Breadcrumbs
Management arrangements in the Cotswolds
Legislation was passed in August 2004 to establish a Cotswolds AONB Conservation Board from the existing Partnership as provided for in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The Conservation Board was established on the 14th December 2004 and became operational on the 1st of February 2005. It is led by 40 board members (made up of 17 local authority, 15 Secretary of State and 8 parish council members) and the current AONB team. The Conservation Board has set up an executive steering group to effectively manage the partnership. An accord between the Board and the local authorities will identify which local authority duties will transfer to the Conservation Board. In 2004, the Cotswolds AONB Partnership published a new AONB Management Plan to meet the requirements of the Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000. An electronic copy of the plan can be downloaded from the AONB website www.cotswoldsaonb.com/index.asp. Statutory policies |
| The statutory planning framework for the AONB involves no less than 20 structure and local plans, either complete or in preparation. Due to a high degree of co-operation, local authorities are in broad agreement on protective countryside policies in the critical areas of development, conservation and tourism. Gloucestershire County Council is responsible for 63 per cent of the AONB and its Structure Plan states that 'priority will be given to the protection of the landscape in Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty' and that 'full regard will be paid to the environmental features of proposals for mineral workings, particularly where they are likely to affect Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty'. All local plans covering the AONB broadly support Structure Plan policies. |
Other AONB publications The publication, The Cotswolds landscape, (CCP 294, £6.00) was commissioned and published by the Countryside Commission in 1990. An enhanced landscape assessment for the AONB was produced by MAFF in 1994 linked to the creation of the Cotswold Hills ESA. More publications are available from the Cotswolds Conservation Board. |
Action on the ground |
The AONB Unit, Cotswolds Voluntary Wardens and partners are developing high profile umbrella initiatives which include smaller projects involving the community. They have been designed to take a more strategic and proactive approach at the same time as being attractive to new funders. |
From 1998 to 2003 these projects included a project focusing on the scarp, a local features initiative and Cotswolds grasslands work. From 2003 to 2008 these projects included the Caring for the Cotswolds project, supported by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. This project had four areas of focus:- drystone walling, limestone grassland, local distinctiveness, and interpretation. There are also a number of local initiatives which deliver significant elements of the management strategy within specific management zones. These include the Wychwood Project, the, Bybrook Project, the Avon Valley project and the Stroud Valleys Sustainable Woodlands Project. |
| Active conservation organisations |
| In addition to the Voluntary Warden Service a number of voluntary organisations are active in the AONB. These include the county Wildlife Trusts, the Woodland Trust, the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, the Ramblers' Association, Royal Society for Protection of Birds, National Trust, and the British Butterfly Conservation Society. Page 2 of 2 |
