John Clare Countryside Our joint vision for a heritage landscape with nature at its heart Contents Objectives .............................................................................3 Introduction...........................................................................3 Project Aims..........................................................................4 Background ..........................................................................5 Map ......................................................................................6 Key deliverables of the project ...............................................8 Appendix.............................................................................11 Nightingale and cover image of grasshopper by Sarah Lambert 2 John Clare Countryside Our joint vision for a heritage landscape with nature at its heart Objectives Introduction To create, launch and deliver an As residents, businesses, parish Working in partnership, the ambitious and accessible nature councils, landowners, farmers and Langdyke Countryside Trust now recovery area across the landscape visitors we want the countryside wants to ensure that we conserve areas west of Peterborough, around us to be an area where the beauty of our landscape and designed, led and supported by nature is at the heart of our lives. conserve its rich local heritage and residents, landowners, farmers, Where swifts and swallows are a establish an area characterised by businesses and parish councils of central feature of our summer the area. evenings, where otters continue to l Outstanding natural biodiversity enthral people as they play in the through major habitat restoration This nature recovery area would be Maxey Cut, where bees and other connected through a mosaic of recognised by Natural England and insects thrive, not decline, and smaller wildlife havens and other statutory agencies and where there are far more, not less, corridors recognised in local policy ponds, meadows, wild flowers, documents including Local Plans. l An unspoilt landscape that is used hedgerows and trees. And where by local people and the people of It would be distinguished from people can walk or cycle out in an expanding Peterborough, other nature recovery areas safety and tranquility across this providing them with a large area because it is community led and thriving countryside, enjoying the of unspoilt countryside on their because of how it combines the sights and sounds and even the doorstep natural and built heritage and its silence of the natural world; enjoying l Well-kept heritage sites, links, through John Clare, to dark skies and cherishing the accessible to all and working literature and the arts. heritage – both natural and man- together to involve and attract made- around them. visitors That sounds like a countryside worth l Cycle paths, footways and ‘quiet living in. But it is a countryside under roads’ – a green transport threat and increasing pressure from infrastructure - where priority is housing growth and traffic and sadly given to walkers and riders even from lack of appreciation. In recent years, despite many l Prosperous and successful successes on and off the network of farming, profiting from a nature reserves, there have been combination of environmentally significant declines in many key friendly farming practice, species, particularly farmland and sustainable tourism and woodland birds, such as lapwing, recreational activities yellowhammer, nightingale, spotted flycatcher and woodcock; and decreases in the number of mammals such as hedgehog and hare and the variety of butterflies and moths. 3 Project Aims European Turtle Dove by Brian Lawrence Building on the substantial work of the partners to date and on the heritage and legacy of the work of the poet John Clare this project aims to Deliver significant increases in Raise levels of local pride, Pilot and champion best 1. key wildlife habitats, 2. aspiration and community 3. practice sustainable particularly those of limestone cohesion by helping local development in all aspects of grassland, wetland and arable communities to understand, future development within the farmland appreciate and enjoy their area including sustainable local natural and built heritage techniques of land management both on and off the existing nature reserves Promote public health and wellbeing, providing Create new jobs and economic opportunities 4. large areas of accessible green open space for the 5. within the area, allied to the delivery of these people of Peterborough objectives, particularly in tourism, visitor attractions and farming and nature conservation. The achievement of these objectives will create a better quality of life for residents and visitors through the creation of a more-sustainable local environment with easy access to rich and inspiring nature and greater appreciation of its heritage and history. 4 Background John Clare Countryside lies manor house at Torpel, the beauty Bainton Heath, Etton Maxey Pits, between the Nene and Welland of the Medieval parish churches and Vergette Wood Meadow, Etton High valleys to the west of the history and landscape settings Meadow and Marholm Field Bank. Peterborough and to the east of of Burghley House and Milton Hall The Trust has an active membership the A1. The area sits across two and their respective parks. of over 120 households and runs a National Character Areas – 92 variety of events throughout the year. Another important visitor attraction, Rockingham Forest and 75 the John Clare Cottage, a museum in In that time the Trust has also Kesteven Uplands. the birthplace of the poet in Helpston, created a new visitor centre at The birthplace of John Clare, one of lies at the centre of the area. Clare Torpel Manor Field and a range of the country’s most significant poets himself, lived and worked here and educational materials to help people of the natural world, it already wrote poignantly about the understand its heritage. It has put boasts a network of existing nature environmental pressures the up nearly 200 nest boxes across reserves across a varied range of landscape was under in the 19th the area and helped plant new habitats, including two Natural century. His voice can provide an hedgerows and new trees. As a England national nature reserves important focus for the development result, orchids thrive at Swaddywell, (Barnack Hills and Holes and Castor of this nature recovery area. avocets have bred at Etton Maxey Hanglands), a number of SSSIs and and rare moths and butterflies The John Clare Countryside project several local nature reserves run by prosper at Bainton. We have is a partnership of local the Wildlife Trusts and the Langdyke planted a community orchard at organisations, initially co-ordinated Countryside Trust. Etton High Meadow. by the Langdyke Countryside Trust, To the south of the area, the Nene a voluntary, membership-based Working in close partnership with Park Trust manages large areas of organisation but in time likely to Natural England, the Wildlife Trusts, land in the interests of the develop its own organisational Nene Park Trust, PECT, William community and for nature. The structures. The project will be Scott Abbot Trust, John Clare William Scott Abbot Trust operates created and delivered by local Society, the John Clare Trust, parish the Sacrewell Farm visitor centre on residents, businesses and councils and landowners the Trust the western edge of John Clare landowners. now wants to take its work to a new Countryside. level and create a nationally Since its foundation in 1999 the recognised, but still locally led, This distinctive landscape is rich in Langdyke Countryside Trust has nature recovery area across the heritage – from the Roman roads of established a network of seven John Clare Countryside. King Street and Ermine Street, the nature reserves across the area – remains of Durobrivae, the Norman Swaddywell Pit, Torpel Manor Field, Thick-legged Flower Beetle by Paul Braham 5 6 LANGDYKE RESERVES: 1 – Etton Maxey Pits 2 – Etton High Meadow 3 – Vergette Wood and Meadow 4 – Bainton Heath 5 – Torpel Manor JCC Boundary 6 – Swaddywell Pit 7 – Marholm Field Bank NATURAL ENGLAND NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES: 8 – Barnack Hills and Holes 9 – Castor Hanglands WILDLIFE TRUST NATURE RESERVES: 10 – Southorpe Meadow 11 – Southorpe Paddock 7 Key deliverables of the project Increases in key Increase levels of encouraging them to provide nesting 1. indicator species 2. public engagement, and feeding habitat in their gardens understanding and and houses. This will be achieved through a participation in the significant increase in the area of land We would look to use on-line natural and built actively managed in the interests of platforms to teach people how to heritage of the area nature and heritage including both recognise and support these species This will be achieved through the active and to encourage them to record a. Land under the direct and co-ordinated promotion of visitor their sightings and to take pride in management of the partners – facilities at existing centres such as the their role in the recovery of these through the expansion of existing John Clare Cottage, Sacrewell Farm populations. nature reserves, particularly around and potentially at new facilities within Hills and Holes, Castor Hanglands, The partners would work together to the estate of the Nene Park Trust. A Swaddywell Pit and along the reach out to residents of jointly managed natural and built Maxey Cut, linking the reserves at Peterborough, particularly