Forgotten Landscapes

1
Forgotten Landscapes

• Progress to date

2
Working Groups

• All now well into their work
• Natural and Cultural heritage ahead to help
  define projects conservation objectives
• This is needed to inform the other groups
  training, education, access, etc
• Historic Environment Group
• Landscape and Access Forum
• Natural Heritage Group
• Audience Development Plan Group
• Education and Training Group
• Marketing and Tourism Group

3
Full Partnership

• Has met once, excellent representation
• Members outlined how they can support the
  partnership
• ToR agreed
• Need to arrange update meeting in December?
• Should we identify a champion / figurehead?
• If yes who?

4
Strength of Partnership?

• Is this partnership strong enough?

CCW Forestry Commission Environment
Agency Cadw Royal Commission Local
Authorities BBNPA DET HoV Blaenafon Womens
Guild
Wildlife Trusts PONT Woodland Trust National
Trust RSPB Commoners Torfaen Voluntary
Alliance Big Pit Cardiff University Future
Blaenafon
Torfaen Social Services Llanfoist History
Society Gwent Bee Keepers CPRW Communities 1st
Abergavenny Communities 1st Trevethin
Penygarn Communities 1st Cwntillery Torfaen Youth
Services Herian
Do we need representation from the smaller
groups?
Supporting / advisory bodies Heather and
Hillforts Wyre Forest Sirhowy Valley
Overlooking the Wye Gower commoners
5
Audience Development Analysis of Data
Consulting Communities of Interest
Pwll Du Conservation Blaenafon Womens
Guild Gwent Youth Theatre Future
Blaenavon Pontypool Community Council Torfaen
Green Wellies Group and related SS groups Torfaen
Countryside and Forward Planning Teams Torfaen
Carers Strategy Group Torfaen Local Access
Forum Gwent Bee Keepers Association BBNPA
Disables Access Forum CPRW Monmouthshire
Branch Forestry Commission funding arms

• Garn yr Erw Community Group
• Torfaen Voluntary Alliance
• Govilon Heritage Group
• Llanfoist History Society
• Communities 1st Abergavenny
• Communities 1st Trevethin
• Penygarn
• Communities 1st Cwntillery
• WHS Volunteer Ranger Service
• Torfaen LBAP partnership
• Blaenafon Doorway youth club
• Cardiff University
• BBC

6
Other Consultation Events

• Bryn y Cwm Expo - questionnaire
• Blaenafon World Heritage Day - questionnaire
• Garn Lakes Country Fair - questionnaire
• Drop In Sessions at the Workmens Hall
• Drop In Sessions at the Blaenafon TVA Offices
• Visitor Interviews at Car Parks

7
Questionnaires

• Over 5,000 distributed
• 136 returned

8
Analysis Please see handout

• Questionnaire
• Respondents
• Respondents were predominantly female
• Over 50 were over 50
• 74 respondents lived within 5 miles

9
Analysis 2 Please see handout

• Understanding our Heritage
• 66 had a reasonable understanding of
  heritage
• Heritage is rated highly
• But confusion over what constitutes heritage
  is a
• problem
• Need for awareness raising projects

10
Analysis 3 Please see handout

• Understanding our Heritage
• 93 felt that protecting built and man made
  heritage
• structures was important
• 85 recognised heather moorland
• only 50 knew it supported endangered red
  grouse
• 91 felt that conservation of upland habitats
  was important

11
Analysis 4 Please see handout

• Visits to Heritage Sites
• Anywhere over last 12 months
• countryside, hills and mountains gt 85
• wildlife sites
  64
• archaeological sites
  53
• WHS
• Keepers pond 78
• Garn Lakes 70
• Big Pit 57
• Demonstrates that most people like landscapes and
  short walks
• Need to raise awareness of what is available
  around Blaenafon

12
Analysis 5 Please see handout

• Promoting Tourism
• Promoting cultural tourism and quiet
  recreation is important 91
• More visitors should be attracted to the
  area 86
• Involvement in Heritage Activities
• 45 interested in guided walks / talks
• 27 interested in volunteering
• N.B. at the workshops this figure was 92

13
Who Else Needs to be Consulted?

• Audience Development is an ongoing process and it
  cant all
• be done prior to submitting the application to
  HLF
• Ongoing programme of events
• e.g. Youth forum
• Pontypool Town Council
• Community Groups

14
Stage 1 Documents

• LCS
• All chapters - advanced drafts
• Updates to follow this presentation
• Need to circulate for comment, proof read, insert
  photos, etc and forward to graphics team
• Audience Development / Access
• Consultation reviewed
• Access elements update to follow
• Consultants
• Appointed and underway

