54 - Manchester 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: Manage, enhance and expand the network of green infrastructure (such as rivers, woodlands, restored industrial sites, parklands and canal routes) within the urban areas, to increase biodiversity, strengthen access and recreational use, and increase understanding of the area’s rich industrial heritage, natural heritage and geodiversity.

For example by:

• Retaining and enhancing the existing open spaces, including Local Nature Reserves, parklands, woodlands, waterbodies, mill lodges, wetlands and reclaimed sites within urban areas of the Manchester Pennine Fringe,
  to protect the landscape character, maintain the mosaic of biodiversity habitats and provide accessible local green space.
• Promoting the creation of areas of community woodland, particularly around the edges of urban fringe areas, and especially within the Red Rose Community Forest and Pennine Edge Forest. Trees in urban areas provide multiple benefits, such as improved air and water quality, and noise reduction.
• Expanding and improving the habitat connectivity of the green infrastructure network, as well as access routes throughout and between the settlements of the Manchester Pennine Fringe.
• Enhancing recreational opportunities by maintaining and improving the rights of way network and the Pennine Bridleway long-distance routes, as well as the wider network of canal towpaths and cycle routes. Building links with the country parks, small areas of open access land, Local Nature Reserves and locally accessible green space.
• Planning for significant new green infrastructure provision in association with areas of new urban development, to expand the existing ecological networks. Strategically planning green infrastructure provides an opportunity to link potentially fragmented elements of land use into a more cohesive whole, and to provide a framework for development.
• Integrating sustainable urban drainage systems into new development, to improve infiltration and manage surface water, as well as providing habitats for wildlife.
• Conserving the industrial architecture and archaeology – particularly buildings and sites associated with the textile manufacturing industry and cotton trade, for which the area was globally renowned. This area is known for its visible industrial history, resulting in a range of structures and features such as mill buildings and lodges.
• Interpreting archaeological evidence and historic features for the wider public, to increase their understanding and enjoyment of the area.
• Ensuring that the restoration of vernacular buildings is carried out using local styles and appropriate materials.
• Encouraging innovative new uses for old and/or abandoned buildings and industrial sites, while preserving their characteristic features.
• Protecting and managing registered parks and gardens, including Heaton Park (Manchester), Smithills Hall (Bolton), Alexandra Park (Oldham), Stamford Park (Stalybridge), Queen’s Park (Bolton), Queen’s Park (Rochdale) and other parks, to conserve significant historic landscapes and habitats. Conserving and managing country parks as significant contributors to accessible natural green space, providing opportunities for recreation, health, education and an improved quality of life.
• Identifying key characteristic geological features – both within and outside designated sites – and keeping important geological exposures such as quarry faces, cuttings, outcrops and stream sections visible and, where appropriate, accessible.
• Using local stone for buildings, so that they reveal the relationship to the underlying geology.
• Conserving and managing the outstanding geodiversity interest as a valuable educational and scientific research resource. Linking geology to the use of characteristic building materials, the industrial history of the area and the influence that geodiversity has on biodiversity. Providing interpretations of geological features at appropriate locations, and identifying opportunities to enhance educational access, to increase visitors’ understanding and enjoyment of the natural environment.

SEO 2

SEO 2: Sustainably manage and enhance the distinctive features of the Pennine fringe landscape, including the predominantly pastoral agricultural land use, the mosaic of farmland and upland fringe habitats, the clough woodland, the drystone walling and the gritstone buildings, to strengthen the landscape character, and improve habitat condition and connectivity, bringing benefits for water quality and reduced soil erosion.

For example by:

