Update From Exmoor National Park Authority - September 2020 |
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Despite ongoing uncertainty over the pandemic, it’s been another incredibly busy few months for the Authority. The past few weeks have seen growing emphasis on the Government’s vision for a green recovery, with new funding streams announced including a £40million Green Recovery Challenge Fund. This will hopefully provide fresh opportunities to grow work streams we already have up and running across nature recovery, responding to climate change and connecting people with nature.
Closer to home we have seen the bustle cautiously returning to our countryside and villages in a new socially-distanced way. Life is also beginning to return to our vibrant arts and culture sector including the excellent Arborealists art exhibition now running at Taunton Museum, inspired by Exmoor and Dartmoor’s woodlands, and a highly successful one-off performance by MED Theatre that spanned two moors, four shows, 11 volunteers, 18 cast members, 200+ audience members in person and 250+ via live stream.
We are keeping a close eye on emerging Government announcements over the coming days and weeks, and are hoping to be able to support events such as our annual Exmoor Dark Skies Festival this October, with many local business going the extra mile to put on safe, enjoyable events. Whatever happens next, please put #ExmoorDay on 19th October in your diaries and join us in a virtual celebration of what it is you love about your national park.
We hope you find this newsletter a useful way of keeping in touch. Any comments or queries to info@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk are always extremely welcome and one of our Officers will be pleased to get back to you when time allows.
Sarah Bryan, Chief Executive
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Exmoor Dark Skies Festival
Our popular Dark Skies Festival is set to go ahead this October (16th-31st) in celebration of the region’s spectacular starry night skies.
Ranger-guided night walks, stargazing suppers, dusk safaris and expert astronomy talks are among the many events planned, along with some brand-new experiences such as a Dark Sky Boat Adventure under the stars. All are being thoroughly risk-assessed to ensure they can be enjoyed safely in line with the very latest coronavirus guidance, with advanced booking a requirement for all events.
Browse the full programme at www.exmoor-nationalpark.govExmoor.uk/darkskiesfestival, where you will also find details of this year’s Festival competition themed on ‘Exmoor Dark Skies Photography’.
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Exmoor National Park came into being on 19th October 1954 when the Designation Order made by the National Parks Commission was confirmed by the Minister for Housing and Local Government Harold Macmillan – making us the 8th National Park in the UK.
As part of a co-ordinated tourism recovery plan partners are coming together on the 19th October to celebrate ''Exmoor Day''. A day for all those passionate about Exmoor to make some noise and tell the world about this special place. This year it will primarily be a virtual event on social media so do join in if you can by using the #ExmoorDay hashtag to tell the world what you love most about Exmoor! Full details: www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/exmoor-day
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Katrina Munro, Economy Project Officer
kmunro@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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The Exmoor Non-Native Invasive Species (ENNIS) project began its second season in March, with the aim of radically scaling up efforts to control the spread of target species, such as Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, montbretia, American skunk cabbage and American signal crayfish.
Missing a season of control could have led to a setback of several years, so the restrictions brought in over lockdown were potentially a huge blow for the project. Throughout ENPA staff kept in touch with volunteers through weekly virtual coffee mornings. These proved a great asset to the ENNIS project, ensuring we could hit the ground running when restrictions began easing.
In May, some limited fieldwork was finally able to resume. Project staff helped signal crayfish expert Nicky Green begin her sixth and final year of research looking at sterilising and returning adult males back into the rivers; a potential game-changer if proven successful. In June, the fantastic ENNIS volunteers were able to re-join her to continue this important research, along with ongoing work to control Himalayan balsam.
With the flowering season then well underway, the ENNIS project joined forces with the Wildwatch Project, another ENPA initiative that encourages people to send in records of any species spotted on Exmoor. We are very grateful to the hundreds who answered that plea, along with the dedication of volunteers and contractors, without which we would not have made it this far during the pandemic.
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Holly Moser, ENNIS Project Officer
ennis@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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The England Tree Strategy
We responded to the Government’s consultation on plans to update its policy for trees, woodland and forestry through creation of a new England Tree Strategy. The new strategy will set out policies to expand tree cover, support woodland management and increase public engagement with trees and woodlands. It will help ensure the government’s tree planting commitment – to increase tree planting to 30,000 hectares per year across the UK by 2025 - is delivered, working closely with the devolved administrations, communities and landowners to do so.
