17 - Orton Fells : 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: Conserve, manage and enhance the open fells on the limestone plateau, with their mix of karst features, upland heath, and calcareous and acid grasslands, for their inspirational and recreational values and their international biodiversity and geodiversity interest, improving water quality and mitigating climate change effects.

For example by:

• Maintaining the long, panoramic views in all directions, and the sense of remoteness and tranquillity on the open fells, by avoiding inappropriate development or planting of woodland.
• Ensuring that the limestone pavements, with their distinctive open character and rock formations and their geodiversity, biodiversity and historical interest, continue to be protected through Limestone Pavement Orders. Working with landowners to establish site-specific grazing regimes, including removing sheep in favour of cattle, to allow the vegetation to grow up above the grykes. Grazing management should help to retain the area’s geological and historical interest and its open and expansive qualities.
• Protecting the range of other geological and geomorphological features such as natural outcrops, screes and shake holes and raising awareness, understanding and enjoyment of the geological interest of the area through providing information and interpretation in appropriate locations.
• Working with landowners, moorland managers, graziers and commoners to manage the grazing of blanket bog and wet and dry heath. Managing grazing by hardy cattle and sheep as appropriate, at levels and times that will encourage active peat formation where possible and good ecological condition of the heath plant communities, will protect the soils and enhance the diversity of the internationally significant plant communities.
• Ensuring that the areas of wet heath are under grazing regimes that will develop mixed heath plant communities that include a healthy component of bryophytes. This will aid the storage and infiltration of rainwater, thus reducing oxidation and erosion of the peat and colouration of the water, as well as protecting palaeo-environmental evidence.
• Protecting the springs and flushes at the headwaters of the river systems from damage by grazing livestock and from modification for livestock drinking water supply or drainage.
• Working with landowners, managers, graziers and commoners to seek opportunities to restore and expand the areas of species-rich calcareous grassland and manage them through appropriate grazing regimes.
• Supporting farmers in promoting high-quality meat from the local hardy breeds of cattle and sheep that graze the semi-natural habitats, thus linking the livestock production to the high environmental value of the area.
• Protecting the archaeological features of the fells, including bronze-age stone circles, burial mounds and Roman roads, and evidence of Romano-British settlements and boundaries, medieval settlements and field patterns. Provide interpretation where appropriate, to raise awareness and improve understanding of the links between geology and history.

SEO 2

SEO 2: Manage and enhance the enclosed farmland with its diverse pastures, leys and meadows, dispersed farmsteads and quiet villages, strong field patterns and drystone walls, and species-rich road verges, to maintain livestock and dairy farming, the soils, and the sense of place and history, and to enhance its landscape character and biodiversity value.

For example by:

• Encouraging extensive livestock grazing on pastures, limiting or eliminating applications of artificial fertilisers, and returning manure to the ground in preference, thus reducing poaching and allowing organic matter to build up, improving soil structure and quality as well as the infiltration of rainwater.
• Encouraging the management of pastures, especially those adjacent to heath and rough grazing, to create a range of hydrological conditions and to enhance their species richness, creating a patchwork of different grasslands that will provide suitable conditions for waders and other birds to nest, feed and roost.
• Finding ways of supporting the agricultural practice of hay-making to maintain and enhance the species-rich hay meadows, and bringing more fields into active management for hay to enhance their species richness and contribute to the patchwork of grassland types within the valleys.
• Ensuring that the biodiversity interest of road verges is monitored and recorded, and that their management continues to be adapted to protect and enhance their floristic interest, so that they function both as a repository of grassland species, linking other grassland sites, and as a source of nectar for pollinating insects, as well as being a delight to those using the roads.
• Maintaining and restoring the drystone walls, using local stone where possible and following local building styles, in particular restoring those areas of strong field patterns that retain evidence of medieval and post-medieval field systems.
• Managing and improving the condition of heritage assets and seeking to reduce inappropriate management, such as reducing or removing grazing from archaeological earthworks and ground features.
• Encouraging further survey and research to identify undiscovered archaeological earthworks and sub-surface archaeology, and working with local interest groups and other volunteers to record and manage them.
• Promoting the maintenance and restoration of traditional farm buildings and other buildings of historical interest using local materials, techniques and building styles.
• Supporting traditional building skills and maintaining the strong link between geology and built form in this area by using locally sourced materials and local skilled craftsmen for both walling and building repair and construction.
• Identifying and protecting those stretches of countryside with extensive evidence of settlement and field patterns that create distinctive historic landscapes, such as at Waitby and Smardale, and providing interpretation to improve understanding of past changes in the use and settlement of the land.

