How you can shape 'crucial plan' for Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

A consultation is set to launch on a ‘crucial plan,’ to determine how the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will be managed, as challenges loom for sectors including farming post-Brexit.
A blueprint for how the Nidderdale AONB could be managed in the years to come will be put to the publicA blueprint for how the Nidderdale AONB could be managed in the years to come will be put to the public
A blueprint for how the Nidderdale AONB could be managed in the years to come will be put to the public

Residents will be able to comment on the Nidderdale AONB Management Plan, 2019-2024, when it’s released for comments on Friday(February 22), outlining how the AONB Partnership will carry out work to protect the treasured landscape and wildlife of the Dales in the years to come. It will run for four weeks in total.

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The management plans are statutory, and developed every five years - co ordinating action by land managers, members of the AONB’s rural communities and third party bodies including the National Trust, local and Government agencies.

With the challenges ahead the need for residents’- views on this new ‘blueprint’ for how the AONB could be tended to is clear, says Chair of the Nidderdale AONB Joint Advisory Committee, Coun Nigel Simms.

He added: “We need to take local action. Our Management Plan for the next five years is crucial as change is coming in a major way. Key challenges include uncertainty around farming post-Brexit, rural isolation, and providing opportunities to engage all generations into the rural economy. Add the national crisis around affordable housing and rural services and the global threat of climate change. Despite the challenges, there’s enormous energy from people in Nidderdale to engage in and safeguard our countryside.”

The plan includes policies such as how businesses and farmers can prepare for Brexit, training for volunteers to support conservation strategies, and how rural tourism can be bosltered through projects like the upcoming Dark Skies Festival.

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Whilst urging residents, alongside those who work and visit the AONB, to put forward comments, Sarah Kettlewell, AONB Manager, said the plan will help create a ‘sustainable future in turbulent times.’

She said: “The AONB is a living and working landscape and people are at the heart of protecting our countryside and safeguarding its future. This Plan is crucial for everyone who cares about conserving the AONB’s special qualities.”

“The Management Plan is essentially a set of policies and objectives designed to provide a framework for action by the partnership of individuals and organisations involved in work to protect the AONB’s landscape and wildlife, and to create a sustainable future for the area in turbulent times. We look forward to receiving comments on the draft over the next four weeks.’

The plan will open up for comments tomorrow Friday (February 22). To comment on the plans click here