It follows a 2018 accord between the Forestry Commission and National Parks England, committing to ensuring woodland is managed sustainably and in line with a natural capital approach, taking into account the statutory purposes of National Parks.
This is an incredibly ambitious target which aims to lift woodland cover in England from the current 10% to 12% by 2060. We welcome this commitment to increase tree cover but along with our colleagues in other NPA’s we have stressed the importance of following the principles of the “Right Tree in the Right Place for the Right Reason”. The new England Tree Strategy will also promote the importance of protecting and improving our existing woodland through proper sustainable management.
The development the national strategy will be the platform from which we develop an Exmoor Tree Strategy with our partners. The national planting targets indicated would translate to an additional 2000 to 3500 ha of woodland (current 14% to 17/19%), roughly 70-100 ha/year for 30 years. Through our strategy we will refine the concept “Right Tree, Right Place, Right Reason” to propose some imaginative and creative solutions such as wood-pasture, natural regeneration, low-density woodland as well as larger planting schemes in the right places. We will also develop stronger justification for managing woods and developing local timber supply chains.
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Graeme McVittie, Senior Conservation Officer – Trees & Woodland
rgmcvittie@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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The Exmoor’s Ambition Test and Trial
Our work to help Defra shape the new Environmental Land Management Scheme continues through an ongoing trial taking place across 25 Exmoor farm and woodland enterprises.
The early stages of the programme, which continued virtually throughout the lockdown, have largely been a natural capital accounting exercise, focused on recoding what assets are present on the farms, how they are distributed across Exmoor and how different farms organise those assets.
We are now entering the final phase which will look more closely at how those public goods translate into payments and incentives and how a system based on that model might be properly resourced and delivered. A full update on the initiative featured in Farmer’s Weekly last month and can be found here.
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Alex Farris, Conservation Manager
afarris@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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Supporting COVID Safe Outdoor Learning at Pinkery
Despite having to close our Pinkery Centre for Outdoor Learning to residential school visits due to the COVID restrictions in March, work has been underway to upgrade bedrooms and communal areas. Since the new term began, we have worked hard with local schools to find safe ways of providing outdoor learning and adapt how we do things and have welcomed a number of schools to Pinkery for day visits so that the children can still benefit from contact with Exmoor''s wonderful environment. Special thanks to volunteers from YMCA Exeter for their help with the job of redecorating.
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Ben Totterdell, Learning and Engagement Manager
btotterdell@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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Ashcombe Spirit of Place Survey
At the heart of Exmoor’s former Royal Forest in the village of Simonsbath lies White Rock Cottage and adjacent what was once a picturesque garden, now largely overgrown.
Early last year we embarked on a project to restore the buildings and garden and uncover their story, with enthusiastic support from dedicated volunteers.
That work was completed in December 2019, but the upgrade of the power supply and the installation of an air source heating system (which was dependent on it) was delayed by C-19 and has only just been completed. Simonsbath & Exmoor Heritage Trustees and ENPA staff have been working on the proposed transfer of the building to the Trust.
In continuation of that work, we’re asking people to complete our Ashcombe Spirit of Place Survey, exploring what the site means to them. We’re interested in how people came to know it, what they love or loved most about it, and how it makes them feel.
These stories will greatly help shape future plans for the site. Whether you have deep roots there or simply enjoy walking your dog, we want to hear from you!
The Spirit of Place survey is open until 4th October via the link above. For those without online access, a small number of paper copies are available in Ashcombe Carpark, TA24 7SH, with a dedicated post box. To be added to the mailing list for future updates, please email ashcombe.development@gmail.com.
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Rob Wilson-North, Head of Conservation and Access
rwnorth@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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The Case for Wooden Windows
Tom Thurlow, ENPA’s Historic Buildings Officer explains why windows matter...
Windows are often described as the eyes of a building. They draw the eye and give a building its character. When you take a moment to think how many windows there are in the National Park it’s not hard to appreciate how they can have a dramatic impact on the character and appearance of the place.
