The North Wessex DownsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Management Plan2009 - 2014

Contents

Foreword 5

Introduction 6

A Vision for the North Wessex Downs 14

About the land 16

Sustainability 28

Land management 36

Biodiversity 42

Historic environment 48

Natural resources 54

Development 60

Communities 65

Leisure and tourism 68

Delivery Plan 74

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ForewordThe North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) includes

within its 1730 sq.kms. some of the finest landscape in England - chalk downland,

river valleys, ancient woodland, historic sites and much more besides.

The Council of Partners of the North Wessex Downs AONB advises its Local Authority

members how best to discharge their statutory responsibility for conserving and

enhancing that landscape, for increasing everyone's understanding and enjoyment of it,

and for encouraging the social and economic well-being of those who live within it.

This Management Plan describes how that responsibility will be discharged over the next

five years, and builds on the very real achievements of our first Management Plan, which

covered the period from 2005 to 2009. It is wide-ranging, as it is required to be. It

focuses principally on issues which relate directly to the North Wessex Downs AONB

and on which we and our partners can have a real influence, but it includes some aims

which require national action and in which the North Wessex Downs AONB can play

only a supporting role.

Partnership in its widest sense is the key to the success of the new Plan, as it has been to

the achievements of its predecessor. The Plan was born out of a wide consultation with

all those of you with an interest in the future of the North Wessex Downs AONB, and

it will be impossible to reach our new objectives without the continuing support and

encouragement of you and others like you.

Lack of awareness of the North Wessex Downs AONB and its purposes, among those

living and working within it, continues to be an issue; resolving that is one of the Plan's

objectives, and you can help by spreading the word.

Like so much of this country, the North Wessex Downs have been shaped by thousands

of years of human activity, and we humans of today have to work together to keep it in

the best possible shape for future generations. We are immensely grateful for all the

support we have received in the North Wessex Downs AONB's short life so far, and we

are confident that all those of you who, like us, care deeply for its glorious landscape

will help us equally generously in the future.

Sir Charles Nunneley Chairman of the Council of Partners5

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The North Wessex Downs AONB covers1,730 sq km (the third largest AONB nationally)but has a population of only 125,000 people.Hungerford and Marlborough are the twolargest settlements, with a combinedpopulation of 14,000. Yet the AONB issurrounded by the significant urban centres ofReading, Newbury, Basingstoke, Andover,Swindon and Didcot, collectively providing apopulation of over 1.2 million within 20 minutesof the AONB. It is crossed east-west by the M4and north-south by the A34.

The AONB encompasses 173 parishes. It straddles the boundaries of two counties,three unitary authorities and four district/borough councils. It is also bisected by theboundary between the South East and theSouth West Government Regions, with roughlyhalf of the AONB falling into each region.

IntroductionWhere is the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty?

From its western tip at Calne in Wiltshire, the North Wessex Downs AONB reachesacross the south west and south east of England in a broad arc through Swindon,Berkshire and Oxfordshire, adjoining the Chilterns AONB along the River Thames,before sweeping south, encircling Newbury, to encompass the northern reaches of therolling chalk hills of the Hampshire Downs. It then reaches back towards Devizes,across the high chalk upland of Salisbury Plain and the low-lying Vale of Pewsey.

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1 Countryside Agency (2002) The North Wessex Downs Landscape: A landscape assessment of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (CA7).

North Wessex Downs Management Plan

7

Regional and Local Government boundaries

North Wessex Downs AONB

Vale of White HorseDistrict Council

OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Wantage South OxfordshireDistrict CouncilSWINDON

BOROUGH COUNCIL

WEST BERKSHIRE COUNCIL Reading

MarlboroughHungerford

WILTSHIRE COUNCIL Newbury

Devizes Pewsey

Basingstoke and DeaneDistrict Council

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCILBasingstoke

Test Valley District Council

Andover

Cotswolds AONB

Wantage

Swindon

Reading

Calne Marlborough Hungerford

Newbury

Devizes Pewsey

BasingstokeAndover

Cranbourne Chase andWest Wiltshire Downs East Hampshire

AONB AONBkm 0 3.5 7

NORTH WESSEX DOWNS AONB

Chilterns AONB

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The AONB landscape is also of internationalimportance, recognised as a Category VProtected Landscape by the InternationalUnion for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Itis an evolved cultural landscape, managed andnurtured by people over millennia. Those whomanage the land are central to the future ofthis landscape. It is inevitable and appropriatethat this cultural landscape will continue todevelop but this needs to be in ways thatconserve and enhance its special qualities.

