Breadcrumbs
Greener future for people and places affected by aggregate extraction - 8 February 2006
Jim Knight, Minister for Rural Affairs will speak at the event to highlight how Defra grant funded projects are changing the way quarries impact on our natural environment.
In advance of the event, Jim Knight said:
“This Fund makes an important contribution to some of our key priorities; delivering more sustainable consumption and production and protecting the countryside and our natural environment – issues which affect all of our lives.
“Quarrying is an important economic activity, but we need to consider its environmental impacts. The Aggregates Levy tackles the environmental costs of quarrying and we developed the Sustainability Fund to complement the Levy by delivering specific benefits, focusing on the areas which have to deal with the effects of quarrying.
“Since its launch in April 2002, the Fund has distributed £70 million in grants, supporting nearly 1,200 projects to help regenerate landscapes, wildlife and communities damaged by the impact of the extraction of building materials. This success has been enabled by successful partnership working between government, our delivery partners, industry and NGOs. ”
Jeremy Worth, of the Countryside Agency said: "The success of the scheme is a credit to the people who have offered ideas and hard work to transform their local environment. It is important that there is continued support for schemes like this that reduce the impact of extraction and provide vibrant green spaces for people and nature to enjoy.”
Dr Keith Duff, English Nature’s Director with responsibility for ALSF, said: “This is a great opportunity for all the Delivery Partners to show what’s been achieved so far in terms of benefits for the environment, and to talk about their vision for the future. The outcomes already achieved have made a real difference for biodiversity, geodiversity and the overall environment of local communities, and it’s important to demonstrate this to key decision-makers, and emphasise the need for this delivery mechanism to continue into the future. The value placed on the scheme is clear from the fact that it’s significantly over-subscribed, and there are great opportunities for more high quality projects in the years ahead.”
CASE STUDIES:
Attenborough Pitts in Nottinghamshire
Using money provided by the ALSF, an old gravel pit has been transformed into reedbeds providing sanctuary for wildlife. The project have unlocked the potential of this Nottinghamshire SSSI and nature reserve, giving more people the chance to experience its special atmosphere and features. The new £1.6m Attenborough Nature Centre opened in March 2005, after 40 years on the drawing board. Such is the success of this site that it was a SSSI award winner in 2005.
Shropshire Rocks, Shropshire Wildlife Trust
The Shropshire Wildlife Trust was awarded a grant to develop three outstanding former and current aggregate sites, including the Shropshire “Meres and Mosses”, as flagship geological tourism locations.
“Talking rocks”, an educational audio installation, tells the story of the rocks’ journey from various parts of the British Isles to their current resting place in Shropshire where they were deposited when the glacier carrying them melted.
ENDS
**Issued on behalf of DEFRA, the Landscape, Access and Recreation division of the Countryside Agency and English Nature**
For more information contact the Countryside Agency press office on:
Matthew Heard: 01242 533476 or 07900 608 168
Beth Rose: 01242 533306 or 07900 608 052
Notes for Editors:
1. The ALSF Partnership Event takes place at One Great George Street, Westminster, from 10:00am on Wednesday 8 February 2006. Speeches from 10:35, with the Minister speaking first. Lunch from 12:45, with the opportunity to browse funding partners’ displays and discuss with them the success of their schemes and their hopes for the future.
2. Other speakers at the event, representing the extraction industry, are Simon van der Byl, Director General of Quarry Products Association (QPA) and Peter Huxtable, Secretary of the British Aggregates Association (BAA).
3. Out of an allocation of £9.3m over two financial years (2005/2006 and 2006/2007), the ALSF Partnership Grants Scheme has awarded a total of £8.5m in grants - £5.8m towards biodiversity, geodiversity and marine projects, and £2.7m towards landscape, access and recreation projects; since the start of the ALSF grants scheme in 2002, we estimate that the combined grant-giving of the two agencies has brought in around £25m in funding from other sources (‘leverage’).
4. In April 2005 English Nature and The Countryside Agency combined their grant schemes delivering ALSF to become the ALSF Partnership Grants Scheme. From April 2006, there will be a single ALSF Grants Management Team; from October 2006 the ALSF Partnership Grants Scheme will be part of the new environmental agency, Natural England.
5. Following publication of the draft Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill in February, English Nature, the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency’s Landscape, Access and Recreation division are working towards integration as a single body: Natural England It will work for people, places and nature with responsibility for enhancing biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promoting access, recreation and public wellbeing, and contributing to the way natural resources are managed – so they can be enjoyed now and for future generations.
English Nature is the independent Government agency that champions the conservation of wildlife and geology throughout England.
The Rural Development Service is the largest deliverer of the England Rural Development Programme and a range of advisory and regulatory rural services. With the administration of a multi-million pound grant budget for schemes which support land management, rural businesses and rural communities, the Rural Development Service is the single largest organisation working for the benefit of rural areas in England.
The Countryside Agency’s Landscape, Access and Recreation division aims to help everyone respect, protect and enjoy the countryside – protecting natural landscapes; and encouraging access to, enjoyment of and sustainable management and use of the countryside.