Exmoor has an amazing variety of windows that span a thousand years of history. From the ‘Saxon window’ at Culbone Church to the early 20th century ‘Arts and Crafts’ windows found in Porlock, they can provide clues to the artistic, social, economic and technological developments of past ages. Their design and detailing were influenced by contemporary architectural fashion and reflected the status of a dwelling (and often the individual rooms within it). They were further shaped by factors such as methods of taxation, building legislation and craft advances, particularly in glass manufacture.
There is an on-going and growing trend to remove these historic windows and replace them with modern uPVC alternatives. In the push to make houses more energy efficient the replacement of drafty old windows is seen as an easy gain but when you look at the facts it isn’t as simple as it first appears.
It is often argued that a uPVC window will outlast a timber one. Yet there are 1000s of examples of timber windows on Exmoor that are over 150 years old, the oldest example is likely to be 600 years old. Try to find a uPVC supplier who will offer anything more than a 20-year guarantee!
The use of poor quality, rapidly grown timber after the war has given timber windows a bad reputation that unfortunately has stuck. Provided a good quality timber is used, and it is well maintained, it will long outlast any plastic alternative. This also makes timber cheaper than uPVC over the life of the window-even taking into account maintenance costs. A typical uPVC window also takes eight times more energy to produce than a timber alternative and relies on oil in its manufacture. Added to this a timber window can be repaired to extend its life unlike uPVC that more often than not ends up in landfill, on average less than 20 years after its production.
In 2003 the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) assessed the performance of PVC and timber windows against a range of indicators. These included global warming potential, acid rain potential, eutrophication potential and ozone creation potential. In all these assessments, the environmental impacts of PVC are worse than timber. The more recent 2017 Wood Window Alliance report ‘A Clear Choice’, backed by the WWF, also supports these claims. It’s clear the environmental arguments for wood are strong.
Clearly a 200-year-old timber window isn’t going to be as good at keeping out the cold as a modem alternative. Tempting as it might be to take out drafty old windows and replace them with uPVC, it’s much better for the building and the environment to upgrade the window by adding draft proofing strips, using shutters or heavy curtains, or by adding secondary glazing.
Repairing and upgrading existing windows were possible is a win-win. It retains the aesthetic and historic value of the building, has potential to last longer than uPVC, is beneficial to the environment and, by retaining original features, it adds value to a property.
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Thomas Thurlow, Historic Buildings Officer
tthurlow@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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Government ‘Planning for the Future’ Consultation
The Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced a consultation on proposals to reform the planning system in England. These could have important implications for future development in England including in National Parks.
Key aspects of the reforms include:
- Local Plans will be replaced by shorter, standardised, more interactive plans that are ‘rule based’ backed up by design codes instead of policies. They will be limited to setting out types of land allocation and maps. It appears that policies, which are currently in Local Plans, will be set out by central government in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
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Plans will identify areas using a ‘zoned’ approach with development consent depending on the area/’zone’ that a development is in. These are one of either Growth areas – automatic consent in the form of an outline permission; Renewal areas – existing built areas for smaller scale development such as densification and infill; and Protected areas with environmental / cultural protections and the open countryside - proposals will need planning permission and they will be assessed against national policies in the NPPF.
- In growth and renewal areas, schemes could be brought forward that are different from the plan through an application, but this is expected to be exceptional
- Environmental appraisals and assessments of plans such as sustainability appraisals will be abolished and replaced by a simplified process
- Plan preparation must meet a statutory 30-month timetable. Consultation will shift entirely to the plan making stage using digital consultation methods. It appears that there will be a single period of public consultation.
- There will be a focus on good design/beauty through using national and local design guidance/codes. Local design codes will be prepared locally with community involvement.
- Changes are proposed to the standard method of housing numbers to establish binding housing requirement figures in plans taking account of constraints such as National Parks
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For development management, it appears that there will be no opportunities for statutory consultees such as Parish and Town Councils or the public to comment on planning applications. Elected councillors/National Park members will no longer be responsible for decisions on planning applications.
