Annual review 2015 / 16
East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership
aonb annual review 2015/16 1
Seaton Wetlands
Countryside annual review 2014 / 15
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Email info@eastdevonaonb.org.uk Write / East Devon AONB Partnership visit Kennaway House, Coburg Road Sidmouth, EX10 8NG
2 aonb annual review 2015/16
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Contents
6 10 15
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4 Foreword 6 Landscape and heritage 8 Environmental quality and climate 10 Biodiversity 12 Farming and land management 14 Access, recreation and tourism 15 Planning and development 16 Rural economy and services 20 Communication, awareness and engagement 22 Management and finances 24 East Devon AONB map 26 Landscapes for Life 28 Partners
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aonb annual review 2015/16 3
Foreword
Cllr Graham Godbeer Chairman, East Devon AONB Partnership
Supporting the rural and social economy
4 aonb annual review 2015/16
In my first year as Partnership Chairman I am pleased to present to you my Partnership’s Annual Review. I follow the footsteps of former Chairman along a carefully and wisely trodden path, respecting the legacy entrusted to me and looking forward to managing our future challenges. This Annual Review provides a brief snapshot over the last financial year on the work of the AONB team on behalf of the Partnership. We have had a good year, all things considered. I am very pleased we have secured a new round of funding for our Making it Local programme for East Devon and Blackdown Hills AONBs. This £1.4m EU programme provides a fantastic opportunity for supporting the social and rural economy of the AONBs and we have done well to secure it for a second programme
(2014–19) with The Blackdown Hills AONB. It’s frustrating that it occasionally feels somewhat throttled by bureaucracy but the role of our AONB teams and local authority colleagues as sponsors / supporters, will, I hope, aid the process from concept to awards and I encourage local communities and small businesses to consider applying whilst we are still able to capitalise on EU funding! We have made efforts to promote our regional walking route the East Devon Way this year, with the support of East Devon District Council Countryside team and the local Ramblers group; not forgetting too the sterling efforts of some key AONB Ambassadors who have helped to improve the waymarking along this route. A new web site and a Sidmouth
AONB partnerships are seen as valued and highly productive delivery bodies and East Devon walking festival scheduled for September 2016 will all help to promote the route, adding to the inland tourism offer of East Devon and developing direct links with businesses along the route. Our biodiversity related activity has focused our partnership role in the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project with Devon Wildlife Trust. This year the project successfully secured full Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) support for a five year project and we look forward to delivering this project with our partners over the coming years. More locally we have been successful in our own HLF project Legacy to Landscape in the Shute area and we have been busy developing proposals for a Farm Facilitation programme based around the core of the AONB. The really positive end to
2015 / 16 was the confirmation from Defra of a long term commitment to our core funding. This endorsement sends a strong message to our local authority partners and others that AONB Partnerships are seen as valued and highly productive delivery bodies, adaptive and creative and providing strong local accountability. This confidence will allow us to maintain our Sustainable Development Fund in 2016 / 17, supporting our local communities and enabling new initiatives. As Chairman I would like to thank the officers for their tireless work for the AONB and I look forward to playing a key role in the work of the Partnership. I am very grateful to, and thank, all our partners and Ambassadors for their on-going commitment and support.
