80 - The Broads : 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 and enhance the distinctive historic landscape of the Broads, which is of national and international significance for its heritage and biodiversity interest, through securing and expanding the open water, riverine and estuarine habitats which are vulnerable to abstraction, flooding, vegetation succession and altered land management. Manage the provision and quality of water in the whole catchment for human and ecological benefit.

For example by:

• Working with landowners, partners and communities to restore the connectivity of key habitats across the landscape, reinstating and extending wet grassland and grazing marsh for breeding waders (for example, lapwing, redshank and snipe) and overwintering wildfowl, and expanding and creating new habitats and ecological networks for species.
• Maintaining and, where necessary, improving the condition of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and continuing to conserve and protect the valuable habitats and species in the Broads’ three Special Protection Areas (SPA), two Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and ten National Nature Reserves.
• Facilitating the ability of viable agricultural businesses to undertake more tailored agricultural and conservation management to support the range of riverine and estuarine wetland habitats and landscapes, incorporating uncultivated margins and established habitat to protect watercourses in order to support rare species such as the otter, bittern and holly-leaved naiad, together with milk parsley, ragged robin and meadow thistle which are vital food plants for the rare swallowtail butterfly.
• Enhancing the management of wetland habitats, including ditch systems and river corridors, through the adaptive management of the
  adjacent flood plain, managing water quality and availability to achieve a favourable ecological condition while securing their natural and cultural value and the associated benefits.
• Identifying and developing strategies to mitigate some of the impacts of saltwater incursion – for example, through the creation of washlands and new wetlands to moderate flooding of existing wildlife sites.
• Promoting initiatives that facilitate re-wetting the drained flood plain to create new fenland habitat at the upstream extent of the
  system, restore watermeadows, undertake flood plain planting of wet woodland, and restore the structure and function of river channels which in turn will maintain water levels.
• Working in partnership with the Norfolk Non-native Species Initiative to reduce threats posed by non-native species colonisation of the open water, riverine and estuarine habitats.
• Working in partnership with landowners and farmers to conserve and enhance the deciduous woodland, copses, plantations and hedgerows on the higher ground of the valley sides and tops and prioritise the management of fen carr wet woodland along the valley bottoms to benefit the provision and quality of water in the catchment, while securing their natural, cultural and economic value and the associated benefits.

SEO 2

SEO 2: Conserve and manage the nationally significant coastal landscape, including that within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – between Sea Palling and Winterton-on-Sea – by implementing strategies to adapt to coastal change and sea level rise that are consistent with the current north-east Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan. Work with coastal processes as far as possible, while enhancing people’s enjoyment of the area through improving its unique assemblage of coastal habitats and increasing opportunities for sustainably managed access to support recreation and education.

For example by:

• Establishing a programme of community engagement to explain the vulnerability of the Broads to climate change and the interdependence between the wetlands of the Upper Thurne and the Winterton- Horsey dune system, identifying local concerns and aspirations to inform adaptation planning, and encouraging and promoting local volunteering opportunities for people to become engaged with the natural environment.
• Promoting and delivering climate change adaptation measures, such as the Connecting Wetlands project, using the ecosystem services approach to develop wider understanding of the operation of natural processes.
• Ensuring that the coastal dunes are conserved and protected from damage resulting from recreational pressure, through the development of a strategy for coastal public access management, so that they continue to function as a natural coastal flood defence of the low-lying hinterland.
• Raising awareness of the important sensitive habitats and the wildlife that the coastal environment supports, through clear signposting and interpretation, to improve the quality of understanding and enjoyment of the coastal environments and associated habitats and species (such as coastal dunes, little tern, golden plover, and common and grey seals).
• Working in partnership with landowners and farmers to achieve mutually satisfactory objectives, managing and promoting
  opportunities for sustainable access and outdoor recreation on land adjacent to the coast, through clear signposting and interpretation for both local people and visitors, that improve health, wellbeing and enjoyment of the environment.
• Facilitating the Broads Flood Alleviation Project to adapt to coastal change and sea level rise and seeking new opportunities for access enhancements to the flood plain and river systems.
• Working in partnership, in line with the north-east Norfolk (Kelling to Lowestoft Ness) Shoreline Management Plan, to ensure that dynamic coastal processes continue and conserve the range of estuarine, coastal and wetland habitats that contribute to landscape character and support the wide range of wildlife.

SEO 3

SEO 3: Maintain a sustainable and productive agricultural landscape while expanding and connecting semi-natural habitats to benefit biodiversity, and improve soil and water quality by promoting sustainable farming practices that are able to adapt to changing agricultural economics and the considerable challenge of climate change, and comply with regulations on nitrate vulnerable zones.

For example by:

• Encouraging sustainable farming practices and the diversification of cropping and livestock to support the continued production of food supplied to local and national markets and the financial security of rural businesses.
• Encouraging increased uptake of agri-environment schemes and options that facilitate re-wetting the flood plain, to reactivate peat formation and promote carbon sequestration, and are targeted at expanding and connecting ecological networks to benefit biodiversity such as increasing farmland bird populations.
• Ensure that advice is provided to support and enable sustainable farming practices to be carried out efficiently, including follow-up monitoring and advice, to help inform future land management decisions.
• Working in partnership with farmers to encourage the uptake of agri-environment options that harvest and conserve water, protect watercourses and prevent water quality deterioration by reducing
  diffuse pollution and ensuring compliance with regulations on nitrate vulnerable zones to manage fertiliser inputs.
• Working in partnership with farmers to encourage the appropriate design and sensitive siting of new on-farm water storage, which will help to reduce the impact of water abstraction and enhance biodiversity and landscape character.
• Working in partnership with farmers to encourage soil management improvements in order to prevent deterioration of water quality caused by soil erosion and nutrient leaching (which will also have negative effects on the semi-natural habitats of the Broads).
• Continuing to bring derelict reedbeds and sedgebeds into regular management and promote use of fen litter for biomass and new commercial uses for hay and reed such as reed faggots.
• Reconnecting rivers and their flood plains and the restoration of marginal reedswamp and salt marsh, where appropriate, to increase the use of river valleys for the storage of floodwaters, aquifer recharge, and restoring and creating new wetland habitats where not at risk from saline incursion and where this will not compromise water quality in the ditch systems.
• Facilitating the ability of viable agricultural businesses to undertake more tailored agricultural and conservation management to support the range of drier habitats and landscapes of the hinterland, incorporating uncultivated margins to arable fields in order to support rare arable weeds and farmland bird species.
• Encouraging the management and, where necessary, the replanting of damaged field boundary hedgerows on the valley sides, upper valleys and tops to strengthen the traditional pastoral landscape character of this area of the Broads, which is known for its thick, mature hedgerows with dense rows of trees, and assisting the linking of semi-natural habitats to benefit biodiversity and improve water quality.
• Encouraging the creation of new woodland to expand and connect semi-natural habitats benefiting biodiversity and water quality, where this does not compromise other, more ecologically valuable, habitat or result in the loss of valley flood plain transitions.
• Encouraging local farm businesses, isolated properties and small communities to increase appropriate-scale generation of heat, utilising woody biomass for woodchip boilers where it is sustainable to do so. This will in turn bring further opportunities for improved woodland management, while being mindful of locally valued landscape characteristics and sensitive landscapes, habitats and associated species.

SEO 4

SEO 4: Improve opportunities to enhance people’s enjoyment of the area while protecting high levels of tranquillity by conserving intimate Broadland valleys and extensive coast and marshland views, which contribute to sense of place, and conserve and promote the geodiversity, archaeology and historical evidence of past human settlement and landscape change.

For example by:

• Working in partnership with landowners, farmers, local businesses and the Broads Authority to promote the NCA as an area of natural beauty and one that affords opportunities for open-air recreation, focusing on ecotourism as a mechanism to reduce environmental damage caused by tourism pressure to ensure that the Broads is maintained as a unique and inspiring landscape with its own sense of place and historical significance.
• Strengthening opportunities to sustainably manage recreation in order to meet the demand of visitors wishing to enjoy water-based interest; which contribute significantly to the character and local economy of the area.
• Strengthening opportunities for visitors to enjoy natural and cultural heritage by providing them with a wide range of opportunities to experience, enjoy and understand the special natural environment and heritage of the Broads.
• Managing and conserving heritage assets as an integral part of the historic character of the area, through appropriate measures and seeking to reduce conflicting or unsympathetic management regimes while recognising the high potential in this landscape for undiscovered remains.
• Managing visitor pressures at popular and sensitive sites by investing in high-quality infrastructure and interpretation that is designed to provide equality of opportunity, meeting the different needs and levels of use of a range of visitors, including local communities, recreational day visitors and tourists, and enhancing the experience without being the cause of damage or degradation of the Broads’ natural assets and tranquillity.
• Working in partnership with the holiday and leisure businesses to encourage best practice to ensure that measures are taken to control light and noise pollution to reduce disturbance, enhancing people’s enjoyment of the area by protecting high levels of tranquillity where appropriate.
• Managing and promoting public rights of way by linking existing public footpaths, settlements and long-distance paths (for example, Weavers’ Way, Wherryman’s Way and the Bure Valley Path) as well as supporting improvements for cycling in the NCA in order to enhance sustainable tourism and recreational opportunities and ensure a high-quality experience for all users.
• Maintaining and promoting the key physical, historical and cultural elements that provide local identity, amenity and aesthetic value to the area’s historic landscape character (for example, traditional farmsteads and buildings, wind pumps, staithes and boatsheds), ensuring that these are retained and actively managed while allowing the landscape to continue to evolve and reflect the interactions between people and the environment.
• Promoting the links between the geological landscape evidence, the historical evidence of human activity and the biological interest of the area to achieve a wider understanding of the formation and the importance of the Broads landscape.
• Conserving features distinctive to the Broads that are highly rare and distinctive in a national context, including early brickwork, reed thatch, round church towers, windmills and the traditional riverside buildings, boatyards and other waterfront industry (and views to them) that often have a strong visual impact in the landscape.

Additional opportunity 1

Additional opportunity 1: Encourage measures that lead to the enhancement of existing settlements and new developments providing more widely associated social and cultural benefits through the provision and management of high-quality green infrastructure networks.

For example by:

• Conserving and appropriately managing the area’s sense of place within the built environment and using this understanding, and the area’s distinct patterns of settlement, to plan for and inspire new development.
• Ensuring that high-quality green infrastructure is considered in all new building projects, encouraging developers and planners to consider this aspect at the outset of scheme design with the aim of promoting space for wildlife and outdoor recreation.
• Promoting the use of traditional building materials such as flint, pebble and brick, and reed thatch in building restoration or new development, where this would be appropriate, to enhance the character of the local area.
• Supporting the use of historic and landscape characterisations to inform change, and encouraging their use in community-based planning to help to identify locally valued townscapes, rural landscapes and heritage assets.
• Establishing a planning and design approach that enables appropriate sustainable development within the Broads flood plain, including use of experimental and innovative techniques (for example, floating buildings) while maintaining the high levels of tranquillity associated with much of the area, especially where there is currently little settlement or infrastructure intrusion.
• Investigating ways of securing better management of heritage assets that contribute to the character of the area, particularly those that have been identified as ‘heritage at risk’.