frameworkfortheirprotectionandenhancement.Theprimarystatutorypurposeof designatingatractofCountrysideasanAONBistoconserveandenhancethe naturalbeautyofthearea.Theconceptof‘naturalbeauty’includestheprotectionof flora,faunaandgeologicalaswellaslandscapefeatures.However,itisvery importantthattheculturaldimensionofthelandscape,includingthehistorical, spiritualandinspirationalelements,aswellasthephysicalhumanshapingofthe landisfullyrecognised.InWalestheaddeddimensionsofthelanguageprovidesan essentialelementofculturalrichnessthatmustberecognisedtoo.Theseshouldall beintegratedintothemanagementofAONBs. 1.2 The significance of AONB designation ThepowertodesignateanAreaofOutstandingNaturalBeautycomesfromthe NationalParksandAccesstotheCountrysideAct,1949.Thepurposes,dutiesand managementrequirementsforAONBsaresetoutintheCountrysideandRightsof Way(CRoW)Act2000.Section82oftheCRoWActestablishestheprimarypurpose ofAONBdesignationastheconservationandenhancementofnaturalbeauty. Section85placesadutyonallpublicbodiestohaveregardtothepurposesof conservingandenhancingthenaturalbeautyoftheareainundertakingany functionsoractionsaffectinganAONB.Itisnotthepurposeofdesignationtostop developmentbuttheplanningauthoritieswillconsideranydevelopmentproposalto ensurethatitdoesnotundulyharmthecharacterandappearanceoftheAONB;itis sensitivelylocatedanddesigned;anditcomplementsorenhancesthespecial qualitiesandfeaturesofthearea. Section89requiresthelocalauthoritiesinwhoseareaanAONBliestoprepareand publishanAONBManagementPlantoguidepolicydevelopmentandmanagement actions. 1.3 Who is the Plan for? ThePlanisdesignedtoprovideaframeworkthatcaninformandguideanyonewho undertakesactivitiesthatmayaffecttheAONB.Thesewillinclude: RelevantAuthorities – Allpublicbodiesandstatutoryundertakers–as definedinSection85oftheCountrysideandRightsofWayAct2000–that haveadutytohaveregardforthepurposesofAONBs.Thisplan,indefining theareasspecialqualitiesandfeaturessetsoutanagendaformanaging changethatwillhelpthesebodiestofulfiltheirstatutoryduties.TheJoint CommitteeoftheAONBrepresentsandactsonbehalfofthethreelocalAuthorities ofDenbighshire,FlintshireandWrexham. Page | 3 PartnersoftheAONB – organisationsandindividualsthathaveakeyrolein deliveringandchampioningtheprogrammesoftheAONB–asrepresentedbythe AONBPartnership . LandownersandLandmanagers – ThePlanseekstoworkwithlandowners andlandmanagersandrecognisesthekeyroletheyhavetoplayinrealising theoverallvision. LocalCommunities– Theplancommitstoworkingwiththosewholiveand workwithintheAONBandidentifiestheimportanceofcommunitiesin definingandcaringforthelandscape.Theplansetsoutanagendafor workingwiththecommunitiesoftheAONB. 1.4 Governance SincetheexpansionoftheAONBtoincludetheDeeValley,partsofwhichfallinto WrexhamCountyBoroughCouncil,agovernancereviewhasbeenundertakeninorderto developmoreappropriateworkingstructurethatreflectsthejointapproachbetweenthe threeLocalAuthoritiesofDenbighshire,FlintshireandWrexhamaswellastheneedto expandtoincludeotherpartnershipsinthenewAONB. AONB Joint Committee 2014 ThethreeLocalAuthoritiesofDenbighshire,WrexhamandFlintshireenteredintotheLegal AgreementtojointlydischargetheirAONBfunctionsbymeansofaJointCommitteeforthe AONBinthesummerof2014.TheCommitteeismadeupofLeadmembers(membersof theAuthority’sExecutiveorCabinet)ofeachLocalAuthorityandhasthepoweracton behalfofthoseLocalAuthority’sindeliveringthepurposesoftheAONB. AONB