The North Wessex Downs AONB does notstand alone but forms one of a family ofnationally protected landscapes acrossEngland made up of 37 AONBs and nineNational Parks. In southern England, thereare 23 AONBs and three National Parks.Together this family of protected landscapescovers over 35% of southern England.

The primary purpose of AONB designation is‘conserving and enhancing the naturalbeauty of the area’.

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‘In pursuing the primary purpose of designation,account should be taken of the needs ofagriculture, forestry and other rural industriesand of the economic and social needs of local

communities. Particular regard should be paidto promoting sustainable forms of economicand social development that in themselvesconserve and enhance the environment.Recreation is not an objective of designation,but the demand for recreation should be metso far as this is consistent with theconservation of natural beauty and the needsof agriculture, forestry and other uses’.

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Definition of natural beauty Section 114 of the National Parks andAccess to the Countryside Act 1949 statesthat “references to the preservation orconservation of the natural beauty of an areashall be construed as including references tothe preservation or, as the case may be,conservation of its flora, fauna and geologicalor physiographical features”.

This definition was further refined by theNatural Environment and Rural CommunitiesAct 2006. In section 99 of that Act, it isstated that natural beauty can “include landused for agriculture or woodland, as a park orany other area whose flora, fauna or physio-graphical features are partly the product ofhuman intervention in the landscape”.

2 Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas, paragraph 21, HMSO 20043 Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, section 824 Countryside Commission Policy Statement on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty 1991

What is the significance of AONB designation?

The North Wessex Downs was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beautyin 1972 under the National Parks and Access to Countryside Act 1949. Following theintroduction of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, the governmentconfirmed that the landscape qualities of National Parks and AONBs are equivalent.The protection given by the land use planning system to natural beauty in both typesof area should therefore be equivalent.

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Location of protected landscapes in the South of England

National Parks1 Exmoor2 Dartmoor3 The New Forest

Proposed National Parks4 South Downs

AONBs5 Chilterns6 Cotswolds

7 North Wessex Downs8 Mendips9 Surrey Hills10 Kent Downs11 North Devon12 Quantock Hills13 Cranbourne Chase and

West Wiltshire Downs14 East Hampshire15 High Weald16 Blackdown Hills

17 Sussex Downs18 Dorset19 Chichester Harbour20 East Devon21 Isle of Wight22 Tamar Valley23 Cornwall24 South Devon25 Isle of Scilly

North Wessex Downs AONB Management Plan

The Plan has been prepared by the North Wessex Downs Council of Partners onbehalf of the constituent local authorities of the AONB. This Partnership was formedin July 2001 to oversee the future of the AONB. It includes not only the constituentlocal authorities of the North Wessex Downs but also representatives of the localcommunities, the farming and rural business community, and those representingnature conservation, heritage and landscape, and recreation interests, includingmembers of government and voluntary agencies.

This document is the statutory ManagementPlan for the nationally designated andprotected landscape of the North WessexDowns AONB, as required under theCountryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act2000. It is a plan for all those that have aresponsibility to look after this precious andtreasured landscape.

The 2004-9 Management Plan was subject toreview from January 2009. The revised draftplan was subject to a Strategic EnvironmentalAssessment and to public consultation inApril and May 2009. This plan has beenformally approved by the North Wessex

Downs AONB’s Council of Partners andrelevant local authorities. It has beenpublished with the assistance of the partnersresponsible for much of the plan’s delivery.This Management Plan, the StrategicEnvironmental Assessment and theLandscape Character Assessment can all befound on the North Wessex Downs AONBwebsite: www.northwessexdowns.org.uk

Enquiries about these documents can bemade to the North Wessex Downs AONBteam through the website or by telephone:01488 685440.

North Wessex Downs Management Plan

In addition, the European LandscapeConvention was ratified by the UK on 1 March 2007. The Convention is a Treatydevoted exclusively to the protection,management and planning of all landscapesin Europe. The Convention seeks to ensureenhanced landscape planning, protection andmanagement through quality objectives andan effective policy framework. The conventionhighlights the need to:

1 recognise landscape in law;

2 develop landscape policies dedicatedto the protection, management andcreation of landscapes; and

3 establish procedures for the partici-pation of the general public and otherstakeholders in the creation andimplementation of landscape policies.

