Agendas, Meetings and Minutes - Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Malvern District Council Council Chamber

Contact: Kate Griffiths 

Items
No. Item

735.

Apologies and Substitutes

Minutes:

Apologies for absence had been received from Mike Wilkinson and James Hervey-Bathurst.

Graeme Ker, attended on behalf of Mr Hervey-Bathurst and would represent the Eastnor Estate.

736.

Declaration of Interests

Minutes:

Chris Atkins declared an interest in that he is a Commoner on Castlemorton Common with grazing rights; he rents buildings and manages cattle on Bromesberrow Estate on Chase End Hill; he manages orchards in Colwall (Ballards), the Three Counties Showground, the Bromesberrow Estate and at Castlemorton and surroundings.

737.

To elect a Chairman

Minutes:

Professor Bryant and Sven Bosley proposed and seconded John Raine for position of Chairman of the Malvern Hills AONB Joint Advisory Committee. As there were no other proposals, John Raine was elected as Chairman of the Committee for the next year.

738.

To appoint a Vice Chairman

Minutes:

There were no proposals for Vice Chairman of the Committee. It was agreed that the position would remain vacant at the present time and would be considered at a future meeting.

739.

Confirmation of the minutes of the previous meeting

Minutes:

The minutes of the last meeting on 8 April 2022 were considered to be an accurate record of the meeting and were signed by the Chairman.

 

740.

Tackling Climate Change in Malvern Hills District pdf icon PDF 3 MB

To receive a presentation from Matthew Barker, Carbon Reduction Project Officer, Malvern and Wychavon District Councils, on the work of Malvern Hills District Council towards achieving carbon zero.

 

a) To note the content of the presentation.

b) To discuss the future role and work of the AONB Partnership with regards to tackling climate change, especially in collaboration with others (reference the Statement of commitment from AONB Chairs on Climate Action: 8 Statement of Commitment_.pdf (moderngov.co.uk)

Minutes:

Matthew Barker, Carbon Reduction Project Officer for Malvern and Wychavon District Councils, gave a presentation about tackling Climate Change.

 

Carbon Dioxide was at its highest recorded rate , which was accelerating global heating. The Climate Change Act of 2008 introduced a legal duty to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, and to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Action was being taken, but there were policy gaps and currently it was not expected that the next Carbon budget would be met.

 

Malvern Hills District Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and were aiming for Destination Zero by January 2030. Other key measures were to grow the low carbon economy, increase renewable energy and increase carbon capture.

 

At present the sector producing the most carbon within the Malvern Hills area was the waste fleet, followed by Malvern Theatres and Malvern Splash. During Covid, carbon emissions had been reduced due to the closure of venues, but it had still not reached zero.

 

Work to offset carbon emissions included implementing a biodiversity strategy such as tree planting and meadow creation, as well as working with Partners on projects such as habitat restoration and carbon capture.  Global warming was a local and global issue which was causing heatwaves, droughts, floods, increasing the risk of extinction for some species and effects on people’s wellbeing. Mitigation was about making the impact of climate change less severe by reducing greenhouse gases, while adaptation was taking action to prevent or minimise the damage of climate change.

 

Matt suggested the AONB Partnership was able to work to introduce resilient practices such as only contributing to projects with climate positive aims and ensuring active travel was possible in the area. The Management Plan could take a role in increasing awareness of the issue and offering guidance.

 

It was suggested that the key risks and impacts to the AONB should be identified and then actions could be prioritised which had the biggest impact. Who was responsible for delivery and in what timeframes should be specified along with how actions would be monitored.

 

Committee Members discussed the subject and the following comments were made:

·       It was confirmed that newer parts of the theatre buildings were more climate friendly but it was difficult to upgrade older parts of the building such as the heating system.

·       The amount of carbon produced by the Theatres did not include brick production as that would be attributed to the business producing the bricks. Embodied carbon was not currently being considered in calculations.

·       Five of Malvern’s waste collections lorries had been converted to use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, which was coming from waste sources. This was cheaper than buying new electric vehicles. It was agreed that there needed to be improved infrastructure and technology for waste vehicles, with increased range and quicker chargers before electric vehicles could be considered viable. When the waste fleet required new vehicles in 2030 the type of vehicle being used would be reconsidered.

·       It was clarified that the data in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 740.

741.

National Landscapes prospectus pdf icon PDF 68 KB

To receive a report from Paul Esrich, AONB Partnership Manager.

 

Minutes:

Paul Esrich explained that the National Landscapes Prospectus had been produced by the National Association for AONBs. The Prospectus aimed to illustrate what AONB’s landscape designations could look like and what they could offer society in the future.

 

In response to a query about whether all AONBs should be acting in the same way, for example changing their names, it was explained that the Glover Review had stated that there should be strengthened purposes, powers and resources for AONBs. A name change alone would not be seen as acceptable by the NAAONB.

 

RESOLVED that the report on the National Landscape Prospectus was noted.

742.