aonb annual review 2015/16 5
Landscape and heritage Support the development and delivery of environmental schemes and projects, working in partnership to conserve the AONB’s special qualities
Celebrating the local landscape 6 aonb annual review 2015/16
Local primary school children measuring Lord Arundel’s Oak
The Legacy to Landscape project Towards the tail end of the year we were very pleased to secure over £40k from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a three year community heritage landscape and biodiversity project. The Legacy to Landscape project (L2L) has started to delivery already and will enable local people and schools to get involved in celebrating the local landscape of Colyton and Shute area and its fascinating wildlife and history. It will reveal the rich heritage of this hidden landscape that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries with a series of events, surveys and walks which started in summer 2016. Project Co-ordinator Ruth Worsley said “the project provides potential for all ages to engage at a variety of levels, whether it’s enjoying the landscape and wildlife, searching archives, pouring over old maps, learning more about our native wildlife or leading a survey group. No matter what your current knowledge or your particular interests we would like to hear from you and would love you to be involved”. The Project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund with additional support from the East Devon AONB Partnership, Devon Wildlife Trust and the Axe Vale and District Conservation Society. Contact Ruth at legacytolandscape@gmail.com
National Mapping Programme
Areas of East Devon mapped this year under the National Mapping Programme
Used to influence and guide future work Farway Castle, Visualisation © Devon County Council, 2016. (based on Data Supplied under licence by Bluesky International Ltd)
In partnership with Devon County Council, the five AONBs within Devon have been supporting a county based National Mapping Programme (NMP) project. NMP has been developed by English Heritage (now Historic England) for identifying, mapping and recording archaeological sites and landscapes from aerial photographs and other airborne remote sensed data such as LIDAR (light detection and ranging). NMP projects enhance our understanding of past land use through identification and analysis of previously unrecorded archaeological landscapes and improving the information held for monuments already recorded. This information can then be used by Devon County Council and other parties for research and management of change in the historic environment. Valuable potential historic environment information is contained within aerial photographs for periods from the Neolithic period to the Cold War. It can be seen above the ground as earthworks or structures and buried remains can be revealed as cropmarks or soilmarks. The NMP methodology and standards developed by now Historic England provide the means for expert aerial photograph interpreters to interpret and record this information to a consistent standard. Each National Mapping Programme project examines all readily available aerial photographs and remote sensing data for a specified area. Depending on the size of the project area, this can easily number into the tens of thousands of aerial photographs. The latest phase of this Devon NMP programme in East Devon includes an section which overlaps with the central part of the AONB that is proposed for a Farm Facilitation project (see page 10). The full results of this work are expected in 2016 and as with previous surveys, will be added to Devon CC Historic Environment Record and used to influence and guide future work. aonb annual review 2015/16 7
Environment quality and climate Support and encourage environmental initiatives aimed at improving the natural resources of the AONB
Bringing local knowledge and expertise
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The Catchment Based Approach The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) embeds collaborative working at a river catchment scale to deliver cross cutting improvements to our water environments. Community partnerships, bringing local knowledge and expertise, are active in each of the 100+ Water Framework Directive catchments across England, including those cross border with Wales. More than 1,500 organisations are engaged with CaBA nationwide including NGOs, Water Companies, Local Authorities, Government Agencies, Landowners, Angling Clubs, Farmer Representative Bodies, Academia and Local Businesses. The East Devon Catchment encompasses all the AONB catchments and is hosted and managed by Devon Wildlife Trust. The AONB team is coordinating the production and updating of the Action Plan for the partnership, which has delivered an important piece of work on diffuse pollution which had been identified by the partnership as a key priority. The East Devon Rural Diffuse Pollution Project was a one-year initiative aimed at reducing the diffuse pollution arising from rural land use, in particular the growing of maize, in the East Devon river catchments of Clyst, Axe and Otter. It was funded through the Environment Agency Catchment Partnership Action Fund (CPAF) to tackle issues which are preventing achievement of Water Framework Directive objectives. The Partnership hopes to build on this project work in 2016 /17. The Partnership is also looking to assist in the development of a community Crayfish project in the river Culm with the Blackdown Hills AONB.
