News & Events

Call for keen photographers and everyone who'll be 50 in 2010!

Calling anyone who's 50 in 2010 - 2010 is our 50th Anniversary as a designated landscape and we are planning a year of celebrations.  Our actual 50th birthday will be on 2nd August 2010, and we’d love you to get involved particularly if you’ll be 50 too!

Help is also needed to help us record the AONBs wildlife, special qualities and distinctive features - We are planning a piece of project work as part of our 50th anniversary to undertake surveys across the AONB. This will involve field work, completion of a simple recording sheet, and taking photographs of the areas surveyed. We are still in the planning stages but will need feet on the ground.

Contact Diane Lethbridge: 01803 861378

Beach clean up report

There were at least 6  events across the South Devon AONB, all sending in their results to the Marine Conservation Society for analysis. In particular there were lots of strapping bands and chocolate bar wrappers on the shores around Salcombe. Estuaries officer Nigel Mortimer comments 'it's a windy place by nature so we all need to take that extra bit of care with our litter. There was lots of bits of old fishing net and rope. This matters because plastic is like a magnet to the cocktail of quite nasty chemicals in the sea, which as the plastics are eroded into smaller and smaller particles are ingested by smaller marine animals, which are concentrated by animals that eat them, many of which we might end up eating with chips - for a healthy seas, fishing needs to be part of the solution, not apart from it!'

Further information Nigel Mortimer : 01803 861465

Estuary Forum dates

Salcombe- Kingsbridge Estuary Forum

Meeting commences  7pm at Kingsbridge Community College  Sixth Form Centre- tea and coffee served from 6pm

Avon Estuary

18th November 7pm at Thurlestone Village Hall
All welcome at these gatherings. For further information please contact Estuaries Officer Nigel Mortimer 01803 861465

Forum provides hot topic

The Annual Open Forum held on 17th October focused on the controversial subject of planning in the AONB.  The Open Forum is an opportunity to present a wide range of views on a topical subject. The theme this year was planning in the AONB. The four speakers presented their own perspectives of planning in the designated area with a brief to see the landscape as a ‘driver’ not a ‘handicap.’

 Key note speaker was MP for South West Devon Gary Streeter who spoke of the need for flexibility to ensure that villages can be viable communities and to focus on good design as well as affordability with regard to housing.

Tom Oliver Head of Rural Policy at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) highlighted the fact that AONBs have the same level of protection as National Parks. He outlined why the AONB is protected and said their priority was to encourage concentration on long term, high quality outcomes rather than short term targets.

Anthony Rew County Chairman of Devon NFU put the case for farmers in the AONB stating that they put a lot of time into looking after the landscape often with little or no payment. He explained farmers and landowners are looking for a ‘can do’ approach to planning issues.
         
Stephen Munday Head of Planning and Building Control at South Hams District Council defined planning as a necessary process to balance competing pressures and interests and maintained that the best way of creating a living working environment within the AONB was to ensure development is managed with a good understanding and commitment to the principles of sustainability.

Copies of the presentations are available

Contact Diane Lethbridge 01803 861384

Coming soon - draft revised Management Plan

Following consultation feedback over the summer, a final draft of the new South Devon AONB Management Plan will soon be available to view on the AONB website. www.southdevonaonb.org.uk  Thank you for bearing with us.  An email alert will be sent to all partner organisations when this has been completed.  Your feedback on the objectives and our policy framework would be particularly welcomed.Input at this stage is also sought from our partner organisations to assist in developing suitable Delivery Plan projects to cover the first 12+ months of the programme (April 2009- March 2010).

There will be a six week consultation period from the date the document is uploaded, but comments will be particularly welcome before the end of November
2008.
Further information Roger English: 01803 861384

Partnership  Committee update

A fact-finding visit to see progress with the Slapton Coastal Adaptation Project formed the focus of the last AONB Partnership meeting held on 12th September.  Also discussed was lobbying of government about the scale of development pressure around the AONB boundary connected with the regional planning strategy. A programme of activity in the lead-up to the AONB's 50th anniversary of designation in 2010 was considered.
 
The next meeting of the AONB Partnership Committee will be held on Friday 5th December at Follaton House in Totnes and members of the public are welcome to attend as observers. Agenda papers will be uploaded to the AONB website nearer the time. 
 
Further information from Robin Toogood, AONB Manager.

AONBs pylon the pressure
 
 Power distribution companies have been working with National Parks and AONBs throughout Britain in a voluntary scheme to place high voltage cables underground.  But up until recently, Western Power, who supply electricity to the South West, has refused to take part.  However, as a result of lobbying by SW AONBs and National Parks, Western Power has now agreed to embark on a programme.  The progress of this will be followed up by the AONB Manager.
 
Further information from Robin Toogood, AONB Manager: 01803 861384

South and North Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have jointly produced a series of themed trails to help you get out there, enjoy, and learn more about the landscape. Trails include cycling and horse riding routes in addition to walks. Trail themes include Man and the Landscape, Trade and Settlement, Coast in Conflict, and A Colourful Landscape. The trails are downloadable from www.southdevonaonb.org.uk or www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk

Further information: Liz Davey: 01803 861183

Knotweed Control and Light Pollution Champions sought

We’re looking for individuals to act as parish champions for these two areas of our work, we would ensure you were fully briefed.  We’d like you to act as our local contact, helping ensure we have a good handle on these issues in your patch.  We’d also like you to help us get information to parishioners, perhaps by putting short articles into your parish magazine, or onto your parish website.

Further information Liz Davey: 01803 861183