16 - Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe : Detailed Statements of Environmental Opportunity

This section expands on the Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity and provides further detail on each of the Statements of Environmental Opportunity.

SEO 1

SEO 1: Protect, manage and enhance the major rivers, including the Wear and Derwent rivers, and their tributaries, to improve water quality, reduce flood risk and enhance their wildlife value and recreational use.

For example by:

• Seeking opportunities to improve the potential of the major rivers and their tributaries to support salmon and sea trout, for example by installing fish passes and removing structures that pose an obstacle to migration.
• Securing better management of riparian habitats to conserve existing water vole and otter populations and to encourage expansion of populations into new areas where viable, while being careful not to exacerbate the spread of alien invasive species, such as mink.
• Encouraging good soil management on arable land near watercourses in order to maintain soil structure, thereby optimising infiltration of rainwater and minimising run-off, soil erosion and sedimentation of watercourses.
• Working with farmers to secure good farming practice and creation of features such as buffer strips to reduce run-off or leaching of nutrients, bacteria or agricultural chemicals into watercourses, while also enhancing soil structure, organic matter and fertility.
• Planning for continuation of measures to prevent water from disused mines from polluting groundwater and surface water, such as pumping and filtration through reedbeds.
• Managing access and recreational uses of river corridors to enhance recreation opportunities (walking, wildlife watching, angling, kayaking and swimming) while minimising disturbance, maintaining water quality and avoiding/resolving conflict between different users.
• Seeking opportunities and working with landowners to create new wetlands in river valleys and at the foot of slopes to reduce flood risk and water pollution, and to create permanent grassland on land at high risk of erosion.
• Allowing, where feasible, rivers to follow their natural courses, thereby promoting the geomorphological processes that support the development of diverse riparian habitats and greater species diversity.
• Encouraging incorporation of sustainable urban drainage systems into new development and retrofitting into existing developments, to ensure that clean and dirty water are separated, minimising transmission of rainwater to water treatment works and reducing the risk of rivers receiving polluted water.

SEO 2

SEO 2: Protect, expand and connect semi-natural habitats, particularly heathland, and enhance the management of agricultural land to provide a range of benefits to people, wildlife and the wider environment.

For example by:

• Expanding and buffering existing heathland, woodland, grassland and wetland sites, particularly where this will help to protect them from negative influences from surrounding land, such as nutrient run-off.
• Seeking opportunities to link existing heathland, woodland, grassland and wetland sites, where this will increase the permeability of the landscape for native species.
• Encouraging farmers to retain permanent grassland, and on all land to use best farming practice to optimise soil structure and organic matter/carbon content, by clearly communicating the potential benefits for food production, animal health/welfare, sense of place, water quality, flooding and carbon storage.
• Encouraging creation of grassland buffer strips in strategic locations on arable land: alongside hedges and watercourses, between fragments of species-rich grassland, on land vulnerable to erosion to benefit water quality and wildlife, as well as soil erosion, pest control, pollination and, consequently, food production.
• Encouraging and supporting farmers to create feeding and breeding habitats for scarce farmland birds such as grey partridge and corn bunting.
• Encouraging farmers with grassland on higher land in the west to manage it for the benefit of wading birds by creating a more tussocky sward, wet ground conditions and avoiding disturbance during the nesting season.
• Encouraging appropriate timing of farming operations, such as avoiding machinery use in very wet conditions (where possible), to avoid pollution incidents, damage to soil structure and soil erosion.
• Encouraging production and marketing of meat, particularly of rare breed livestock, from low-intensity grazing of heathland and species-rich grassland/wetland sites, to maintain sites at risk of neglect and to contribute to preserving rare breeds.
• Exploring sustainable intensification on arable land using new techniques such as yield mapping, precision farming, integrated crop management and agri-environment schemes to optimise food production, while also minimising environmental damage and improving conditions for farmland wildlife.
• Encouraging less frequent cutting of hedges and appropriate cutting of road verges to allow more profuse flowering, thereby supporting more nectar-feeding insects; providing food and shelter for insects, birds and mammals over winter; and providing movement corridors for a range of species. This will have benefits for pollination, pest control and, consequently, food production.
• Supporting research into potential agronomic benefits of habitats such as hedges, grass buffer strips, flower-rich grassland, beetle banks (particularly for their potential to improve pollination) and natural pest control. Promote results to local farmers.
• Conserving and improving the management of the field boundary network of hedges and stone walls, and associated traditional features, for their contribution to sense of place and sense of history, at the same time as improving access infrastructure to enhance recreational opportunities.

SEO 3

SEO 3: Protect, enhance and connect trees and woodland in the area to improve their wildlife value, climate regulation capacity, biomass production and potential for access and recreation.