• Conserving and managing habitats and local wildlife sites, including lowland dry acid grassland, lowland meadows, lowland heathland, purple moor-grass and rush pasture, to improve the condition of the vegetation. Ensuring that land management practices in adjacent land are supporting and enhancing the biodiversity value.
• Managing the landscape to provide a mixed patchwork of habitats, including hedgerows, woodland, grassland, open fields, field margins, pasture and uncut grass, to benefit species such as brown hare.
• Encouraging the creation, restoration and expansion of a more ecologically connected mosaic of habitats (such as lowland meadows, purple moor-grass and rush pasture), in particular on the moorland fringes, to improve ecological links between habitats, and achieve a strong and resilient ecological network.
• Protecting, restoring and expanding the areas of clough woodland. Protecting and restoring ancient, semi-natural woodland and ancient, re-planted woodland (Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites, or PAWS).
• Managing the network of farmland, including the provision of a mosaic of pasture types, to offer a range of feeding, roosting and nesting opportunities for birds, as well as variety in species richness.
• Working with the local farming community, land owners and managers to sustainably manage pastures and meadows, to improve water infiltration and slow down water run-off, as well as to ensure that water quality is protected.
• Encouraging appropriate grazing of the pastures on the moorland fringes and between urban areas to improve soil quality, reduce soil compaction by livestock and decrease the risk of soil erosion, while enhancing other services.
• Creating, managing and restoring field boundaries to enhance the landscape and ecological networks. Restoring patterns of drystone walls using local stone, showing the relationship to the underlying geology. Improving the condition of hedgerows, restoring structure and species diversity, so that they make more of a contribution to connecting habitats.
• Providing educational access, with interpretation that promotes the connections between farming, food and the landscape, and that advocate the benefits these bring for the wider public.
• Maintaining the vernacular architecture of farmsteads and field barns, while ensuring that development respects local settlement patterns. Using appropriate local building materials and styles when restoring traditional buildings and structures.
• Managing and creating linear routes and networks, such as canals, tracks and roads, to strengthen the area’s biodiversity. These will enable the movement of species, and provide improved opportunities for visitors to access, engage with and enjoy contact with the natural environment.

SEO 3

SEO 3: Manage and continue to enhance the Manchester Pennine Fringe’s characteristic watercourses, such as the fast-flowing rivers and restored canals; conserve and extend the associated riparian habitats, to strengthen their role, extend and link habitats, manage flood risk, improve water quality and reduce soil run-off, and provide opportunities for recreation.

For example by:

• Managing the area’s river valleys by improving water quality, and managing and enhancing riparian vegetation, waterbodies and wetland habitats. These river corridors form an important component of the landscape, are of recreational value, and also form important links between the uplands and lowlands in terms of ecological connectivity and water management.
• Conserving and maintaining water-dependent habitats, including the designated Rochdale Canal SAC/SSSI, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal SSSI and Local Wildlife Sites, in favourable condition.
• Promoting the sustainable management of water, reducing flood flows and soil erosion (for example, by preventing sediment run-off as a result of introducing permanent grassland or woodland on steep slopes), managing pastures to improve infiltration and managing moorlands.
• Seeking opportunities to restore and expand areas of biodiversity habitat, for example introducing permanent grassland, reedbeds, wet woodlands and wet pastures along valley bottoms, to improve flood mitigation by intercepting and retaining water for longer within key locations in river catchments.
• Managing the canal network to conserve and enhance its associated habitats. The canals form part of the character of the Manchester Pennine Fringe and are of high wildlife, recreational and historic value.
• Creating and managing linear routes and networks that connect many different waterbodies and wetland habitats, especially river valleys and canals, to improve ecological connectivity. Promoting sustainable recreation and education opportunities that encourage appropriate access to – and understanding of – the importance of water to the fabric of the area, and the need for its sustainable management.

SEO 4

SEO 4: Manage existing woodlands and community forests, and extend broadleaved woodland cover in appropriate locations, to help mitigate the effects of climate change, improve biodiversity, reduce the impact of new development, and provide access to nature and green infrastructure links into urban areas.

For example by:

• Protecting and managing the network of woodland habitats (including the concentrated pockets of clough woodland) and associated species, to maintain and enhance biodiversity value and to improve carbon sequestration.
• Undertaking appropriate management for each woodland type to restore the diversity of the woodland structure and species.
• Identifying suitable areas into which to expand woodland habitats, linking existing fragmented areas of broadleaved woodland and clough woodland, especially on valley sides.
• Planning for new opportunities to plant woods and new areas of wood pasture, to expand existing sites. Creating short rotation coppice
  to enhance timber and biomass provision, increase carbon storage, manage water flow and quality, and reduce habitat fragmentation.
• Ensuring that new woodlands are designed and created in suitable locations, and include native species that are suitable for the physical location. Avoiding damage to historic features.
• Ensuring that woodlands are managed to enhance biodiversity, provide new access opportunities where appropriate, and offer interpretation and educational experiences to increase visitors’ understanding and enjoyment of this environment.
• Seeking to ensure that new woodland (particularly areas of community woodland within the Red Rose Community Forest and Pennine Edge Forest) contributes to the area’s recreational value, providing improved quality of life while also assimilating urban development, thus enhancing character and tranquillity. Creating an enhanced network of green spaces, trees and green routes, providing wildlife habitats and corridors.
• Seeking opportunities for small-scale biomass production through planting (on sites including small parcels of land isolated by development that are not suitable for agriculture, spoil heaps and closed landfill sites) and through small-scale wood fuel production from appropriately managed woodlands.