The Convention also encourages the integrationof landscape into all relevant areas of policy(including cultural, economic and social policies)and there is a particular emphasis on the needfor co-operation in implementing programmesrelating to landscapes that cross administrativeand national boundaries. The North WessexDowns AONB Management Plan is a significantcontribution to the achievement of the aims ofthe Convention.

Who is this Management Plan aimed at?Under Section 85 of the CRoW Act 2000, it is a legal duty for all relevant authorities to “haveregard to” the purpose of conserving andenhancing the natural beauty of the AONB inexercising or performing any functions affectingland in the area. These relevant authoritiesinclude all statutory bodies and all tiers ofgovernment, including parish councils andholders of public office.

Successful implementation of this ManagementPlan is beyond the resources of the Council ofPartners and AONB team alone and will requirethe active collaboration and participation of allthose involved in its scope. This is a plan forthe geographic area of the North WessexDowns and not for any single organisationwithin it. Implementation needs the supportand involvement of the many organisations andindividuals who play key roles in the future ofthe area. Many of these have been involved indrawing up the plan.

For government, local authorities, other publicbodies and other ‘relevant authorities’, activesupport for the implementation of this plan isthe key to satisfying their ‘Section 85’ duty.Local parish councils, statutory agencies andregional bodies acting individually or collabo-ratively through Local Strategic Partnershipsand Local Area Agreements can all contributeto fulfilling the AONB vision.

Why is this Management Plan important?

Preparation of an AONB Management Plan is a statutory requirement placed upon local authorities by the CRoW Act 2000, with a review required every five years. This Management Plan presents an agreed agenda for the North Wessex Downs AONB,setting out objectives and policies for AONB partners that are believed to be realistic andachievable in the next five years. Working together, the partners can realise these targetsto the benefit of the landscapes and communities of this nationally designated area.

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Introduction

LEGISLATIONNATIONALGUIDANCE

VISIONwhere we want to be

OBJECTIVESwhat we

want to achieve

POLICIEShow things will be done

ACTIONSthings we want to do

5 Baker Associates (2003) East Devon AONB and South West Protected Landscapes Forum: Indicators for use in AONB Management Plan monitoring6 Countryside Agency (2003) Developing Indicators for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Interim guidance note from the Countryside Agency

The structure of this Management Plan

This Management Plan is structured along a simple ‘Golden Thread’ that builds on aVision, founded in the statutory purposes but confirmed by consultation, to establishobjectives that direct policies and actions.

The Vision is taken forward through a series of Themes. Each thematic section contains a shortdescription of its different aspects, followed by its special qualities and key issues. These lead tothe objectives, policies and actions presented in the Delivery Plan (page 74).

Monitoring strategyMonitoring is needed to assess theeffectiveness of this Management Plan. A distinction needs to be drawn between:

5 & 6

• monitoring which is the process ofcollecting data to describe condition and,when collected over time, change;

• indicators which are the elements of datathat are collected during a monitoringprogramme to focus the monitoringactivity and measure change;

• evaluation which is the consideration anduse of the collected data to assess theeffectiveness of the Plan and its delivery inmeeting the AONB objectives andenhancing natural beauty.

The effectiveness of this Management Planwill be monitored in two ways.

• Outcomes: i.e. the condition of the AONBand the extent to which the objectives arebeing achieved as they focus on whetherthe quality of the AONB is beingmaintained and enhanced.

• Outputs or activities: i.e. monitoring theextent to which the policies and actionsidentified through this Management Plan,and described in the Delivery Plan, are achieved. This involves an ongoingassessment of activity, which can be pulledtogether in quarterly or annual reports as apart of the AONB Business Plan.

Indicators to measure outcomes or conditionneed to be selected with care. In some casesthey will be ‘proxyindicators’ i.e. measuresthat do not directly reflectthe condition of the AONBbut from which judgementsabout its condition can beinferred. Two examplesmight be: the number of farms entered into agri-environment schemes,reflecting the managementof semi-natural habitats; orthe number of ScheduledAncient Monuments,reflecting the degree ofprotection afforded tovalued cultural sites.