Partnership 2015 TheAONBPartnershipisaneffectiveresourceintherangeanddepthofpoliticaland professionalexpertiseandexperience.Itrepresentsthelocalauthorities,landowners, farmers,conservationandrecreationinterests.ThePartnershipsupportsthedeliveryof theAONBManagementPlanthroughitsexpertiseandexperienceinabroadrangeoffields relatedtolandscapemanagement.ItissupportedbyanOfficer’sWorkingGroupof relevantofficersfromtheconstituentlocalauthoritiesandNaturalResourcesWales. Page | 4 SECTIONTWO SettingthePlaninContext. EuropeanContext 2.1EuropeanLandscapeConvention TheUKsigneduptotheEuropeanLandscapeConventionin2007.TheConvention clearlysetsoutanagendaforlandscapeprotectionandmanagementonaEuropean levelandassuchisanimportantelementininformingastrategicapproach.The Conventionasksmemberstates: a)torecogniselandscapesinlawasanessentialcomponentofpeople’s surroundings,anexpressionofthediversityoftheirsharedculturaland naturalheritage,andafoundationoftheiridentity; b)toestablishandimplementlandscapepoliciesaimedatlandscape protection,managementandplanning. c)toestablishproceduresfortheparticipationofthegeneralpublic,localand regionalauthorities,andotherpartieswithaninterestinthedefinitionand implementationoflandscapepolicies. d)tointegratelandscapeintotheirregionalandtownplanningpoliciesandin itscultural,environmental,agricultural,socialandeconomicpolicies,aswell asinanyotherpolicieswithpossibledirectorindirectimpactonlandscape. SpecificallytheConventionaskseachcountrytoundertaketoraiseawarenessof landscapeprotection,identifyspeciallandscapecharacteristics,andtosetand implementobjectivesforprotection,managementandplanningofthelandscape. 2.2InternationalUnionforConservationofNatureand NaturalResources–CategoryVLandscapes AONBstogetherwithotherdesignatedlandscapesintheUKarepartofaglobalnetwork andsitwithinaworldwidecategoryofprotectedareasknownas“Protected Landscapes”.CategoryVreferstooneofsixcategoriesofprotectedareasworldwide. CategoryVLandscapesrecognisethesignificanceofAONBsinglobaltermsand ensuresaconsistentapproachtolandscapeconservationinternationally.TheIUCN recognisesthatthinkingonprotectedareasisundergoingafundamentalshift.“Whereas protectedareaswereonceplannedagainstpeople,nowitisrecognisedthattheyneedto beplannedwithlocalpeople,andoftenforandbythemaswell.Whereoncetheemphasis wasonsettingplacesaside,wenowlooktodeveloplinkagesbetweenstrictlyprotected coreareasandtheareasaround:economiclinkswhichbenefitlocalpeople,andphysical links,viaecologicalcorridors,toprovidemorespaceforspeciesandnaturalprocesses.” Page | 5 National Context 2.3TheEnvironmentBill EnvironmentBillemphasisestheimportanceofconsideringthemanagementofournatural resources,onlandandsea,inamoreintegratedwayandplacessustainabledevelopmentat theheartofitsapproach.Itsetsoutanewstatutoryframeworkfortheintegratedand sustainablemanagementofournaturalresourcesinordertodeliverahealthier,more resilientWalesthrougheconomic,socialandenvironmentalbenefits. 2.4TakingtheLongView WelshGovernmentStatementforAONBsandNationalParks. ThisdraftpolicystatementsetsouttheWelshGovernmentspolicyframeworkfor statutorydesignatedlandscapesinWales.Itrequiresdesignatedlandscapesto contributetomeetingthechallengesofsustainabledevelopmentthroughthe deliveryoftheirstatutorypurposes. ItsetoutavisionforAONBsandNationalParkstobeliving,workinglandscapes,