East Devon catchment map
Creedy Exe Clyst and Culm Sid and Otter Axe and Lim
Below: maize fields
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Biodiversity Support and encourage conservation and enhancement actions for keen habitats and species in the AONB
help raising awareness and understanding Heat map showing the main areas of beaver activity on the River Otter
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River Otter Beaver Trial England’s only breeding population of wild beavers have being allowed to remain in the wild on the River Otter after the announcement in Jan 2015 by Natural England, granting Devon Wildlife Trust a five year monitoring licence. Devon Wildlife Trust is in the second year of running this project in partnership with a range of local and national partners including Clinton Devon Estates, Derek Gow Consultancy and University of Exeter. The AONB Partnership is represented on the project Steering Group. In its first year, the project has monitored the movement and impact of the beavers through the catchment and has seen a wide spread of activity from Budleigh Salterton on the coast right up to the headwaters of the river north of Honiton. The first systematic survey of the River Otter carried out between December 2015 and March 2016 is already showing some interesting facts about the beavers and their impacts on local trees. More than 86% of the woody feeding signs mapped were willow trees, with alder and hazel accounting for about 3% each. Eleven other tree species accounted for the other 11%. The vast majority of cut ‘trees’ had very small diameter stems and branches – with the vast majority being less than 3cms in diameter. Local volunteers are assisting in helping to identify activity on the river, spotting the tell tale signs being feeding or if lucky, being able to catch them on film. The project has attracted a lot of media attention and a great many walks and talks have been run to help raise awareness and understanding of how beavers live and encourage support for its delivery. The trial conditions allow for the need to maintain the genetic diversity of the population and Devon Wildlife Trust plan to release two adult beavers into the group in the spring of 2016. Further details on beavers can be found here. A video about the community support for the project can be seen at vimeo.com / 133285004. Please report any sitings to beavers@devonwildlifetrust.org.uk
Volunteers hedgelaying at the Donkey Sanctuary
Offering advice on habitat enhancements
Discovering what makes a landscape good for bats
Devon greater horseshoe bat project A partnership of 17 organisations including fellow AONBs and conservation bodies were successful in securing stage 2 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for this project. Lead partner Devon Wildlife Trust will be delivering the five year initiative that will seek to develop policy, work with landowners, provide advice, inform people about the bats, deliver education programmes, and create habitat improvements across Devon. Over the past year the project has worked with local schools at Beer and Branscombe and given talks at Beer and Kilmington. The Donkey Sanctuary has hosted a hedgelaying training day and a bat walk in support of the project. A community engagement forum was held to celebrate the launch of the project and was attended by over 60 volunteers from across the county, many of whom came from East Devon. The project has also been working closely with local farmers in our two roost sustenance zones focussed on Branscombe and Southleigh to assist with Countryside Stewardship agreements and provide advice on habitat enhancements. In September 2016, the project will be running its first ‘Batfest’; a series of events and activities across the county. In East Devon, there will be events at the Donkey Sanctuary, both a walk and the launch of the brand new bat beacon. The project will also be at The Colyford Goose Fair, answering any questions you might have about these rare creatures.
aonb annual review 2015/16 11
Farming and land management Promote and support appropriate and positive land management diversification and agri-environment schemes
Farm facilitation and the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme This year we have spent time developing our proposals for a Farm Facilitation programme in the heart of the AONB. Working with FWAG SW, Devon Wildlife Trust and local landowners and farmers, our aim is to try to secure Defra funding to deliver a five year programme of support for a group of over 50 farmers in this area and ultimately facilitate greater take up of the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
Delivering a five year program of support
This area been chosen for the following reasons: • Small areas of fragmented habitat; low coverage of Higher Level Stewardship; high potential for habitat connectivity; expanding from existing ‘hotspots’ for example, on the coast • Important bat populations; farm wildlife hotspot • Phosphate / sediment entering watercourses – water quality / flooding issues; part of River Axe priority catchment; the River Coly is underrepresented under Catchment Sensitive Farming (now a CS priority area) • Important clusters of unmanaged semi-natural broadleaved woodland / part within the Forestry Commission Woods into Management initiative • Archaeology / landscape features Due to delays and the impact of Brexit, we are still waiting for confirmation of our bid. If successful, we hope to deliver a programme of activity that will help to enhance and promote: • Understanding Countryside Stewardship • Sustainable land, soil and water management • Landscape character and environmental quality • Other potential grant and support programmes
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Above: the East Devon Farm Facilitation area
Left: silaging in the Coly Valley
aonb annual review 2015/16  13 
Access, recreation and tourism Encourage and support sustainable tourism activities within the AONB East Devon Way As a result of a favourable Defra settlement we have been able to allocate project funding to enable us to enhance this key long distance footpath through the AONB. Our focus for 2015/6 was to create a stand alone web site for the route with a view to transferring the information and details from the East Devon Way pages on our main web site. We are almost complete on this and plan to use the upcoming Sidmouth and East Devon Walking Festival in September 2016 as a target date for going live on the new site. The new web site will promote things to do along the route, places to stay, eat and sleep and ties in with the links we have been developing with business Ambassadors in the AONB.
