Natural England Board Meeting Agenda 1 November 2017 Natural England, 1st Floor Paper Lead/s Unex House, Peterborough PE1 1NG Number 15:00 Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI confirmation NEB PU Alan Law, Chief Strategy and Reform of notification 7401 Officer CLOSE 1 Natural England Board Meeting: 74 Date: 1 November 2017 Paper number: NEBPU 74 01 Title: Mid Cornwall Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – confirmation of notification Lead/s: Alan Law, Chief Strategy and Reform Officer/Wesley Smyth, Devon, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Area Manager 1 Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this paper is to seek approval to confirm the notification of Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI. The Natural England Board confirmation report is attached at Annex 1. 2 Recommendation 2.1 The Board is asked to: • approve confirmation of the notification of Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI with modifications to the boundary (to remove 10 areas of land totalling 3.83 ha) and the citation. The recommended confirmed area of the SSSI is 1,653.27 ha. The documents recommended for confirmation are at section 3 of Annex 1. 3 Report 3.1 Background 3.1.1 Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI was notified on 23 February 2017 under section 28C of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. On the same day, notices were served under section 28D of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 proposing to remove the SSSI notifications (de-notification) from parts of the previously notified Breney Common SSSI, Goss and Tregoss Moors SSSI and Red Moor SSSI. There are no unresolved objections to the de-notification proposals so these will be approved for confirmation by the Director of Strategy Implementation acting under delegated authority. A decision upon whether or not to confirm the notification of the Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI is required on or before 22 November 2017, or it will lapse. 3.1.2 Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI is of special interest for its nationally important: • heaths, fens, woodlands and unimproved neutral grasslands; • flowering plants and ferns; • invertebrates (including the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphydryas aurinia); • breeding willow tits Poecile montanus; and • geological features. 2 3.1.3 Previously, six SSSIs have been notified in the Mid Cornwall Moors area: Retire Common SSSI, Breney Common SSSI, Red Moor SSSI, Goss and Tregoss Moors SSSI, Belowda Beacon SSSI and Tregonetha and Belowda Downs SSSI. The Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI includes the majority of the area of these previously notified SSSIs. The notification rationalises and clarifies the special interests of the overall area within a single designation, combining the six previously notified SSSIs and with substantial extensions covering 586.84 ha. The total area of the enlarged SSSI as notified is 1,657.11 ha. 3.1.4 Mid-Cornwall is an important Focus Area linked to the Mid Cornwall Moors LIFE Project, which has increased the habitat for the internationally important marsh fritillary butterfly. The SSSI designation consolidates and formally recognises the huge success of this project, involving a broad partnership, European funding (2003-2008) and a focus on multiple benefits for wildlife and people. 3.1.5 The Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI encompasses key elements of the local ecological network and secures connectivity between these areas by identifying key linkages and ‘stepping stones’, helping wildlife to withstand pressures from future climate change and creating a stronger refuge and network for rare plants and animals. As well as being a vital sanctuary for wildlife, the SSSI is an important asset for local people, visitors and businesses. 3.1.6 The notification document (attached at section 2 of Annex 1) was issued on 23 February 2017 and explains why Mid Cornwall Moors is notified as a SSSI. The selection of this site against the relevant guidelines is dealt with fully in the supporting information document to the SSSI notification (also attached at section 2 of Annex 1). 3.2 Issues 3.2.1 Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI has 160 owners and occupiers. The notification is the subject of seven unresolved objections and one further objection that has been resolved subject to the Board agreeing the officers’ recommended modifications, as well as three representations supporting the SSSI. The period for making objections and representations ran from 23 February to 23 June 2017. 3.2.2 Thirteen owners/occupiers received their packs after the notification date and all were given four months in which to submit objections or representations, the last of which expires on 23 October 2017 for Mr Morcom who has confirmed that he does not object. 3.2.3 Annex 1 describes the site and its special interest and considers the objections and representations made in respect of the 23 February 2017 notifications. The grounds for the objections have been carefully considered by officers of Natural England. 