Agenda Item: Report to: Cabinet Date: 27th October 2003 Report from: Executive Director, Leisure & Cultural Development Title of report: LOCAL NATURE RESERVE DECLARATIONS OF SUMMERFIELDS WOOD AND CHURCH WOOD & ROBSACK WOOD Purpose of report: To outline the proposal for Local Nature Reserve declaration of Summerfields Wood and Church Wood & Robsack Wood. Recommendations: To proceed with the due legal process for Local Nature Reserve declaration of Summerfields Wood and Church Wood & Robsack Wood under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. C:\Hastings\Data\Committ\IntranetOLD\Cabinet\20030127\Agenda\$v2sh4puc.doc 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Hastings Borough Council owns all of Summerfields Wood as marked on the enclosed map. 1.2 Hastings Borough Council owns the majority of Church Wood & Robsack Wood as marked on the enclosed map. A small area is owned by the Church, which is included within the proposed Local Nature Reserve boundary. This area is under an access agreement with the council, and the church has sent its agreement for this area also to be included within the Local Nature Reserve boundary (Appendix 8). A small area to the north of the site is owned by East Sussex County Council, which is not included within the proposed Local Nature Reserve boundary. 1.3 Summerfields Wood and Church Wood & Robsack Wood fit all criteria for declaring as Local Nature Reserves, details of which are included in the appendices. 2.0 Purpose for Local Nature Reserve Declaration 2.1 Hastings Borough Council has received a £83,000 grant from English Nature under the New Opportunities Fund funded grant Wildspace! to; • increase the number of Local Nature Reserves in Hastings • encourage and support community involvement in the management and use of these sites • develop the educational use of Local Nature Reserves • fund a Local Nature Reserve Officer for three years 2.2 There are four existing Local Nature Reserves in the Borough of Hastings. Two in the west of the Borough, Filsham Reedbed & Marline Valley, and two in central Hastings, Old Roar Gill & St Helens Wood. 2.3 There are also three proposed Local Nature Reserves, one in the Greater Hollington area (Churchwood & Robsack Wood), one in West St Leonards (South Saxons Wetlands), and one in the east of the Borough (Hastings Country Park & Fairlight Place Farm). 2.4 Summerfields Wood has been added to the list of proposed Local Nature Reserves to be declared under the Hastings Local Nature Reserve project due to its equal suitability as a Local Nature Reserve compared to the criteria for LNR declaration. 2.5 The declaration of Local Nature Reserves in general and the declaration of Summerfield’s Wood and Church Wood in particular are specified as policies, targets and actions in a number of council strategies and plans: • Cultural Strategy • Sustainable Development Strategy • Local Plan C:\Hastings\Data\Committ\IntranetOLD\Cabinet\20030127\Agenda\$v2sh4puc.doc • Community Strategy • Nature Conservation Strategy • Local Performance Plan 2003/04 ‘The Year of Delivery’ 2.6 By declaring Summerfields Wood and Church Wood & Robsack Wood Local Nature Reserves, all residents and visitors to Hastings will have easy access to a Local Nature Reserve near the town centre and in the Greater Hollington area. The site will also be able to benefit from the councils Local Nature Reserve project funded by Wildspace! by providing support for community groups, to maintain involvement in managing the site for improvements to access, educational and community event use and biodiversity protection. Further information on the community participation and educational aims of the project are outlined in appendix 3. A summary of the procedure for Local Nature Reserve declaration is outlined in appendix 2. 3.0 Site Management 3.1 Site management in both sites is administered through the Council’s Leisure and Cultural Development Directorate. Development of the sites for improved access and management has been boosted by the Greenspace project, 'Greengym', the Local Nature Reserve project, and by the Greenway project in Summerfields Wood. 3.2 A 'Friends of' group for Church Wood & Robsack Wood will be set-up by the Greater Hollington Partnership, Hastings Borough Council and BTCV (British Trust of Conservation Volunteers) to ensure the local community has an input into the management of the Church Wood & Robsack Wood Local Nature Reserve. 