Below: the new East Devon Way website
Sidmouth and East Devon Walking Festival
Funding has allowed us to develop this key footpath
As part of a wider programme, the AONB team has been lending support to the team coordinating the Sidmouth and East Devon walking festival scheduled for September 2016. The event has expanded for this year to include the stages of the East Devon Way and a range of other themed walk events. We look forward to reporting back on the outcome festival next year. For further details see visitsidmouth.co.uk / sidmouth-events / sidmouth-walking-festival-2016
Right: new Sidmouth Walking Festival identity
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Planning and development Provide advice and support in planning and development policy to enable the special qualities of the AONB to be protected, conserved and enhanced
Good policy aids good design Below: Axmouth harbour
East Devon Local Plan After a long period of consultation and reviews, the East Devon Local Plan was finally adopted on 28 January 2016. This made final the housing allocations for the district and clarified a number of major proposed modifications, most notably from the AONB perspective, the allocation of new employment land for Sidmouth at Sidford. The Inspector rejected a late request to remove this allocation, confirming that the site offered satisfactory mitigation of any environmental impacts and had met the requirements of National Planning Policy Framework.
Consultations The AONB Partnership responds to large planning consultations where resources allow through the AONB Manager under a protocol with the local planning authorities. Although not a statutory consultee, our involvement often involves consultation with the statutory consultee for AONBs, Natural England. We use the landscape character assessment models available at national, county and district scale to frame our responses. This year our consultations have included large solar schemes, housing, farm development, mineral extraction/ processing and coastal defence proposals.
Policy Good policy aids good design and we are fortunate in having an excellent landscape policy group in Devon, coordinated through Devon County Council. This group has developed a number of useful guidance and advisory papers in particular covering renewable energy development and Neighbourhood Plans which we have found very helpful when commenting on local plans and in advising local groups embarking on Neighbourhood Plans. The AONB team is still working on two planning guidance documents for equestrian development and bats which have hit a few administrative delays this year. We hope to complete these documents in 2016/17. aonb annual review 2015/16  15 
Rural economy and services Encourage the development of sustainable employment opportunities and the principal of local markets
Our joint bid to the EU LEADER programme, covering the Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs, hosted by Devon County Council (DCC), was successful and the programme is now underway. Covering a larger area than previously, and having a more rural growth / employment focus, the £1.4m programme is being jointly managed by DCC with the neighbouring REAL programme in Mid Devon. Above: a mobile hoof trimming chute – one of a number of farm productivity schemes funded by Making It Local
Logo for the ‘Making It Local’ scheme
Commitment to this important rural development programme 16 aonb annual review 2015/16
There are six LEADER priorities for delivery: 1 Support to increase farm productivity 2 Support for micro and small businesses and farm diversification 3 Support for rural tourism 4 Provision of rural services 5 Support for cultural and heritage activity 6 Support for increasing forestry productivity So far, the programme has received 124 enquiries and approved ten projects which are highlighted on the table opposite. The AONB Partnership has a number of members on the Programme Executive group and is formally represented through the AONB Chairman, Cllr Graham Godbeer. AONB Manager, Chris Woodruff is one of a number of local officers and organisations acting as ‘sponsors’ to provide advice and guide new applicants. The Brexit vote may well have some impact on the programme but whatever the decision, we are hopeful that the Government will maintain its commitment to this important rural development programme. For up to date details on the programme, visit makingitlocal.com
Projects funded by the EU LEADER programme Project
Details
Grant
New kegging line and associated equipment, Dawlish Wake
New kegging system to enable the business to exploit new market places and increase their productivity and create new jobs.
