SUSSEX DOWNS CONSERVATION BOARD Agenda Item No.7

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

6th June, 2000 — At a meeting of the Executive Committee held at the Town Hall, Hove.

Present: Lord Renton of Mount Harry (Chairman)

Mr. Betteridge Mr. Clark Mr. Elliott

Ms. Bloom Mr. Dingemans Mr. Fitch

Mr. Bryant Mr. Dyason Mrs. Morrish

APOLOGIES
  1. Apologies were received from Mr. Skilton, Mr. Streeter and Mr. Wallis.

    2. MR. MAURICE SKILTON
  2. The Chairman reported that Mr. Maurice Skilton, Vice-Chairman of the Board since 1992, had not been re-appointed to the Board by Eastbourne Borough Council. The Executive Committee agreed that Mr. Skilton be invited to join Board members for lunch, following a morning seminar, prior to the next Board meeting on 7th July to enable the Board to thank the Vice-Chairman for his valuable contribution to the work of the Board .

    3.  

    MINUTES
  3. Resolved — that the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 7th March 2000 be approved as a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

    4. * FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF THE SOUTH DOWNS

  4. Mrs. Lothian reported on the Countryside Agency Board decision to begin the process of designating a National Park in the South Downs. The Agency Board had acknowledged the work of the Conservation Board and the East Hampshire AONB Joint Advisory Committee and recognised the importance of these bodies continuing to manage the South Downs until any National Park had been designated. Countryside Agency officers had commenced work on the designation process by producing a Mission Statement for the South Downs which would be the basis for discussion at a series of stakeholder meetings. Work had also begun with regard to the boundary of the National Park and administrative matters with particular reference to planning. Due to the amount of work involved, it was unlikely that any Designation Order would be submitted to the Minister before summer 2002.
  5. The Chairman reported on the discussion at the Committee stage of the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill. Mr. Gordon Prentice MP (Pendle) had put down amendments relating to Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty along similar lines to the Private Member’s Bill which the Chairman had introduced in the House of Lords. Amendments, which had all party support, were withdrawn but Mr. Michael Meacher MP, Minister for the Environment, had, without commitment, undertaken to consider tabling Government amendments to allow the improved conservation and management of AONBs.
  6. Mr. Dingemans expressed a concern that the local authorities should be consulted about the boundary of any National Park and about the future administration of areas in the two AONBs in the event that any National Park boundary was smaller than the existing boundaries. Mrs. Lothian advised that the initial area of search on the boundary of any National Park would be the present AONB boundaries and would involve a detailed analysis of the individual landscapes within the East Hampshire and Sussex Downs AONBs.
  7. With regard to planning matters, the Clerk referred to a letter from the Chairman of the Countryside Agency to Mr. Chris Mullin MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, which stated that the Countryside Agency Board had advised against accepting any amendments to the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill, prepared by Hampshire County Council, which would allow flexibility in the organisation of planning in a South Downs National Park. Mrs. Lothian advised that the Agency was considering a range of planning options which could operate in a South Downs National Park, but, at this stage, the advice to Ministers was to oppose any amendments on the lines proposed.. The Chairman asked for a letter from the Countryside Agency to the Clerk confirming the Agency’s position with regard to planning matters. The Committee noted that Marian Spain would be attending the Board meeting on 7th July to update members on the current position with regard to National Park designation and the Countryside Agency’s Mission Statement for the South Downs.

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    FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SUSSEX DOWNS AONB AFTER 2001
  8. The Clerk updated the Committee on the responses from the constituent local authorities with regard to support for the work of the Board for a further three years from 1st April 2001. Parallel discussions were also being held with the Countryside Agency. The responses received to date had been encouraging and of those not yet received, the Clerk reported that Brighton and Hove Council would be considering the matter shortly, and that Worthing Borough Council would be considering the matter in early July. A further progress report will be made to the Board meeting on 7th July 2000.

    9. SOUTH DOWNS WORKING PARTY
  9. The Committee received a report on the meeting of the South Downs Working Party held on 23rd May 2000 (copy attached to the signed minutes). Mr. Elliott reported that the Working Party had discussed the South Downs Business Plan and suggested a number of amendments. The Working Party had emphasised the need for clear targeting, timescales and funding of programmes. The Sussex Downs Officer had made a presentation to the Working Party on the Virtual Information Centre which had been well received and the Working Party had noted progress on the marketing of South Downs lamb.

    10. * DRAFT SOUTH DOWNS BUSINESS PLAN

  10. The Committee considered a draft Business Plan for the South Downs (copy attached to the signed minutes) which, following approval by the Conservation Board and East Hampshire JAC, would be submitted to the Countryside Agency as a basis for securing funding from April 2001.
  11. The Committee considered that the current draft plan was an ambitious vision document containing everything the Board would wish to see achieved in the South Downs AONB. It was agreed that the final plan needed to be sharply focused with work priorities costed within the limits of staffing and financial resources. Members made a number of detailed points in relation to the draft plan which would be revised and submitted to the Board meeting on 7th July 2000 for approval.