SEO 3

SEO 3: Manage farmed land and semi-natural habitats to protect and improve the condition of the streams and rivers, enhancing their ecological value and water quality, strengthening the contribution they make to the local landscape and providing high-quality angling and wildlife-watching opportunities.

For example by:

• On the fells, restoring any damaged or bare areas of peaty soil, managing the grazing levels to encourage good ecological condition, and avoiding any practices that damage or expose peat. This will prevent erosion by either wind or water and thus reduce colouration and sedimentation of the water.
• Within the lower-lying farmed land, encouraging the establishment of riparian habitats, such as permanent grassland with no fertilizer inputs, or scrub or open woodland of native species, to capture sediment, reduce nutrient run-off and impede flows of floodwaters.
• Within the lower-lying farmed land, finding opportunities to establish copses adjacent to watercourses, to provide shade for fish and other fauna. This is of particular importance should water temperatures rise, and to impede flows of floodwaters.
• On improved grasslands, encouraging low-input livestock systems and ensuring that the application of slurry and manure follows industry best practice, matching inputs to need and thus reducing nutrient run-off.
• Timing operations such as the cultivation and re-seeding of grasslands and avoiding the use of heavy machinery that might compact the soils, to protect soil structure and quality and to improve infiltration of rainwater.
• Promoting the improvement of roofed facilities for the storage of slurry and manure so that they are able to cope with more extreme weather conditions, keeping grey water in farmyards away from slurry stores, and avoiding spreading manure on wet or hard ground.
• Encouraging the establishment of riparian habitats, especially permanent unfertilised grassland, by fencing out livestock and providing watering points, thus avoiding trampling and erosion of the banks, reducing sedimentation of the water and capturing nutrients.
• Seeking opportunities to restore rivers to natural courses and allowing natural dynamic river processes, through removing hard engineering, redundant weirs and other structures where possible, thus increasing connectivity within the river and between the river and adjacent land.
• Ensuring that any further abstraction is carefully controlled to avoid impacting on the international biodiversity interest of the Lowther and other tributaries of the Eden, and on the limited resources of the Lune.
• Ensuring that the streams and rivers continue to support wildlife and fish, to offer high-quality birdwatching and angling.
• Encouraging access for the quiet enjoyment of the countryside and close contact with nature, so that more people can engage with and enjoy the wildlife, without detriment to the habitats, quality of the water or the plant and animal communities.
• Seeking opportunities to increase the area of flood storage within the lower stretches of the valleys, especially the Lune, and managing the areas to establish wet pastures or other wetland habitats.
• Providing information about the wetland features of petrifying springs and alkaline flushes on the fells and how the marl lake, Sunbiggin Tarn, came to be formed, with explanation of tufa formations, at locations that will not cause intrusion or damage to the habitats and species of the flushes and the tarn.

SEO 4

SEO 4: Identify, protect and interpret geological and historic features and encourage quiet recreation focused on enjoyment and appreciation of these features within the landscape.

For example by:

• Retaining the quiet rural nature of the villages through maintaining the historical and dispersed settlement pattern and ensuring that any new development is of a scale and location that fits within the village. Control the use of lighting, using timers and sensors, to maintain the dark night skies.
• Protecting the historical settlement pattern and character of the villages, with their central greens and tofts, and ensuring that conversions are carried out in a sympathetic way, using appropriate materials and styles and protecting the integrity of the historic buildings and features.
• Developing and implementing plans for the conservation of features of historical interest, especially within the village Conservation Areas and the Settle-Carlisle Railway Conservation Area, providing information and interpretation about the past uses of the buildings and their connections with the wider landscape.
• Protecting and maintaining the many utilitarian features such as lime kilns and sheepfolds which reflect past settlement and farming practices, providing interpretation where appropriate to improve understanding and enjoyment of the role of these heritage assets.
• Supporting the restoration of rivers to more natural routes, thus enabling the creation of a wider range of geomorphological features, such as meanders, and also enhancing biodiversity value and reducing the energy of flood flows.
• Utilising the disused and active quarries with their exposures of underlying rocks, working with quarry companies and landowners to provide access and interpretation where appropriate, to gain improved understanding and appreciation of geology.
• Providing interpretation of the uses of local stone, especially as building stone for farmsteads and the houses and communal buildings in local villages.
• Encouraging the restoration of drystone walls, using appropriate styles and techniques according to their historical origin.
• Encouraging quiet recreational activities that support and benefit from the high-quality rural environment and that make use of the open access areas and networks of quiet roads, tracks, bridleways and footpaths, such as walking, cycling, riding, wildlife watching, botanising, visiting heritage assets, exploring geological features, and angling, providing for all abilities where possible.
• Where appropriate, providing access to and interpretation of sites of wildlife, geological and historical interest, to enable educational use. Encourage people of all levels of ability and interest to be able to appreciate and be inspired by the landscapes of the area.
• Working with local geologists and others to encourage research, identify further local sites of interest and provide interpretation of the local geology, especially the karst features, to raise awareness and appreciation.
• Keeping those areas of limestone pavement with particular geomorphological and historical interest clear of scrub or woodland, to enable research and appreciation of the features.
• Encouraging engagement by both residents and visitors in activities that will protect and enhance the many historical, geological and wildlife features in the landscape, thus improving understanding and enjoyment of the natural environment.
• Working with local landowners and managers to provide facilities such as accommodation and refreshments for users of long-distance routes and to include discreet and imaginative interpretation of the key features and assets of the area.
• Working with local tourism organisations and accommodation providers to establish local routes from villages to key features, for improved recreation and enjoyment, providing clear and engaging information to all visitors, thus enabling them to learn about and enjoy the distinctive landscape.

Additional opportunity 1

Additional opportunity 1: Manage and enhance the fragmented semi-natural woodlands and copses, expanding and buffering them, and improve the condition of the conifer shelterbelts, to increase carbon capture, improve rainwater infiltration, develop their biodiversity interest and improve their contribution to local landscape character.

For example by:

• Protecting and managing semi-natural ancient woodlands, restoring those that have been planted up with non-native species, and extending and buffering them, using natural regeneration of native broadleaved species of local provenance where possible, to increase their resilience to climate change as well as pests and diseases.
• Bringing semi-natural woodland into management, leaving patches of deadwood, incorporating open glades and encouraging natural regeneration, especially of native broadleaves, thus increasing the provision of wood fuel for local use, increasing carbon capture, enhancing biodiversity interest and ensuring the long-term contribution of the woodlands to the landscape.
• Ensuring in particular that upland ash woodlands are under sound management, with good natural regeneration of ash and other native species, to increase their resilience to climate change and ash die-back.
• Seeking opportunities to buffer, expand and link fragmented semi-natural woodlands by creating new woodlands, especially within the narrow valleys along the lower stretches of the rivers, and in riparian zones where they can impede flood flows and improve infiltration, but avoiding impacting on species-rich grasslands or historic features.
• Seeking opportunities to establish small copses of native broadleaves within gills on the margins of the fells, while retaining their open character.
• Seeking opportunities to restore upland areas to heath and/or grassland from conifer plantations, with compensation planting sites in more appropriate locations.
• Encouraging the management of conifer plantations and small coniferous shelterbelts, including opening up small glades and increasing the broadleaf component to encourage the development of a richer ground flora, and improving their form to assimilate them more effectively into the landscape, as well as enhancing their biodiversity interest, improving the underlying soils and increasing the production of timber and wood fuel.
• Encouraging the management of the copses related to farmsteads and villages, to ensure regeneration of native tree species and thus the long-term continuity of the landscape feature.
• Encouraging landowners and interest groups to survey and monitor the incidence of the ash die-back disease, identify any naturally resistant strains and take appropriate biosecurity measures.