Review of 2019-2024 AONB Management Plan Review pdf icon PDF 95 KB

To receive a report from Paul Esrich, AONB Partnership Manager.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Paul Esrich explained that the MHAONB Management Plan needed to be reviewed every five years with the current plan due to be refreshed in 2023 and a revised plan published at the end of March 2024. However, due to the scale and scope of the rapidly evolving legislative, policy and management framework, Defra had given all AONB Partnerships the option of delaying the full review by a year and instead there would just be the requirement to carry out the lightest touch review to ensure compliance with the Countyside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

 

Following the light touch review, if subsequent guidance suggested the management plan needed to be taken in a different direction that could be considered as part of the full review. 

 

Members agreed that there were currently lots of changes taking place, for example, with the development of ELMS and new legal duties related to nature recovery. It was also recognised that farmers and other stakeholders in the area needed clarity about the future. Therefore, the JAC approved a one-year delay to the substantive review of the Management Plan and approved the indicative schedule set out for this work.

 

With regards to issues that could be flagged up in the light touch review the following points were mentioned:

 

·        Growing visitor pressures and impacts

·        The introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain, and

·        The emergence of local Nature Recovery Strategies.

 

 

RESOLVED that the Committee

 

a)     Approved the principle of delaying a substantive Management Plan review for one year

b)     Approved the indicative revised schedule for AONB Management Plan production

c)     Having previously reacquainted themselves with the current AONB Management Plan, highlighted and discussed any specific issues that it wished to raise which could be included in one page of text setting out its intentions for the next Management Plan, in particular concerning:

·        A vision

·        A Management Plan Structure

·        Partnership Objectives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

743.

Farming in Protected Landscapes - Update pdf icon PDF 108 KB

To receive a report from Sash Warden, Farming in Protected Landscapes Officer.

Minutes:

Paul Esrich gave an update on the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme. Sash Warden remained the Project Officer, and FiPL funding for the current financial year had now been allocated.

 

Details were given regarding some of the projects that had been supported including:

·       The brush seed harvester was proving to be a good investment as the cost of buying wildflower seed was expensive. Planning for areas which could be harvested and restored next year was underway.

·       Eastnor Estate had received funding for toilets (particularly a disabled toilet) at the woodshed café as well as for tree planting and interpretation. This was one of the few locations in the area which offered greater access opportunities for all due to the tarmac path through the park.

·       The last remaining Donkey Shed had been restored as a heritage and interpretation project and had received positive reviews from visitors.

 

RESOLVED that the Committee noted the report and raised and discussed any issues arising.

744.

Information Items pdf icon PDF 100 KB

To note the items for information.

Minutes:

The Committee noted the items for information.

 

Some items were highlighted for the Committee:

·       The AONB unit was currently recruiting for a Planning Officer which would be a joint post with Wye Valley AONB, to principally make comments on planning applications on behalf of the AONB, along with offering advice to applicants if needed. There had been a low level of applications for the post so far. The Chairman explained that the Malvern Hills District Council Planning Committee found comments from the AONB Unit to be useful and fair.

·       The AONB Unit was looking for recommendations for website developers.

·       Thanks were given to James Hervey-Bathurst for helping with the lighting of a beacon on the Herefordshire Beacon to celebrate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

·       An AONB wide landowners group event on deer management was due to take place shortly with the possibility of setting up a Deer Management Group.

 

RESOLVED that Members of the JAC noted the information report and would contact the AONB Unit if they wished to be involved in any consultations or to receive further information on any of the items.

 

 

 

 

745.

Verbal Reports from Partners

Minutes:

Earth Heritage Trust

 

Prof Dick Bryant explained that the new Worcestershire Local Minerals Plan recognised the expertise of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust, noting that it required the Earth Heritage Trust to be consulted on all plans for extractions.

 

The Earth Heritage Trust was talking with the Malvern Spa Association about a possible Heritage Lottery Fund Application regarding safe water, tracking the pathways of springs and public engagement.

 

Malvern Hills Trust

 

Chris Atkins explained that the pressure on the Hills due to increased visitor numbers was enormous. There were difficulties with ridge line erosion but as the area could not be shut, actions were being taken to try to deter some behaviour such as cycling jumps and parking on verges.

 

The Trust had recently been successful in acquiring more land and management plans were being drawn up for these areas.

 

Tree planting had taken place which had involved a local school. Bracken rolling had taken place and Ash Dieback work was ongoing. If Ash Dieback was not dealt with promptly it could end up costing more to deal with, as it becomes more dangerous to remove the affected trees.

 

Worcestershire County Council

 

Rachel Datlen explained that the Council had plans to plant 38,000 more trees to help reduce carbon and would be creating 5 new woodlands on county council land around the County, although not within the AONB as the County Council owned land was not appropriate for woodland planting.

746.

Dates of Future Meetings

Dates 2023

 

·        28 April 2023

·        10 November 2023

 

Minutes:

The dates for 2023 were confirmed as:

 

·       28 April, 10am at Mathon Parish Hall

·       10 November, 10am at Malvern Hills District Council Chamber