15
Next Steps

• Public consultation and Working Groups have
  generated project ideas
• Working Groups and Key Officer Steering Group
  review
• project ideas, identify those that derive the
  most benefit
• across all the Programme Areas
• Selected projects are recommended to the Full
  Partnership
• for endorsement
• Finalise LCS A/ADP, produce Training Plan,
  Business Plan and
• Landscape Strategy

16
Budget

• No overspends anticipated
• Match Funding
• Countryside Council for Wales
• Welsh Assembly Government (DET)
• Welsh Assembly Government (HOV)
• Environment Agency
• LAs, BBNPA, Town and Community Councils
• Volunteer input

17
Projects

• Access
• Physical access for disabled users and all
  terrain wheel chair hire
• Access to information, e.g. website, DVD, guide
  booklets
• Highway changes traffic calming for wildlife
  and quiet recreation narrow carriageways and
  create pull ins
• Improved cycle routes in WHS and links to
  National cycle route
• Hydrology
• Use water / water management as a key theme
  rivers, leats, canals, lakes, wetlands, bogs,
  peat, carbon storage, flood prevention, power
  generation
• Global warming offsetting projects

18
Projects

• Community Arts
• Sculpture and Statues based on industrial past
• Need for workshop facilities
• Involve young people
• metalworking at ironworks
• industrial son et lumiere and other drama
  productions
• Managing Colliery Spoil
• Mountain boarding National Championships?
• CCW projects and research
• Education and Training
• Training and education for volunteers and paid
  interpreters
• Use this landscape as a centre for study
  (ESDGC links)

19
Projects

• Land management
• Bracken composting scheme
• Train commoners in land management skills
• Establish a WHS brand / cooperative for quality
  food
• Policing
• Second a police officer to tackle anti-social
  behaviour / crime in the landscape
• Aim to reduce arson, off road vehicle use, car
  crime, etc
• Work with schools and community groups
• Liaison with police colleagues re off road
  operations

20
Projects

• Collaboration
• Undertake a joint project with Sirhowy Valley
  or Wye Valley
• Landscape Partnership Project
• (wildlife corridors / volunteers / heritage
  routes)
• Make links with other Cultural Landscape
  World Heritage
• Sites and exchange best practice
• Use Workmens Hall for conferences
• Marketing / Awareness Raising
• Make film about life and management of the
  commons in
• and around the WHS. Marketing to and
  Educating people
• about the value of post - industrial
  landscapes and their
• important link to wildlife

21
Projects

• Guided Walks / Education
• Forgotten Mines, houses and farms - develop a
  route to
• connect those that are still safe and publish
  an interpreted
• map guide leaflet.
• Each site could have a small, discrete
  interpretation plaque
• Link education initiatives to the new Visitor
  Centre
• Oral History
• Gather the local stories before they are lost
• Landscape Features
• Leats and Ponds - worthy of survey to
  establish condition
• and need for maintenance (hydrology projects)
• Protecting Tips - survey tips to establish
  condition and
• grade importance - provide focus for
  conservation effort

22
Projects

• Landscape Character Areas
• The Cadw Historic Landscape Characterisation
  Study
• identifies 22 distinct Landscape Character
  Areas.
• These could be used to tell different aspects
  of the story of
• the landscape - agricultural and industrial
• Access and information improvements
• Linking to satellite communities /
  disabilities
• Historic Built Structures
• Conservation of historic built structures in
  the landscape
• associated with well advertised and
  maintained routes

23
Unforeseen Outcomes / Early Action Resulting from
Partnership activity

• No HLF project funding until 2009, but
• Urgent need for bracken control identified
• N.B. Partnership raised funding for bracken
  control this year
• Urgent need for Red Grouse / Brown Hare recovery
  programme
• Conservation of Hills Pits Chimney (DET money)
• PONT / CCW money for grazing animals on Blorenge
  common
• HoV Money - Some community based project ideas
  could begin early

24
Unforeseen Benefits / Early Action Resulting from
Partnership

• Partnership Working
• identifies issues
• and
• generates opportunities for action

25
Defining the Boundary

• What parameters can we use to define our
  boundary?
• Catchments water quality, flood management
  and prevention
• Upland massif
• Carbon sequestration
• Moorland recovery
• Connectivity within and beyond the project
  area
• Biodiversity
• Sustainable grazing management
• Viable agricultural systems
• Invasive species management
• Historic landscape features
• Access
• Historic Landscape Characterisation (Clydach)
• Northern gateway (Clydach)

26
Delivering Projects Within the Boundary

• Should the boundary be considered in two parts
• Zone of influence defined by catchments?
• Project delivery areas with their own boundaries
  within this zone?
• Should their be a 1K buffer zone?