- Proposals will be assessed against design codes/rules and national policies in the NPPF. Current time limits on applications of 8/13 weeks from validation to decision making will be binding and planning conditions will be standardised.
- Planning enforcement powers and sanctions will be strengthened.
- Other proposals include the protection of green spaces by allowing for more building on brownfield land and all new streets to be tree lined. There will also be a Government review and update of planning for listed buildings and conservation areas to allow, where appropriate, sympathetic changes and securing consent for routine works.
- A new national levy will replace the current system of developer contributions and planning obligations (Section 106 agreements)
- There is also an ambition that new ‘zero carbon ready’ homes delivered under the new system will not require future retrofitting.
The public have until 11:45pm on Thursday 29th October to respond to the consultation, which is available at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-future
Exmoor National Park Authority will be considering the proposals and it’s response to the consultation at the Committee meeting on 6th October.
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Ruth McArthur, Policy and Community Manager
RMcArthur@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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Annual Rights of Way Report
Our annual Rights of Way Report highlights the work carried out by Exmoor National Park Authority to maintain and improve the public access network across the National Park.
Highlights this year include:
- An ‘Open and Easy to Use’ assessment score of 92% across 1000km of public rights of way.
- Completion of eight major path repairs.
- 42% of the path network surveyed by our Rangers to assess signage and furniture, including 143 bridge inspections.
- 290 signposts, 157 gates and 6 bridges made and installed by our Field Services Team in Exford. They also cleared an amazing 233 fallen trees and cut back vegetation along 159km of paths.
- Paths in 18 Parishes surveyed by our amazing Pathwatch volunteers, adding up to 450 hours of effort.
- 53 legal events and 9 historical ‘off-line’ path issues resolved.
- Improvements including a new Public Bridleway at Martinhoe and replacement of five stiles with easier alternatives.
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Dan Barnett, Access and Recreation Manager
DJBarnett@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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Rural Enterprise Exmoor research launched
60 per cent more businesses are operating in the National Park than previously known, according to findings from one of the largest ever surveys undertaken into the rural economy on Exmoor.
It reveals a total of nearly 1,300 businesses operating within the National Park, many of which had been previously missing from
national datasets that can overlook micro-businesses and sole traders, which comprise most of business activity on Exmoor.
The research was undertaken by Wave Hill, an independent social and economic research firm, as part of the Rural Enterprise Exmoor Initiative – created by Exmoor National Park Authority to better understand the local economy and bring together partners to support sustainable economic development in harmony with the area’s special status as a National Park.
Read the full report and find out more at: www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/living-and-working/business-and-economy/rural-enterprise-exmoor
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Dan James, Sustainable Economy Manager
DTJames@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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Seashore Safari - Virtually
As COVID-19 scuppered most of the education plans for this summer, I decided to make our usual Seashore Safari virtual instead. Trying to film on my own and catch a crab without being bitten all at the same proved very challenging. I arranged to meet another Ranger, Charlotte, on the beach but the day we chose turned out to be the worst weather possible. We decided to get on with the job despite the howling wind - after all, sea creatures don’t mind the wet! I am hoping the finished video will make it online over the next couple of weeks and will inspire lots of people to go rockpooling, including maybe even some of you.
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Rosie Wilson, ENPA Ranger
rwilson@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
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New Homes, Barns Close, Dulverton
A number of new 1-bed homes are available to rent in Dulverton at a Live West development due for completion this October. Applicants with a strong local tie will be given first priority.
These properties aren’t expected to be vacant for long, so anyone interested should register without delay at www.homefindersomerset.co.uk or for more information contact Sophie.Holdaway@livewest.co.uk.
Full eligibility criteria can be found here on our website.
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Solar Together Devon
Could you save on your energy bills by generating your own clean electricity?
We''re working with Devon Climate Emergency to help local people reduce their carbon footprint through #SolarTogetherDevon.
If you live in Devon, register now for free and find out how solar panels can help you save money and the planet.
There isn''t yet an equivalent scheme for our Somerset residents, but we''re working on it.
Register now: www.solartogether.co.uk/northdevon
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Exmoor National Park Authority, 01398 323665|, Exmoor House, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9HL, www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk |
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