The indicators of outcomes or condition willbe developed during 2009 as part of producing theState of the North WessexDowns AONB report and will then be reportedannually. Working groups areto be formed according to‘Themes’ contained in thisManagement Plan built uponthe partnership andexpertise of all the relevantgroups working across theAONB, to scrutinise actionsunder their theme headings.

THEMES

About the land

Sustainability

Land management

Biodiversity

Historic environment

Natural resources

Development

Communities

Leisure and tourism

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North Wessex Downs Management Plan

7 Natural England was formed in 2006 by merging the Rural Development Agency, English Nature and a part of the Countryside Agency (the Commission forRural Communities also acquired some of the Countryside Agency’s duties).

8 South East Plan, Regional Spatial Strategy for South East England, May 2009 - Countryside and Landscape Management, Paragraph 11.8 – ‘Within theAONBs statutory Management Plans provide a policy and action framework which should influence and help determine planning, decision making, adviceand resource allocation priorities for local authorities, government agencies and statutory undertakers. In particular, they should provide an underpinning forthe development of AONB specific policy in Local Development Frameworks’.

Relationship to other plans and strategies

This Management Plan forms part of an increasing web of plans and strategies beingprepared at the national and regional level. National and local climate change policyis likely to affect most aspects of daily life, business and methods of landmanagement. Sustainable development will continue to rise in importance.Agricultural support under the Common Agricultural Policy has moved away fromsubsidies for agricultural production and towards incentives for environmentalmanagement. Implementation of the Water Framework Directive will requiresignificant changes to land management. Forestry policy now clearly focuses onsupporting the wide range of benefits that woodlands can provide with a particularemphasis on the conservation of our ancient woodland resource.

Under the Natural Environment and RuralCommunities Act 2006, Natural England hasbeen created as the government agencyresponsible for conserving and enhancingEngland’s natural environment and raisingpublic understanding and enjoyment of it.

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Its policies and initiatives inform much of the policy development within the AONB.

As part of sustainable development,Government is placing increasing focus onmaintaining mixed and vibrant communitiesand is strongly committed to makingunderstanding and enjoyment of thecountryside accessible to all, linked toagendas for health and education.

Methods of delivering policy are changing too.Under the Planning and Compulsory PurchaseAct, 2004, the planning system was reformedand streamlined, with an emphasis on spatialplanning. The statutory land use plan, orDevelopment Plan, now consists of a RegionalSpatial Strategy and Local DevelopmentFrameworks (LDFs). The local planningauthorities are producing their LDFs, whichcomprise a range of statutory LocalDevelopment Documents allocating land fordevelopment or containing planning policies bywhich planning applications are determined.Covering the North Wessex Downs are twoadopted LDFs (with five in progress), fourMinerals and Waste Development Frameworksand two Regional Spatial Strategies (the SouthWest and South East plans). This ManagementPlan does not form part of the statutoryDevelopment Plan for any part of the AONB

but, as a statutory document in its own right,should be a material consideration

6in the

planning process and an instrument forsecuring consistency across the AONB inplanning matters.

The Highway Authorities must prepare LocalTransport Plans to set out proposals forimproving transport in their area and there arefive covering the AONB. Local Authoritieshave a duty to prepare SustainableCommunity Strategies for their areas. Withinthe AONB, all Authorities have set up LocalStrategic Partnerships (LSPs) and agreedLocal Area Agreements that set out thepriorities for a local area agreed betweencentral government and a local area (the localauthority and Local Strategic Partnership) andother key partners at the local level. Withmore communities undertaking Parish Plans,Village Appraisals, Village Design Statementsand Community Plans, there are nowincreased opportunities for local people toinfluence what happens in their areas. Thereare other landscape strategies in place in thearea that will inform the development ofpolicy, such as the Avebury World HeritageSite Management Plan (2005).

As appropriate, these and other plans andstrategies are described in more detail underthe individual Themes. Inevitably this policycontext will change over time. Within theNorth Wessex Downs, such changes willneed to be interpreted through the AONBobjectives which will remain a constantthroughout the life of this Management Plan.