5.0 Financial Implications 5.1 Any costs incurred for Local Nature Reserve designation will be met by the Wildspace! grant. ____________________________________________________________________________ Report written by Andy Phillilps, Local Nature Reserve Officer Tel: 01424 781043 E-mail: [email protected] C:\Hastings\Data\Committ\IntranetOLD\Cabinet\20030127\Agenda\$v2sh4puc.doc Appendices 1. Background Information 2. Procedure for Local Nature Reserve Declaration 3. The Community Context 4. Site Map of Summerfields Wood (pLNR outlined and hatched in red) 5. Site Map of Church Wood & Robsack Wood (pLNR outlined and hatched in red) 6. Local Nature Reserve English Nature Consultation Information for Summerfields Wood 7. Local Nature Reserve English Nature Consultation Information for Church Wood & Robsack Wood 8. Letter of agreement for inclusion of Church owned land within Church Wood & Robsack Wood Local Nature Reserve C:\Hastings\Data\Committ\IntranetOLD\Cabinet\20030127\Agenda\$v2sh4puc.doc Appendix 1 1. Background Information 1.1 English Nature has set national targets for the accessibility of Local Nature Reserves to the populations of towns and cities. They have recommended that 1ha of Local Nature Reserve should be provided for every thousand people, and that at least one accessible 20ha site should be within 2km of each home and one accessible 100ha site should be within 5km of home. 1.2 Hastings currently has four Local Nature Reserves in the Borough, Filsham Reedbed LNR, Marline Valley LNR, Old Roar Gill & Coronation Wood LNR and St Helens Wood LNR. The policy framework for safeguarding and improving the natural environment of the Borough is outlined in the Hastings Urban Nature Conservation Strategy. 1.3 The aims of the Nature Conservation Strategy are; • continuing to identify and protect areas of nature conservation interest • improving and promoting access to sites of nature conservation interest • developing information on the natural environment for residents and schools • improving the attractiveness of the Borough to residents, visitors and investors • improving the quality of life for residents 1.4 Policy NC 3.7 of the Nature Conservation Strategy, states the Council will, ‘Continue to protect areas of nature conservation interest by designating appropriate areas LNR’s utilising the powers conferred upon it through the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949’. 1.5 Action i13 of the Sustainable Development Strategy for Hastings and St Leonards ‘ Designate new Local Nature Reserves ’ sets a target to ‘ Designate at least one new Local Nature Reserve by 2002’ . 1.6 Church Wood is covered by policy NC4 in the Local Plan: NC4 Church Wood Proposed LNR The Borough Council supports the designation of Church Wood as a Local Nature Reserve. C:\Hastings\Data\Committ\IntranetOLD\Cabinet\20030127\Agenda\$v2sh4puc.doc Appendix 2 2 Procedure for Local Nature Reserve Declaration 2.1 Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949 gives local authorities the power to acquire, declare and manage nature reserves. The responsibility for selecting, acquiring and managing these nature reserves is the local authorities. English Nature must be consulted by local authorities in their use of the powers given by Section 21. The declaration of a Local Nature Reserve by a local authority is acceptance of the commitment to manage the land as a nature reserve and to protect it from inappropriate uses or development. 2.2 The Borough Secretary has been fully consulted over the legal aspects of this proposal. 2.3 The procedure recommended by English Nature in their publication, Local Nature Reserves In England – A guide to their selection and declaration , is simple and straightforward, a copy of which is included in the appendix. A summary of this procedure is as follows: • Identify sites suitable for LNR designation and establish ownership; • Set-up management steering group; • Outline management policies and objectives and outline financial and staffing implications; • Formal consultation with English Nature; • Public consultation on LNR declaration and site management; • Prepare instruments of declaration and arrange for public access to them, issue public notice and press release; • Conduct Local Nature Reserve opening ceremony. C:\Hastings\Data\Committ\IntranetOLD\Cabinet\20030127\Agenda\$v2sh4puc.doc Appendix 3 3 The Community Context & The Hastings Local Nature Reserve Project. 3.1 One of the main aims of the Hastings Local Nature Reserve project is to ensure every sector of the community has access to and can use a Local Nature Reserve. The Project will promote the use of the reserves within the local community through events, the availability of information via leaflets in community centres, the library and the information centre, articles in the Council’s About magazine, websites and public presentations throughout the Borough. 3.2 Any project planned within a Local Nature Reserve or proposed Local Nature Reserve will be presented at existing and newly created community forums so that local communities can