£21,744
Kitchen Garden School, Honiton
A kitchen garden school offering a diversification income stream to provide food / cooking related courses to the public
Sparkling wine production equipment, Clyst St George
Upgrade of equipment enabling double the quantity of wine currently being processed; increasing productivity and job creation
Green bedding / slurry management and feeding equipment, Colyton
% of project
Jobs created
LEADER priority
40%
3
Priority 2 (micro and small business)
£40,241
40%
6
Priority 2 (micro and small business)
£7,068
40%
0.5
Priority 2 (micro and small business)
Improve animal welfare and drive business efficiency
£15,831
40%
–
Priority 1 (farm productivity)
Mobile hoof trimming chute, Sidbury
Dairy farming looking to improve their processes by purchasing a modern cattle hoof trimmer
£7,400
40%
–
Priority 1 (farm productivity)
Efficiency measures for dairy farm, Axminster
Rumination collars for cows to improve animal health and welfare plus a heat recovery unit in the dairy
£13,254
40%
–
Priority 1 (farm productivity)
Mobile cattle handling system, Dunkeswell
Mobile cattle handling system to improve productivity and health / welfare of stock
£5,398
40%
–
Priority 1 (farm productivity)
Farm business and marketing centre, Payhembury
Refurbishment of three redundant agricultural buildings into a business hub, for start up businesses, networking facilities and business advice / mentoring activities
£83,622
40%
5
Priority 2 (micro and small business)
Poultry processing facility, Branscombe
Poultry processing room and holding
£14,390
40%
1
Priority 1 (farm productivity)
Visitor Centre, Chard
An animal Sanctuary visitor centre and associated facilities to improve the visitor experience and generate further income
£98,245
22.11%
3.5
Priority 3 (rural tourism)
aonb annual review 2015/16 17
Sustainable development fund Despite increasing pressure on AONB funding, we have sought to keep our Sustainable Development Fund intact, if a litle reduced. This accessible local funding source, made possible by Defra, is often given in small sums and has supported a great many projects both large and small over the last 10 years. In 2015 / 16 we supported a wide range of projects with approximately £17,700 gearing to £146,000 in total project value.
Recipient / status
Project outcomes
SDF grant claimed
Total value
Total cash contribution
In-kind match
Branscombe Project (charity)
Technical equipment for historical mapping project
£570
£16,929
–
£16,300
Hawkerland Community Association (community group)
Purchase and installation of a bench
£300
£899
£249
£350
Sidmouth Arboretum (charity)
Funding to analyse and publish tree survey
£720
£2,320
£600
£1,000
Thelma Hulbert Gallery (local authority)
Regeneration of garden for educational / community
£2,500
£38,420
£25,620
£10,000
RSPB (charity)
Sustainable training centre for volunteers
£3,000
£68,300
£49,400
£15,900
Enna Woods Trust (charity)
Providing a compost toilet, equipment and steps
£2,716
£5,148
£332
£2,100
Axwoods Co-operative (co-operative)
Providing training and equipment
£3,000
£4,247
£1,247
_
East Devon Museum Group (charity)
Providing specialist equipment
£1,360
£4,160
_
£2,800
Axminster Heritage (charity)
Building a purpose built display frame
£1,067
£1,540
£53
£420
Landowner
Conservation grazing to a County Wildlife Site
£1,142
£3,084
£1,142
£800
East Devon Walking Festival (community group)
Expanding the Sidmouth Walking Festival
£1,044
£1,444
_
£400
£17,719
£146,491
£78,643
£50,070
Total
18 aonb annual review 2015/16
SDF grants
SDF grant outcomes £146,491
of Number enquiries: 27 of Number grants made: 11 Celebrating the new outdoor interactive and creative learning space at Thelma Hulbert Gallery
gr an Va ts lue m o ad f To e of tal pr va oj lu ec e ts
£17,719
Fund recipients Local authority Landowner
1
1
Fencing to allow conservation grazing at a County Wildlife Site
3 Community / voluntary
6 Trust / charity group
Sustainable heat and power in a RSPB volunteer centre built from trees removed from the Pebblebed heathlands
Over £146,000 in total project value aonb annual review 2015/16 19
Communication, awareness and engagement Promote and support education, awareness, understanding and appriciation of the AONB Below: event recently run for the ambassador program
INVITATION TO
COAST & COUNTRY
EAST DEVON AONB AMBASSADOR EVENT
MASTERCLASSES & SPEED NETWORKING EVENT
THE EVENT
WHEN
Materials and advice
Monday Feb 8th, 2016
Below: the Ambassador logo
15 min masterclasses Mr Matt Young will MC the speed networking
10am - 2pm
WHERE
The Beehive, Honiton The café for speed networking The Hayward room for masterclasses
CATERING
River Cottage Cookery School (tbc)
