Providing assurances that quarrying activities within the property will be progressively downsized and extraction volumes limited to what is needed for carrying out conservation of the assets supporting the attributes of the property
Refer to strategy 3. Mineral extraction in the Lake District
This strategy directs decision making to Local Plan Policy 27: Mineral extraction
Formally committing to avoiding any negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value and related attributes of the property from the NWCC energy transportation facility being currently planned; and informing the World Heritage Centre about the results of the Heritage Impact Assessment, and how these will be integrated into planning consent and in the development consent order (DCO)
Informing about the timeframe of the integration of World Heritage consideration into the local plans and policies
Developing proactive strategies, including alternative national farm-supporting policies, with the farming community, to address the issues that threaten the viability of the shepherding tradition that maintains many of the landscape’s significant attributes; recognising and financially compensating farmers for their heritage services in caring for the cultural landscape, as well as values such as genetic diversity of herds and food security.
Farming and Forestry, Nature Recovery and Climate Change key challenge and actions
See section d. of the State of Conservation report - The LDNPP established its Post-CAP group in late 2017 to work on strategies and approaches to farming, forestry and land management in the National Park in response to the UK departure from the EU. In June 2019 the Post-CAP group was asked by the LDNPP to lead the development of the next Partnership’s Plan for 2020-2025 in the integrated themes of Farming and Forestry, Nature Recovery, and Climate Change. The Group proposes that for hill farms to survive and thrive they need to be able to respond positively to the challenges and opportunities of the Government’s direction of travel of “public money for public goods”, develop future diversification opportunities, and adapt their economic farming enterprises.
Our Common Cause Project. The LDNPP is working with the Foundation for Common Land on the Lake District part of this national project.
The project has four central aims:
Rebalancing programs and funding dedicated to improving natural resources with the need to conserve the valuable cultural landscape that the Lake District is by acting on its key attributes and factors.
Refer to strategy 5 (a), (b), (c) Well considered tree and woodland establishment and improvement
Farming and Forestry, Nature Recovery and Climate Change key challenge and actions
See section e. of the State of Conservation report.
The UK Government has just announced the Farming in Protected Landscape programme whereby National Park Authorities such as the Lake District National Park will support farmers and land managers to help grow their businesses and create more jobs to make improvements to natural environment, cultural heritage and public access. This will increase the farm business resilience which in turn contributes to a more thriving local economy and community.
The wider benefit of hill farming needs to be recognised beyond natural capital and a recognition of the key structures and processes which are central to sustaining this farming system which forms a component of the OUV of the WHS, such as hefting, heft management, gathers, inbye, intake and fell land with the hefts, local knowledge systems, social networks and connectedness and sense of place. Agricultural land is rich in a social and cultural relevance beyond just the economic and environmental.
Farmland has shaped and continues to shape this unique cultural landscape.
Strengthening risk preparedness strategies for floods and other disasters that incorporate local knowledge on how to cope with recurrent disastrous natural events.
Refer to strategy 17 (a),(b) Increased resilience to flooding
Farming and Forestry, Nature Recovery and Climate Change key challenge and actions
Vibrant Communities and a Prosperous Economy Following Covid 19 section and actions
See section f. of the State of Conservation report. The statutory flood risk management authorities in Cumbria ensure that they work closely with local communities through the Cumbria Strategic Flood Partnership, a wide ranging partnership of statutory, academic, community and NGO organisations.
An emerging local initiative since the Storm Desmond floods in 2015 has been the creation of community initiatives to address flood risks, for example the Ullswater Community Interest Company. The LDNPP has recognised the potential of such initiatives to bring together local communities, farmers and land managers and flood risk experts to combine expertise in flood risk with local knowledge of land management.
The LDNPP have the benefit of knowing that there is a lot of excellent work being done by partner organisations on natural flood management which sits comfortably with sustaining our OUV and using local knowledge from landowners, farmers and commoners. These projects are being assessed for potential impact on the WHS and how they can make local communities more resilient to flooding and mitigate for climate change.
Developing convincing programs to prevent depopulation, including:
Refer to strategy 12 (a), (b),(c),(d),(e) Access to services
Refer to strategy 13 (a), (b), (c) Access to a range of employment opportunities
Refer to strategy 15 (a), (b) A high proportion of housing in permanent occupation
See section g. of the State of Conservation report. Ensuring a supply of housing for local people is addressed through the existing LDNPA Local Plan policies and carried forward in the review of the future Local Plan. The Housing Provision Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) recognises the need to provide housing for local people at affordable levels.
The Local Plan will establish a housing requirement to be delivered during the plan period, based on up to date and robust evidence of housing need during the time of preparation and examination. The Allocations of Land is a delivery mechanism and it should be viewed alongside the use of windfall opportunities to achieve the aim of meeting local housing needs including affordable housing.
Refer to strategy 19 (a),(b),(c) Addressing workforce and skills gaps
Refer to strategy 20 (c) Supporting businesses with advice and access to investment opportunities
The Partnership is aware from business feedback and events such as the second anniversary event and Westmorland Show that the WHS Brand has been well received and is being used. Businesses are seeing value in distinguishing their product from others as being from a Word Heritage Site.
Vibrant Communities and a Prosperous Economy Following Covid 19 section and actions
Developing an interpretation strategy at the landscape level which communicates the different strands of the Outstanding Universal Value by using the documents put together for the nomination dossier.
Refer to strategy 1a(i), a(ii) A world-class living cultural landscape of exceptional beauty
Refer to strategy 24 (a), (c) Ensure Responsible visiting
The Partnership is aware of the need to address this interpretation strategy but this work has been put on hold at the present time due to limited resources as a result of the impact of Covid 19 and managing visiting safety.
Ensuring that careful attention is paid to conservation of landscape-defining features such as land-use patterns, structures such as shelters, dry stone walls, hedgerows, and also to vernacular architecture and Victorian buildings, not only in designated Conservation Areas, but in the whole property.
Refer to strategy 1 (a) A world-class living cultural landscape of exceptional beauty
Farming and Forestry, Nature Recovery and Climate Change key challenge section and actions
Lake District National Park Local Plan
See section i. of the State of Conservation Report. Our attributes of OUV and components of those attributes includes landscape defining man-made physical features, such as dry stone walls, villas, and farmhouses.
Technical Advisory Group is in the process of identifying the way to monitoring those attributes. The LDNPP research framework is also identifying possible monitoring systems for the attributes and clarity of indicators to help with that monitoring.
Environmental Stewardship (ES) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) provide Capital funding for the restoration of field boundaries provides financial support for the traditional skills of drystone walling and hedge laying.
The UK Government has just announced the Farming in Protected Landscape programme whereby National Park Authorities such as the Lake District National Park will support farmers and land managers to help grow their businesses and create more jobs to make improvements to natural environment, cultural heritage and public access. In terms of WHS this would provide funding for historic structures and features to conserve, enhance or interpret more effectively and closely aligns to UNESCO request to ensure conservation of landscape defining features.
The Partnership has just agreed in July additional guidance document on assessment of OUV for projects for the Partnership and others. This was drawn up with advice from our ICOMOS UK and Historic England Technical Advisory Group members. This will form a background paper to the Management Plan currently under review.