3 Annex 1 Natural England Board Confirmation Report: Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI Contents Section 1 Report to the Board of Natural England Section 2 Notification and supporting information documents Section 3 Amended SSSI documents for confirmation Section 4 Senior Leadership Team paper and minutes Section 5 Index and key correspondence 4 Section 1 Report to the Board of Natural England meeting on 1 November 2017 Mid Cornwall Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) 1.1 Executive summary The Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI supports a diverse mosaic of semi-natural habitats, including heaths, lowland fens, unimproved grasslands, broad-leaved woodlands, scrub and species-rich hedgerows, with ponds and waterways. These habitats are nationally important for flowering plants and ferns, invertebrates and breeding willow tits. The site also contains nationally important geological features. Previously, six SSSIs have been notified in the Mid Cornwall Moors area. These six SSSIs were Retire Common SSSI (notified in 1985), Breney Common SSSI (notified in 1986), Red Moor SSSI (notified in 1986), Goss and Tregoss Moors SSSI (notified in 1988), Belowda Beacon SSSI (notified in 1996) and Tregonetha and Belowda Downs SSSI (notified in 2000). The Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI includes the majority of the area of these six previously notified SSSIs. It also rationalises and clarifies the special interest of the overall area within a single landscape-scale designation, combining and linking the six previously notified SSSIs and with substantial extensions covering 586.84 ha. The total area of the enlarged SSSI as notified is 1,657.11 ha. The SSSI is linked to the Mid Cornwall Moors EU LIFE Nature project (2003-8), which worked in partnership with land managers to increase the extent of suitable habitat for the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphydryas aurinia in and around previous SSSI and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) designations. Natural England works proactively with partners in Mid-Cornwall, including Highways England (on award-winning habitat creation alongside infrastructure development), Imerys Minerals Ltd (an international mining corporation), the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Network Rail and commoners associations (on appropriate land management) and University of Exeter (on community engagement and responses to site protection). Our outcomes approach here has helped deliver an innovative approach to the dualling of the A30 – an economically significant infrastructure project for Cornwall – and socially beneficial projects including the establishment of a multi-use trail. The notification document issued on 23 February 2017 explains why Mid Cornwall Moors is notified by Natural England as an SSSI. The Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI has 160 owners and occupiers. The notification is the subject of seven unresolved objections and one objection that is resolved subject to the Board agreeing the officers’ recommended modifications to the boundary. A further three representations expressed support for the SSSI. The grounds for the objections have been carefully considered by officers of Natural England. Officers recommend to the Board of Natural England that the notification of the Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI under section 28C of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 should be confirmed with modifications identified in objections and representations and by the area team to: • the boundary, to remove 10 areas of land (total area of 3.83 ha) which officers recommend should not be considered to be of special scientific interest; and 5 • the citation, to reflect the revised area figure and to remove one of the reasons for notification, which officers recommend should not be considered to be of special scientific interest. 1.2 Introduction Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI was notified on 23 February 2017 under section 28C of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The notification under section 28C enlarged the site previously known as Belowda Beacon SSSI, previously notified in 1996, and incorporates the previously notified Retire Common SSSI (as notified in 1985) and Tregonetha and Belowda Downs SSSI (as notified in 2000), as well as the majority of Breney Common SSSI (as notified in 1986), Goss and Tregoss Moors SSSI (as notified in 1988) and Red Moor SSSI (as notified in 1986). Section 28C(5) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 has the effect that the previous notification of Belowda Beacon SSSI ceased to have effect from 23 February 2017. Natural England has a duty to notify land as SSSI where it is of the opinion that land is of special interest. Having formed an opinion that the land is of special interest, Natural England has discretion as to whether to enlarge a previously notified SSSI under section 28C. That discretion was exercised in this case. This report describes the site and its special interest and considers the objections and representations made in respect of the 23 February 2017 notification. 1.3 Site description and special interest The Mid Cornwall Moors SSSI comprises a network of 14 areas of semi-natural habitat, all within close proximity to one another, extending for 17 km from Quoit Farm in the west to Chark Moor in the east.