COST: MASTERCLASSES FEATURING • •
Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site team
Devon Wildlife Trust
WWW.EASTDEVONAONB.ORG
Free
MORE DETAILS 01404 46663
INFO@EASTDEVONAONB.ORG.UK
Below: John Varley from Clinton Devon Estates at the AONB Annual Forum in 2015
AONB Ambassadors Our AONB Ambassador scheme has taken a further development this year with the development of an Ambassador pledge, the purpose of which is to encourage all our AONB Ambassadors, from individuals, to businesses and organisations, to confirm their commitment to our principles. For many, this will come naturally and they will already meet the pledge. For some, it may be a small step away and we hope to assist them in this step where possible. As part of this process, the feedback we received from early responses to the pledge request was the need for more information about the AONB, the Jurassic Coast and countryside in the area. We teamed up with the Jurassic Coast team, Devon Wildlife Trust and special event host Matt Young, to run a speed networking event at the Beehive in Honiton in February. The event was very well received by new and established businesses alike. We were most impressed with one of our active Ambassadors (and now AONB Vice Chairman), Alistair Handyside of Higher Wiscombe who helped to coordinate a joint fundraiser evening event with the South West Coast Path Association, East Devon AONB and Jurassic Coast Trust. The wonderful food and raffle evening organised on behalf of the South West Tourism Association helped to raise £500 for each group which in our case will be put towards our work on the East Devon Way long distance footpath. Lots of positive leads followed these events and we are already planning future events for 2016 / 17.
AONB Annual Forum
Confirming their commitment to our principles 20 aonb annual review 2015/16
Our 14th Annual Forum was held at Tipton St John village Hall with keynote speakers David Ford from the National Trust and John Varley of Clinton Devon Estates. A diverse audience learned about the future challenges facing large estates and properties and how they are planning and adapting for these.
July field events Our July Partnership meetings have been adapted to a field event format open to other parties, the aim of which is to raise awareness of key issues or activities impacting on the AONB. We are targeting partners, Ambassadors and other key parties for these events, encouraging networking and helping develop understanding of what is often hidden beneath the surface. The July 2015 event theme was managing water with input from the Devon Beaver Project, Catchment Sensitive Farming and the River Otter restoration project amongst others. This year’s event (2016) will focus on woodland management, in particular the challenges of diseases and pests such as ash dieback. We are responding also to what our partners want to know more about, so ideas for our 2017 field event are welcome!
The Acland Award Our ‘Acland’ Award is so named after Brigadier Acland, who was instrumental in promoting and securing the designation of East Devon AONB in the early 1960s. For the 2015 award, the Partnership wanted to recognise someone helping to do their bit to promote the benefit of the landscape, wildlife, economy or community of the AONB. The winner, David Satterley, of Lower Bruckland Farm Nature Reserve near Seaton, has transformed part of his farm into a haven for wildlife. The reserve is one man’s vision; creating a wildlife friendly environment from one small pond for many people to enjoy. With a lakeside café, environmentally inspired art work and handmade benches and places to sit, David has created somewhere really special for the enjoyment of our natural environment and the wildlife it encourages. He is a great example of an ambassador, quietly working away to make his little patch of the countryside a wildlife sanctuary for all to enjoy.
AONB finally on the map… and the road Some time ago our former colleague Kimmo Evans encouraged the National Association for AONBs to work with partners to try and get AONBs included on Google Maps in the same way National Parks already are. After many years, we have finally achieved success! With a little help through our own channels, East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is now on the (Google) map. As well as showing the geographic spread of the AONB (something reinforced by boundary and village gateway signs), a link allows visitors and others to rate / provide feedback on the area which we hope will enable us to both understand how the AONB is perceived by others and occasionally, things that we or others might need to act on or consider.