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Public Service Agreements 2008 - 2011Since their introduction by the Government inthe 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review,Public Service Agreements (PSAs) have playeda vital role in galvanising public service deliveryand driving major improvements in outcomes.The Government has now agreed in theComprehensive Spending Review 2007 30new PSAs. These set out the Government'shighest priority outcomes for the period 2008to 2011

9. As a part of this initiative, a new

local government performance framework hasbeen established with a single set of 198national indicators

10. The national indicators

will be the only measures on which centralGovernment will monitor outcomes deliveredby local government working alone or inpartnership. The priorities for action by publicbodies working within the North WessexDowns AONB will be set by theComprehensive Spending Review targets.

Strategic Environmental AssessmentStrategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is astatutory process. A formal SEA is required fornew plans and programmes that are likely tohave significant effects on the environment. SEAaims to provide protection of the environment ata strategic level and contribute to the integrationof environmental considerations into the

preparation and adoption of plans with a viewto promoting sustainable development.

Preparation of our SEA has been undertaken inconsultation with Natural England, theEnvironment Agency, English Heritage, the localauthorities and partner organisations. AnEnvironmental Report has been published alongwith this plan that assesses its environmentalimpact. An Environmental Statement has alsobeen published which explains how the planhas been influenced by the SEA process.

Appropriate AssessmentThe Partnership has undertaken andpublished an Appropriate Assessment of thepotential impact of the objectives of theManagement Plan on the conservationobjectives of sites of European importance fornature conservation affected by the plan, asrequired by The Conservation (NaturalHabitats, etc) (Amendment) (England andWales) Regulations 2006. Natural Englandhas confirmed that the assessment complieswith the legislative requirements.

Copies of the Strategic Environmental Assessment, Appropriate Assessment and details of changes made to the previous management plan are available by contacting the North Wessex Downs office.

Introduction

9 http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about_the_cabinet_office/publicserviceagreements.aspx10 http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/performance/

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A Vision for the North Wessex Downs

A vision statement is an idealised description of the desired or intended future statefor the area. It is our inspiration, the framework for all our strategic planning.

Reflecting the disciplines of the ‘Golden Thread’, we have:

A vision of vast, dramatic, undeveloped and locally distinct chalk downlands withextensive areas of semi-natural chalk grassland, contrasting with well-wooded plateaux,arable lands and intimate and secluded valleys, all rich in biodiversity and culturalheritage; a national landscape that stands apart from the increasing urban pressuresthat surround it; where people live, work and relax; and where visitors are welcomedand contribute to a vibrant rural economy.

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• A place where actions meet the needs of thepresent without compromising the ability offuture generations to meet their own needs.

• A place where people have the skills andenergy to adapt to change in ways that respectthe unique qualities of the North WessexDowns and deliver wider environmental,economic and social benefits.

• A place where the highest environmental qualityis seen as a key economic driver and where alleconomic activity is in harmony withmaintenance of the landscape.

• A place with thriving land based enterprises wherethe sustainability of the North Wessex Downs iscore to the business, ensuring a countryside richin wildlife and recreational opportunities whileproducing high quality products that are bought inthe knowledge that the local economy andsurrounding countryside benefit.

• A place with high quality well managed habitatsreflecting the distinctive character of the NorthWessex Downs, giving a species-richlandscape with interlinking wildlife corridorsavailable for migration and adaptation inresponse to climate change.

• A place with a rich and conserved culturallandscape where iconic ancient monumentsand intact historic landscapes remain asindelible footprints in an evolving scene,managed to the very highest standards.

• A place where the integrated management ofland conserves unpolluted soils and high qualitywater resources whilst retaining the distinctiveseasonal winterbourne flows.

• A place where development is low-impact andaffordable with a distinctive but subtlevernacular building style that combines the bestof the old with the best of the new and wherethe integrated approach to transport and travelsatisfies local needs and minimises negativeeffects on the environment.

• A place with a sense of remoteness andtranquillity, where vast night skies can thrill theeye unaffected by light pollution.

• A place with vibrant and balanced ruralcommunities, with villages and market townsmeeting the needs of local people and visitors,where there is great local pride and positivelocal contribution to the management of thelandscape.

• A place that is a nationally recognised centre forsustainable tourism and the quiet enjoyment ofthe countryside, developed and promoted inways that are in harmony with the high environ-mental quality and community needs of thearea, helping to underpin the land based andbroader rural economy.

We seek to make the North Wessex Downs AONB: