AONB Contacts

Paul JacksonAONB Project Officer

North Yorkshire CountyCouncil

Heritage UnitCounty Hall

NorthallertonDL7 8AH

Telephone: (01609) 532911

paul.jackson@northyorks.gov.uk

Julian RuddLocal Plans & Countryside

OfficerRyedale District Council

Telephone: (01653) 600666ext. 327

Glen RobinsonPlanning Officer

Hambleton District Council

Telephone: (01609) 767165

Inside this Issue

1. A Brave New World

2. The Howardian HillsArea of OutstandingNatural Beauty

2. Rights of Way

2. Farm DiversificationGuide

3. The CountrysideStewardship Scheme

3. Farm Business AdviceService

4. Road Verges

4. All Aboard the Moorsbus

5. Rural Transport

5. Vital Villages

6. Market Towns Initiativeand Community Plans

6. Parish Projects Officer

6. Community Workshops

Issue 2 November 2001

HowardianHillsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty

AONBNEWS

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Inside this Newsletter there aredetails of plans to revive thefortunes of Malton/Norton andEasingwold, the two main MarketTowns that serve the AONB. TheVital Villages Scheme, RuralTransport Partnerships andMoorsbus Network all offeropportunities to support villageservices and transport networks.

For farmers and land managers,the Farm Business AdvisoryService offers help with businessplanning at this critical time,whilst the CountrysideStewardship Scheme offers grantaid for those who want to farm ina less intensive way.

For the AONB Project also, this isa time of great change. TheCountryside and Rights of WayAct passed earlier this year hasgiven Local Authorities astatutory duty to prepareManagement Plans for AONBs.The current Management Plan forthe Howardian Hills will thereforehave to be reviewed and re-published by April 2004.

Together with the statutory dutycomes the offer of more financialresources from the CountrysideAgency, to help Joint AdvisoryCommittees (JACs) prepare andimplement new ManagementPlans. The Howardian Hills JAC

has recently prepared a BusinessPlan, outlining how it intends totake advantage of this newopportunity.

From April 2002 the AONB Projectwill consist of two fulltime staff, adoubling of the current position.This will allow it to carry outmore work on the ground, withlocal farmers and communities,whilst also reviewing theManagement Plan. The BusinessPlan also suggests that the AONBProject office might be locatedwithin the AONB at some time inthe future. This would bring itcloser to the communities of theAONB, but might reduce theamount of grant aid that it couldthen provide for countrysidemanagement work. The views oflocal people will be sought beforeany final decision is made.

So, exciting times ahead for theAONB Project. It is ideally placedto act as the common threadlinking all these new initiativestogether, making sure that theybring maximum benefit to theAONB. Foot and Mouth Diseasehas been a terrible blow for ruralcommunities, but the challengenow is to seize the opportunitiesand funds offered by these newinitiatives, to build moresustainable farming and villagecommunities.

A Brave New WorldA Brave New WorldIn this year when the everyday life of the AONB has been turned

upside down by Foot and Mouth Disease, new opportunities toimprove both the community and environmental aspects of the

area are increasing.

A Joint Advisory Committee (JAC)was set up in 1992. It hasrepresentatives of the localauthorities (North YorkshireCounty Council, Ryedale andHambleton District Councils), aswell as members representing

Parish Councils, the CountrysideAgency, National Farmers Union,Country Land and BusinessAssociation, Forestry Commission,Ramblers Association and EnglishNature.The JAC prepared a Management

The Howardian Hills Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty (AONB)

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Rights of Way

North Yorkshire County Council,together with the District Councilsand the NFU, has produced aPlanning Guide to FarmDiversification in North Yorkshire.

This gives easy-to-follow adviceon the planning procedures andissues that farmers need toconsider if they want to diversifytheir business.

The Government declared the Howardian Hills as anAONB in 1987. The landscape is of national

importance and is of equal quality to the North YorkMoors National Park.

Farm Diversi

The first edition of the Newsletterlast year announced the start of amajor programme to improvegates and signs on pathsthroughout the AONB.

Work started around Crambe,Whitwell and Kirkham in January,but had to be suspended in lateFebruary due to Foot and MouthDisease.

The work completed to date hasbeen well received, with newgates making access much easierfor less agile people.

Plan for the AONB, which waspublished in 1998. This sets out aseries of guidelines coveringlandscape, nature conservation,cultural heritage and recreation.It doesn’t cover planning issues,which are still dealt with by thelocal authorities. Copies of theManagement Plan can be seen atthe Local Authority offices, or inMalton and Easingwold Libraries.

The Management Plan is put intoaction by the JAC partners. AnAONB Project Officer (PaulJackson) co-ordinates the work –he also advises farmers onconservation work and providesgrant aid for small countrysideprojects. He works closely withstaff from the other partnerorganisations, who provideassistance and specialist advice.

The AONB stretches fromCoxwold to Howsham, coveringthe high ground between theVales of Pickering and York. Itlinks the North York Moors to theYorkshire Wolds and is adistinctive landscape of woodedhills and valleys.

There is a list of contacts in thisNewsletter if you want to speakto any of the staff involved inAONB work.

New gate and signpost, Howsham Bridge

Now in its tenth year, CSS is runby the Rural Development Servicewithin DEFRA. It offers grants tofarmers and land managers toimprove the natural beauty anddiversity of the countryside. Thebudget for CSS has increasedsignificantly in recent years, toreflect the growing emphasis onsustainable agriculture and theenvironment. Grants areavailable for a wide range ofwork, from gapping-up hedges tomanaging meadows and pasturesin a less intensive way. Newoptions for arable fields are beingintroduced in 2002, designedspecifically to benefit farmlandbirds, rare arable plants andinvertebrates. It is a discretionaryscheme and applicants need toenter into a ten-year agreementto improve the environment ontheir farm.

CSS has an important role in theHowardian Hills AONB, as ameans of achieving some of theaims of the AONB ManagementPlan, as well as offering farmers aless intensive managementoption. The AONB is a specific“target area” for the Scheme;applications offering hedge andwall restoration and themanagement of meadows, wetpasture and historic landscapesare particularly welcomed.

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS)

New hedge planting

Many people are currently lookingat new sources of revenue fortheir farming business – theseguidelines are essential readingand indicate what might or mightnot be allowed.

For a copy of the Guide pleasecontact Chris Dickinson on 01609532353.

fication Guide

If you would like to find out moreabout CSS please contact aStewardship Adviser at DEFRA

Northallerton (01609 767400) orAONB Project Officer, PaulJackson.

Farm Business Advice ServiceLaunched nationally in October2000, the FBAS was establishedto provide up to three days freeadvice to farmers who areinterested in evaluating theirexisting business and looking atnew opportunities. The Service isrun by Business Link York andNorth Yorkshire and is funded byDEFRA. It is available to anyfarmer who has a holding numberand spends at least 75% of theirtime on the core farm business.

At an initial meeting with thefarmer, the adviser gathersinformation on the farm businessand discusses the main objectivesfor the business plan. This isfollowed up with a secondmeeting, where a draft ActionPlan is discussed and agreed withthe farmer. This may include ahealth check of the existing farmbusiness, advice on futureopportunities such asdiversification, and possible grantfunding available to the business.

In late May DEFRA announced an

enhancement to the standardthree day Farm Business Adviserservice. Five days of support cannow be given to farmers whohave had stock compulsorilyslaughtered due to Foot andMouth Disease. These five dayswill include a day on environ-mental matters - looking atissues and opportunitiessurrounding environmental goodpractice, stewardship and agri-environment schemes.

The advisers delivering theseservices include a mix of BusinessLink and quality assured sub-contracted Advisers. All of themhave received additional trainingon the impact and implications ofFoot and Mouth Disease, as wellas the range of agri-environmentschemes which may have a roleto play in farm business recovery.

For more information on eitherthe three day or five day servicesplease contact Business Link Yorkand North Yorkshire on 01904686000.

Every Sunday, and daily duringthe summer school holidays,visitors and locals alike travel onthe M4 Howardian Hills Moorsbusand marvel at the wonderfulviews. One of the most popularstops is the ‘City of Troy’ mazenear Dalby, where the driverbriefs the inquisitive passengerson the history of this ancientgame.

The development of the servicehas arisen from the manypassenger requests, eitherthrough the National Park’sannual Moorsbus survey or fromthe many letters the authorityreceives. The Howardian Hills hasrelatively sparse bus services,

with none on a Sunday. TheMoorsbus Network provides ahigh quality car-free day, givinglocal residents and visitors theopportunity to explore the AONBand the North York MoorsNational Park in a sustainableway. It also links with other busservices, giving better access tolocal towns.

For further information about theMoorsbus Network ring Neil Lewison 01439 770657.

Have you seen the smart red and yellow bustravelling through the AONB this summer?

This new bus service is the latest addition to

The Moorsbus in operation in the North York Moors

The wet winter, followed by afavourable spring, resulted in anabundance of wild flowers thissummer.

The AONB Project organised themanagement of 20 SpecialInterest Verges in late February,cutting a number of importantverges that were beginning to belost to scrub overgrowth. Theresults have been so good thatthe cutting programme will beextended this winter. In thefuture we hope to be able to re-use some of the cuttings fromthese verges, to regenerateflower-rich grassland on farmlandthat has been entered intoconservation schemes such asCountryside Stewardship.

The rare Knapweed Broomrapeplant doubled its population thisyear on its main site, followingwinter grazing by ponies, andwas also discovered on apreviously-unknown site.

A flower-rich verge

Road verges

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All aboard the Moorsbus

the National Park’sMoorsbus Network

service.

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Rural TransportThe AONB is covered by twoRural Transport Partnerships –Ryedale & North East Yorkshireand Hambleton & Richmondshire.

Minibus ‘brokerages’ have beenset up covering both areas.Minibuses are owned by a varietyof organisations, such as SocialServices or Dial a Ride, but maynot be used at particular times ofthe day. The brokerages will tapinto that spare capacity, makingvehicles available for wider ruralcommunity use. Booking of aminibus is through a Co-ordinatorand trained local volunteers candrive on behalf of theircommunity group, thereforekeeping costs down.

Cycle lockers are due to beinstalled at key points along theA170 corridor, including Helmsley.The idea is to link togetherdifferent forms of transport,allowing people to leave theirbikes securely whilst they catch abus or train.

The Wheels 2 Work scheme waslaunched this year by theHambleton Partnership, and the

Ryedale area is now developingone too. It helps young peoplebecome more independent,getting to work or training

courses when other transportisn’t available. Mopeds areavailable for a small weekly hirecharge, with the target groupbeing 16 to 25 year olds.

Referrals are accepted from anyagency or body that deals withyoung people, such as theCareers Service, Parish Councils,Employers and charities.

Easingwold Town Council, NorthYorkshire County Council and theHambleton Partnership arecurrently looking at the possibilityof operating a bus service to helpclubbers travelling to York. Asurvey revealed a local need for abus service from the night club atClifton Moor to Easingwold in theearly hours of Saturday andpossibly Sunday mornings.

The Partnerships receive 75% oftheir funding from theCountryside Agency, withadditional contributions fromNorth Yorkshire County Council,District Councils and variousother organisations. They arekeen to look at further projectproposals that meet an identifiedneed. Money is available!

For the Ryedale area contactPeter Oxley on 01653 600666ext. 451. For Hambleton contactKevin Holt on 01609 761206.

Wheels 2 Work

Vital VillagesVillagers in the Howardian Hillshave been quick off the mark totake advantage of theCountryside Agency’s new grantscheme to help rural communities– Vital Villages.

Residents of Welburn (Malton)can barely recognise their localpost office and shop. It has had amajor revamp thanks to cashfrom the Community ServicesGrant and was re-launched inOctober as the ‘The BarleyBasket’.

New owners Jill Taylor and JuliaBrown carried out a survey to

find out what theircommunity wanted. They’replanning to stock locallyproduced foods and areworking with the ParishCouncil to look at ways ofproviding information to bothlocals and visitors on localservices, events andattractions.

Vital Villages offers apackage of grants aimed atimproving life in rural areas.

For a Vital Villagesinformation pack pleasetelephone 0870 333 0170.

Julia Brown and Jill Taylor outside Welburn’s ‘Barley Basket’

across the AONBthis summer hasseen many villagename signs andtraditional cast ironroadsignsrepainted. Theseare part of ourheritage and makea valuablecontribution to thevisual appeal of theAONB, particularlyat a time whenspirits in thecountryside havebeen low.

Both the weather and Foot andMouth Disease disrupted theprogramme of interactiveworkshops last year. Three wereheld during the October half-term, at Welburn, Crayke andAmpleforth, with a further two atSlingsby and Hovingham inFebruary. The ceramic pieceswere coloured and fired at

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This Newsletter hasbeen produced by

the Howardian HillsAONB JAC

Market Towns Initiative and Community PlansThe two largest market townsthat serve the AONB,Malton/Norton and Easingwold,are both preparing Plans to revivetheir fortunes.

The Easingwold & VillagesCommunity Plan will be drawnup by a voluntary group and willcover a range of issues affectingcommunity life. These includeeconomic, social, community andenvironmental improvements. Anessential part of the Plan is that itwill be produced by people wholive and work locally, and who arenot necessarily elected

representatives. The group’s firstaction is to collect ideas fromthroughout the 32 surroundingParishes, from all special interestgroups and all sectors of thecommunity. It would like to hearfrom anyone who has ideas aboutwhat improvements could beincluded in the Plan.

For further details please contactMartin Whillock on 01347821849.

The Malton and Norton MarketTowns Initiative is funded bythe Countryside Agency, YorkshireForward and Ryedale District

Council. The programme is aimedat regenerating the Malton andNorton area and funding isavailable for suitable projects.

Programme Manager, Donna Lee,was appointed in July toadminister the Initiative andwould now like to hear fromindividuals or groups who haveproject ideas to improve theMalton and Norton area.

Further details or a guide todrawing up a project can beobtained from Donna on 01653600666 ext. 228.

Community WorkshopsTerrington and have now beenmounted on boards, ready forreturning to their home villages.

The AONB Project is working withRural Arts North Yorkshire againthis year, aiming to run a seriesof workshops based on ideasraised by an exhibition ofphotographs and writings. Watchout for further details in the localpress.

Although activitieshave beenrestricted this yearby Foot and MouthDisease, the ParishProjects Officer hasbecome a majorasset to the AONBProject and aregular sight invillages. Workduring the wintermainlyconcentrated onhabitatmanagementworks on importantwildlife sites, withsummer work being restricted topainting village features. Awidespread programme of work

Parish Projects Officer

A repainted village name sign