State of the AONB Report 2009-2014 Mendip Hills AONB 1 STATE OF THE AONB REPORT 2009-2014 Mendip Hills AONB WELCOME This State of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Report provides background information to the Mendip Hills AONB Management Plan and factual information on the AONB. The information contained here will be reviewed with the Management Plan every five years. Changes in data will indicate if Management Plan objectives and actions are proving effective. This will assist future reviews of the Management Plan and be useful in directing future management work. The data contained here is information that is available from sources that are updated on a regular basis and cover the whole AONB. The information has been divided into the nine Management Plan themes. Whilst we will review the information for trends every five years we will also seek to add new information annually where relevant to one of the themes and is a potential indicator of change. naturally beautiful and MENDIP HILLS AONB nationally protected landscape [email protected] www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk State of the AONB Report 2009-2014 Mendip Hills AONB 2 State of the AONB Information with indicators for monitoring effectiveness of objectives & actions INTRODUCTION The Mendip Hills AONB is breathing space for many visitors but also home to 6000 people. Over 800,000 people live within a 10 mile radius of the Mendip Hills including the population of Bristol, Weston Super Mare and Bath. Bristol airport within view of the Mendip Hills carries 6.5 million passengers. The M5, the main route to the South West, cuts through the AONB carrying millions of visitors each year. The majority of the AONB area totaling 19,800ha is in private ownership and farmed; a high level of private ownership however, does not mean low levels of access. There is a good network of 428kms of Public Rights of Way. The National Trust owns 704ha providing access for everyone and to protect areas of national beauty. The Somerset Wildlife Trust and Avon Wildlife Trust own 354ha land and allow 800,000 people live within a 10 mile radius of the Mendip Hills State of the AONB Report 2009-2014 Mendip Hills AONB 3 A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE AONB IS UNDER SOME FORM OF CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT AND HAS PUBLIC ACCESS public access to all their sites. Somerset As the vast majority of the AONB is in County Council own 6 sites in the AONB private ownership, the quality of the built as totalling 70ha, 2 of which have extensive well as the natural environment therefore public access as amenity sites. depends on a combination of; encouragement to owners to conserve and Thirteen per cent of the AONB has enhance; strong land use policies in local additional national or international nature development frameworks and enforcement conservation protected area designation. of these policies. European Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) including the Mendip Limestone grassland, North Somerset and Mendip Bats, and Mendip Woodlands cover 867ha. The Special Protection Area (SPA) of Chew Valley Lake covers 574ha. There are also 27 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and 2 National Nature Reserves covering 2690 ha. These sites include the SACs and SPA. There are also locally designated Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) for their wildlife interest. Therefore a significant part of the AONB is under some form of conservation management and has public access. State of the AONB Report 2009-2014 Mendip Hills AONB 4 Drivers for change – external influences DRIVERS FOR CHANGE Any plan for the future must consider what is happening in the wider world. The AONB cannot be immune to their effects. Moreover these issues will affect the special qualities of the AONB. The main ones are: Social Technological Environmental Economic Political State of the AONB Report 2009-2014 Mendip Hills AONB 5 SOCIAL DRIVERS opportunities for young people is a key area communities, visitor enjoyment and quality to do more to stay healthy or become of work for many of the AONB stakeholders. of the environment. Traffic creates healthy higher levels of obesity are The South West Protected Landscape dangerous roads, accidents, visual intrusion, predicted. The social and economic costs of The Government wants public involvement Forum ‘Use of Countryside Assets by under loss of tranquility, clutter of road signs, air this are high with greater pressure on health in decision-making and has increased represented groups in the South pollution and carbon dioxide emissions and and social services and increases opportunities for this to happen by requiring West’ (March 2007) report identified that the their links to climate change. Government absenteeism amongst the working age public involvement in community strategies. catchment area of the Mendip Hills AONB sees access to services as a priority for the population. The AONB is a fantastic Many other projects enable people to shape includes areas that are in England’s worst public and private sector. Highway resource for people of all ages and abilities the areas in which they live including Parish 10% for inner city, disability and mental authorities through Local Transport Plans and can be used to combat these social Plans, Village Design Statements, and work health. These categories account for 18% of have a duty to increase accessibility within problems. on local nature reserves. Parish councils the catchment population. Older people their areas. In line with Government play a vital role in helping local people Volunteer activity can help people become over the age of 60 account for 22% with 4% guidance they place access to services such articulate their wishes. healthier and increase their understanding of from black and ethnic minority groups. The as health and education as a priority over the AONB whilst benefiting the AONB. Many Governments Diversity Review proposes accessibility to the countryside for leisure. The CRoW Act 2000 provided better organisations including the AONB Service new ways of working with the organisations However the Highway Authorities also need management arrangements for AONBs and already work with volunteers and are providing outdoor recreation opportunities to have regard to the purposes of AONBs. gave new access rights, although the actively increasing opportunities through and the under-represented groups so that Highway Authorities have different priorities change in the Mendips was not significant it initiatives such as the People and Places the objective of increasing participation can from AONBs, signage and infrastructure has raised awareness of access. Enjoyment Project. be achieved. frequently clashes rather than blends with of the AONB is relatively cheap and easy by the environment. The Countryside Agency car which is one of the reasons why so The government’s ‘Every Child Matters’ produced guidance on sensitive design in many people come from surrounding areas agenda focuses on the outcomes most rural road schemes showing how for short day visits. The challenge is to retain important to children and young people: engineering can allow a scheme to be more the ease of access but encourage being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and successfully integrated into the landscape. sustainable forms of transport. achieving, economic well being, making a positive contribution. Providing access and The Walking the Way to Health agenda and The impact of motorised traffic remains one Primary Care Trusts are encouraging people of the biggest threats to habitats, State of the AONB Report 2009-2014 Mendip Hills AONB 6 CLIMATE CHANGE IS A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO BIODIVERSITY, LANDSCAPE AND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FABRIC TECHNOLOGICAL DRIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS regard for the conservation of biodiversity in is now a material consideration in land use carrying out their functions. development. The Government has Mobile phone operators and consumer Natural England, the Governments produced a UK climate change strategy and One of the Governments main targets, demand may increase pressure for further independent advisor on the natural action plan outlining what it expects people driven by Europe is the improvement in the masts in the AONB. Compliance with local environment which provides core AONB to do reduce the rate of climate change and quality of SSSIs to achieve 95% of SSSIs in authority planning policies has seen the funding, have set out its strategic direction in published Planning and Climate Change – ‘Favourable’ or ‘Unfavourable Recovering’ impact minimised with companies to achieve four strategic outcomes; a a Supplement to Planning Policy Statement condition by the end of 2010. The figure for encouraged to share masts. As technology healthy natural environment; people are (PPS)1. Planning authorities must shape the Mendip Hills is 96% compared to a develops and masts become redundant the inspired to value and conserve the natural their policies to accord with PPS1 and have national figure of 83% but for some of the importance of specifying removal of masts is environment; sustainable use of the natural or are producing their own climate change sites that are Unfavourable Recovering they prudent. environment and, secure the natural strategies are some way from achieving Favourable. environment for the future – responding to The Severn Barrage proposal is currently Better quality, lower cost, information climate change. Climate change is a significant threat to technology means that people can work in being considered by the Government as a biodiversity, landscape and social and remote locations and home working is The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) is means of generating 5% of Britain’s power economic fabric of the UK. Climate change increasing as broadband becomes more the main document guiding action for needs. The two stage study begun in widely available. biodiversity in the UK. The Local Biodiversity Action Plans help turn these There are more options for using sustainable national targets into action. Recognising the building materials and techniques.