    12. * ANALYSIS OF CONSULTATIONS MONITORING

  12. The Committee received and noted a report by the Sussex Downs Officer (copy attached to the signed minutes) on the analysis of the planning applications on which the Board had been consulted and where the Board had raised objections. The Board’s Planning Officer explained that the purpose of the report was to clarify the statistics which showed that, over the 18 month analysis period, decisions in respect of 88% of applications received had been considered by the Board to have been acceptable either in their original form or proposals were improved following comments made by the Board.
  13. The Committee considered that the Board had made a positive contribution to planning decisions in the Sussex Downs AONB. The statistics overall indicated that the Board’s comments on planning applications were welcomed by the local authorities and well respected. It was important that the Countryside Agency was aware of this.
  14. Resolved — That a further report by the Sussex Downs Officer and the Honorary Planning Adviser on the analysis of planning consultations be submitted to the 7th July Board meeting.

    15. PLANNING COMMITTEE
  15. The Committee noted Mr. Harold Hall’s resignation from the Board’s Planning Committee and appointed Mr. John Betteridge as his successor.

    16. * MARKETING OF SOUTH DOWNS LAMB

  16. The Countryside Manager gave a progress report on the marketing of South Downs lamb. A meeting of all the key players, from producer to retailer, had been successful and work was now in hand to prepare a Business Plan and secure project funding through the Rural Development Scheme and private sponsorship. It was hoped that South Downs lamb might be on sale this autumn, subject to the satisfactory conclusion of the administrative arrangements for the scheme.

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    INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF DOWNLAND LANDSCAPES

    Mr. Leonard in attendance for this item.

  17. The Committee considered a report by the Sussex Downs Officer (copy attached to the signed minutes) which introduced a paper by Ms. Bloom and Mr. Leonard, Countryside Agency nominees on the Board, on proposals in relation to the Minister for the Environment’s announcement that he wished to see an experiment to restore downland in the South Downs.
  18. The Chairman thanked Ms. Bloom and Mr. Leonard for preparing the paper which was presented by Ms. Bloom. The paper dealt with the need for a review of agri-environment schemes to examine whether a more innovative way of achieving permanent landscape protection for downland could be found and examined six different schemes which could achieve such improvement. It was suggested that the Countryside Agency could set up any or all of the six schemes as pilot projects in line with the Government’s proposed downland restoration project.
  19. Mr. Leonard referred to the difficulties faced by farmers who would be unlikely to make a commitment to a permanent reversion to grassland under the current Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Scheme in the present economic climate. It would be important for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food/Farming and Rural Conservation Agency and the Board to work closely together to achieve local co-ordination of any new schemes.
  20. Resolved — that
    1. The paper prepared by Ms. Bloom and Mr. Leonard be endorsed as a basis for discussion with the Countryside Agency in connection with the proposed Downland Restoration Project.
    2. The Board should seek to play a central role in the design and implementation of the proposed experiment.
    3. The Chairman should write to Mr. Michael Meacher MP, Minister for the Environment and Mr. Elliott Morley MP Minister for Fisheries and the Countryside, to inform them of the Board’s developing ideas, expressing support for the need for additional funding to be made available in the context of the current spending review and confirming the Board’s wish to play a central role in any proposed experiment.
    4. The Sussex Downs Officer be asked to develop proposals for the establishment of an Agri-Environmental Panel

LOCAL COUNTRYSIDE ACCESS FORUMS
  1. The Committee considered a report by the Sussex Downs Officer (copy attached to the signed minutes) with regard to the Countryside Agency proposals to establish local countryside access forums to assist in the provision of increased access in the countryside as detailed in the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill.
  2. The Countryside Manager suggested that it might be appropriate to establish a South Downs Local Access Forum, subject to consultation with the Countryside Agency and the constituent local authorities. The Committee considered that the operation of a South Downs Forum would need to be adequately resourced by the Countryside Agency so that funding was not diverted from the Board’s countryside management programme.
  3. Resolved — That the Committee support the principle of a Local Access Forum being established for the South Downs, subject to discussions with the relevant local authorities, the approval of the Countryside Agency and provision by the Agency of adequate resources for administrative purposes.

 

    AONB ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
  1. The Committee noted that the AONB Association Conference would be held at Exeter University from 5th-7th September 2000.
  2. Resolved — That the Board be represented at the Conference by the Clerk, the Sussex Downs Officer and the Countryside Manager.

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    DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS
  3. The next meeting of the Board will be held at 2.15 pm on Friday, 7th July 2000 at Adur Civic Centre and the next meeting of the Executive Committee will be held on Tuesday, 14th September 2000 at 10.30 pm at Hove Town Hall.

 

 

 

CHAIRMAN