Current AONB Management Plan 2014-19

Vision

By 2034, Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will be an enhanced area of national and international importance in terms of landscape beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage, centred on its heaths and woods. Improved management of the whole area will connect the AONB to its surrounding landscapes, biodiversity and people. Conservation and enhancement programmes will bring about a better quality of life for local communities and visitors. Habitats; biodiversity; geodiversity; historic environment; public access for quiet enjoyment; understanding of the area’s fragility and importance; and positive visitor behaviours will continue to thrive under a plan for a balanced and sustainable AONB landscape.

Management Plan High Level Objectives

In striving to achieve this vision, the Management Plan will aspire to meet the following high level objectives (HLOs).

  • HLO1 Develop Cannock Chase AONB as a special, peaceful and tranquil place for everyone who lives in, works within or visits the area.
  • HLO2 Conserve and enhance the distinctive and nationally important landscape of Cannock Chase AONB and the locally, nationally and internationally important biodiversity, geodiversityand cultural heritage it supports, ensuring links between habitats within the AONB and surrounding landscape.
  • HLO3 Develop a place valued and understood by everyone who comes into contact with Cannock Chase AONB, so that they can contribute positively to the shaping of its future.
  • HLO4 Ensure a safe, clean and tranquil environment that can contribute to a high and sustainable quality of life.
  • HLO5 Support a balance between a working landscape where prosperity and opportunity increase, biodiversity flourishes, cultural heritage is cared for and celebrated and pressure upon natural resources is diminished.
  • HLO6 Create a place of enjoyment for everyone, providing opportunities for quiet recreation and maintaining ecosystems and heritage that contribute positively to physical and mental well-being.
  • HLO7 Maintain and develop a successful partnership, working together to manage Cannock Chase AONB and its setting effectively.

Key Issues specifically relating to historic environment:

The group felt that key issues should be reviewed to make sure they can be evidenced and that some issues were missing:

Need to reflect greater focus on industrial heritage

Need to reflect merging of settlements and loss of settlement pattern

For field patterns and hedgerow loss, need to evidence / monitor – explore potential for apps to record hedges, look at LCA evidence base, surveys etc. Link to horsiculture actions.

  • KI11 (Loss) Erosionof key parkland character and featuressuch as ancient trees and boundary walls.
  • KI12 Field patterns and habitats continue to deteriorate due to lack of hedgerowmaintenance.
  • KI13 Maintaining historicalSafeguarding historic environment features within the landscape.
  • KI14 Maintaining the links to the heritage of military history within the currentAONB landscape, particularly from WW1.
  • KI27 Raise awareness of the historical features and cultural aspects relating tothe landscape.

Policies relating specifically to the historic environment

  • LP10 Parklands will be conserved and enhanced.
  • LP11 Work will be undertaken to ensure protection of all landscape, heritage,geological and ecological designated assets.
  • LP12 Significant archaeological, geological and historical landscapes and their settings will be identified, conserved and enhanced.

NB There are wider policies around education, interpretation etc.

Delivery Actions

Group 4 – Parkland management

LA16 Encourage the preparation and implementation ofmanagement plans forparkland, through demonstrating theimpact of planning and delivery in the Shugborough plans.

LA17 Support the management of parklands appropriate to theircharacter and siting.

Merge above two actions together….

LA18 Resist the loss of parkland area and character

Group 5 – Heritage management

LA19 Undertake data collection (to include LiDAR if possible) toinform and produce a Historic Environment Assessment ofthe AONB landscape. – complete, action no longer required

LA20 Prepare a Historic Environment Management Plan (HEMP) toinclude research, management and education/interpretationobjectives for the next five and ten year cycles. – discuss with HE whether a stand-alone document is required or whether it can be incorporated within the management plan

LA21 Deliver research and investigation priorities identified in theHEMP. – depending on discussion above whether still required

LA22 Develop and deliver project ideas to support thecommemoration of the Great War in the context of theAONB’s role in preserving and protecting its history.Convert to a broader Chase Through Time legacy to include prehistory, industrial, military, leisure and social change themes plus land use

LA23 Identify, develop and deliver targeted projects to conserveheritage assets at Beaudesert.Add to new action below

LA24 Identify, develop and deliver conservation projects at Castle Ring.Add to new action below

Add new actions:

Ensure positive management of all designated heritage assets in the AONB (this would pick up Shugborough, Beaudesert, Castle Ring etc.)

Possibly add action about raising awareness and understanding of the historic environment – but could be part of a wider action relating to awareness raising for all special qualities…