For example by:

• Enhancing, expanding and buffering existing semi-natural broadleaved woodland, for the range of wildlife, recreation and carbon sequestration/storage benefits they can provide.
• Creating new woodlands, using native broadleaved species, where they will link existing native woodlands.
• Creating buffer strips of woodland, scrub and permanent grassland along rivers and streams, where appropriate, to support riparian wildlife and reduce soil erosion and run-off of agricultural chemicals and nutrients.
• Ensuring that new woodland planting complements existing local patterns of woodland cover, has appropriate species composition, avoids archaeological sites, is not detrimental to priority species and habitats (such as wading birds or species-rich grassland) and provides access and recreational opportunities where appropriate.
• Protecting and maintaining mature and veteran trees, particularly in parklands and hedgerows, by carrying out sympathetic management (such as avoiding compaction or cultivation of ground around tree roots) and by planting or encouraging regeneration of new trees to replace veteran trees as they die.
• Reinstating native broadleaved species on Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS), especially along the Derwent valley, to provide timber and woody biomass, restore native woodland, enhance the landscape and improve the value of the sites for wildlife.
• Making best use of waste and by-products from local sawmills and timber processing in the area, particularly for biomass fuel to supply locally installed boilers.
• Ensuring that conifer plantations are designed and managed in a sustainable way to minimise carbon emissions and soil erosion and maximise the benefits for wildlife, recreation and supply to local processors and markets.
• Promoting opportunities for using woodland for educational activities, such as forest schools, and for the physical and mental health benefits of exercise in and engagement with woodlands.

SEO 4

SEO 4: Protect, restore and enhance ex-industrial and brownfield sites, particularly former coal mines, for their historic and wildlife value, and improve access and interpretation in order to celebrate local tradition and culture and increase understanding of the area’s industrial history and geodiversity.

For example by:

• Continuing to encourage high-quality restoration schemes for ex-open cast mining sites that provide maximum value for the natural environment and local people, through creation of heathland, semi-natural oak and oak-birch woodland, species-rich grassland and wetlands, as appropriate, and a well-considered network of access routes that provides appropriate access for all abilities and for a variety of user groups.
• Improving the management and design of existing sites, engaging local communities where feasible, to help these sites to deliver more value for wildlife and to enable local people to have greater involvement in planning and managing its future through volunteering.
• Providing enhanced interpretation material to make the historic significance and geodiversity of key sites more accessible and better understood by visitors, increasing their knowledge and enjoyment.
• Avoiding damage to sensitive natural landforms, historic sites, mature landscape features and semi-natural habitats in selecting, operating and restoring mineral sites.
• Conserving the last few remaining examples of industrial infrastructure, such as bridges and coke ovens, maintaining public access where appropriate and providing information at key viewpoints to improve the visitor experience.

SEO 5

SEO 5: Seek to ensure that where there is new development it retains tranquil areas, is appropriate in a changing climate, provides high-quality green infrastructure and improves quality of life for local residents.

For example by:

• Encouraging incorporation of features into new development that will help communities to adapt to a changing climate (such as strategic tree planting for shade/shelter, permeable ground surfaces to reduce run-off, and sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting systems).
• Seeking to ensure that new development is designed and sited so that it protects and enhances existing wildlife sites, access routes and other elements of green infrastructure.
• Exploring opportunities for using biomass planting to help to assimilate new development into the landscape and provide local wood fuel.
• Seeking opportunities to improve the green infrastructure and sustainability of existing urban and industrial areas, providing accessible and high-quality local green space close to where people live and work.
• Retaining allotments, creating new sites where justified by demand, and encouraging their active use for food production and for increased benefits to local health and wellbeing.
• Enhancing access networks by identifying and addressing key gaps and obstacles in the existing network, and making existing routes easier to use for a wide range of users.
• Protecting the tranquillity of the denes, woodlands and heathlands, while providing appropriate opportunities for informal recreational activities such as walking and bird/wildlife watching.

Additional opportunity 1

Additional opportunity 1: Encourage greater engagement with and access to the natural and historic environment of the area by local communities to increase pride of place, enjoyment and quality of life.

For example by:

• Engaging local people in discussions about potential enhancements to local amenities and wildlife sites.
• Encouraging and facilitating volunteering at nature reserves, industrial reclamation sites, historic sites and other local green spaces, to yield benefits for the health and wellbeing of local people, increase sense of ‘ownership’ and enhance the wider environment and people’s understanding of it.
• Encouraging active use of allotments, as a continuation of local culture and for the health, psychological, social and nutritional benefits it can provide.
• Encouraging and facilitating the use of Local Nature Reserves and historic sites through provision of accessible information and good cycling/walking routes and public transport that connect settlement centres with the high-quality sites on their outskirts.
• Ensuring that new development includes green infrastructure and transport links that will facilitate access to the surrounding countryside and engagement with the local environment.