Welcome signs in Axmouth The newly highlighted East Devon AONB area on Google maps
Left: 2015 Acland Award winner
aonb annual review 2015/16 21
Management and finances Encourage coordination and partnership amongst a wide range of national, regional and local agencies
Welcoming volunteers Core Funding Income Where the money came from
Staffing and operations We have now spent a full year in our new offices at Kennaway House and enjoy a pleasant working environment and greater community contact. Our team complement has been boosted by the welcome addition of Karen Whittaker who has joined the AONB as a part time Communication Officer. Karen has a background in the National Trust and Arts Council and passion for the countryside and natural foods. We have relocated our storage to Kennaway House now also, and used the move to ‘spring clean and update’ a lot of old equipment, materials and filing. Project Development Funds have been used to produce new awareness and promotion materials linked to AONB and our Ambassador initiative. We have opportunities for young volunteers to gain experience in a working environment, understand and learn about the AONB team and protected landscapes and particularly welcome any age of volunteer with web and IT skills or a desire to assist with event / activities.
Devon County Council: £16,113 East Devon District Council: £16,099 Defra: £96,638
ESTIMATED
2015 / 16 total: £128,850
ACTUAL
2015 / 16 total: £132,428 Defra: £96,638 East Devon District Council: £16,099 Devon County Council: £16,113
22 aonb annual review 2015/16
Additional income: £3,578
Defra funding
Estimated
Actual
Sustainable Development Fund
Gearing / total project value East Devon Way
£18,000
£5,000
£17,899
£4,937 £146,491
Project Development Fund
£4,937
NIA / NELM Facilitation Fund
£10,101
£3,000
£10,037
£2,946
£19,505
£2,946
Devon GBH project
Tiny Acorns (L2L)
£10,101
£3,000
£10,037
£2,720 £2m
£49,000
Totals £48,101 £47,539 £2.2m
Core Funding Expenditure Where the money was spent
Operations: £10,470 Support services: £10,930
ESTIMATED
2015 / 16 total: £128,850
ACTUAL
2015 / 16 total: £128,851
Staff: £101,302
Transport: £6,148
Staff: £101,060
Transport: £5,297
Support services: £12,562 Operations: £9,932 aonb annual review 2015/16 23
24  aonb annual review 2015/16
Map of East Devon AONB East Devon AONB is a special landscape, nationally protected to conserve and enhance its natural beauty since 1963
aonb annual review 2015/16  25 
Landscapes for Life Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: a designation for the 21st century
A designation for the 21st century footpaths >19,312km ofroug h
and bridleways pass th tional Trails AONBs including 10 Na Just under
of
th
ONB
eE n g li s h
c o a st is
nA in a
AONBs cover 15% of England’s land area
Peat soils in AONBs store millions of tonnes of
CO2
per year
156m
256,000 hectares
people
visit AONBs annually, spending in excess of £2bn and supporting thousands of jobs and businesses
26 aonb annual review 2015/16
AONBs are home to over
1 million people
of SSSIs are in AONBs – protecting some of our
most important wildlife habitats
y The National Association for AONBs is the national voice for 46 AONBs across the UK. • AONBs are about managing positive landscape change • AONBs are strategic national assets covering 8,000 square miles and involving 700 elected members • AONBs are locally managed nationally important landscape areas
Public s pending
on AON
LESS THBs is AN PE R PE R
PE R YESA N R
AONB
volunteers put in over
457,000 work days
Visit landscapesforlife.org.uk for further information.
a year, worth
£36.8m
GVA of AONBs is
to conserve the landscape and improve access
£16.5BN – similar to that of the city of Leeds
X10 AONBs provide excellent VFM. Every public £1 invested is turned into £10 by the AONB partnerships
MORE THAN
66%
of people in England live within
1/2HR travel of an AONB
aonb annual review 2015/16 27
The East Devon AONB Partnership is a joint initiative: • Hosted by East Devon District Council • Core funded by Defra (75%), East Devon District and Devon County Councils (25%) • Guiding the implementation of the AONB Management Strategy and the work of the AONB team. Funded by:
supported by:
East Devon Business Forum & Chamber of Commerce