To receive a presentation from Lisa Walker of the Abberley Hills Preservation Society.
Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed Lisa Walker and Sarah Crabbe, from the Abberley Hills Preservation Society to the meeting.
Lisa thanked the Committee for giving her the opportunity to open a discussion on the potential to extend the Malvern Hills AONB to include the Abberley Hills. Lisa gave a presentation detailing why the Society felt the area should be included in the AONB. In support of her proposal she mentioned:
· A £50,000 lottery grant had been received for the project Medieval Abberley Revealed,
· The Abberley Hills were part of the Geopark which also includeed the Teme Valley and the AONB. A revised Geopark boundary which was contiguous with an AONB boundary could help it achieve European Geopark status,
· Natural England wrote in their National Character Area Profile that "the woodlands of Abberley connect with the Malvern Hills"
· Geology - The area should be considered as part of an AONB because there was little industrialisation, there were interesting geological areas such as Tufa Springs and an un-recorded dolerite sill.
· Architecture – The area contained the sites of ancient settlements, churches, castles, mills, hop kilns and timber framed buildings,
· Archaeology – Neolithic finds had been made, along with evidence of early settlements,
· Ecology – The River Teme is a designated SSSI.
In order for Natural England to consider a boundary extension for the AONB the Abberley Hills Preservation Society was having to make a case by completing a Natural England questionnaire. The preservation society wished to work with the Malvern Hills AONB Partnership and keep them informed of their progress.
The Chairman thanked Lisa for the presentation and for informing the Committee of their proposal. Members made some comments about the idea:
· It was possible to make a coherent geological argument for a northwards extension to the AONB boundary,
· The Geopark had previously been a member of the European Geopark Network but there had been problems of ownership and the membership had only lasted two years,
· Other areas may also be able to muster similar arguments about having an interesting history and showing little sign of detrimental human influence. The Preservation Society needed to look for the area's unique selling point,
· Would there be advantage to the Malvern Hills AONB of extending the area? Funding for AONBs was currently reducing and it might be detrimental to have a larger AONB if this did not come with additional resources. When questioned about the perceived benefits of being part of an AONB Lisa replied that they would expect a greater degree of protection from development and would be able to better promote the area, for example the Worcestershire Way and encouraging local businesses,
· It was suggested that it might be useful for a list of 'pros' and 'cons' to be produced, to assist with any future consultation. Having more say over planning proposals could also be achieved by producing a Neighbourhood Plan,
· It was pointed out that Natural England's resources for re-designating areas were allocated until 2018/19 so the proposal would not have a quick resolution.
RESOLVED that Lisa Walker be thanked for her presentation and encouraged to keep the AONB Unit informed of progress.