United Utilities

Activities

Promoted Routes Repairs (1)

Maintenance work carried out on the following routes between March and September 2017:

Tasty Lancashire Cheese Walk (Preston)

Wennington Rail Walk (Lancaster)

Littledale Walk (Lancaster)

Dunsop Bridge Circular (Ribble Valley) - United Utilities

1st March 2017 to 20th September 2017

Bowland Revealed is an exciting arts offer designed to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape. A partnership project between LCC Arts Development Service, the National Landscape and Ribble Valley Borough Council, the programme has received funding from Arts Council England, via their Grants for the Arts strand, and from the partner organisations.

Landmarks (managed by Mid Pennine Arts) were a series of four ambitious, temporary outdoor visual arts commissions inspired by the Bowland landscape and sited in popular locations around the National Landscape. On show from September to late December 2014 (Sun Catcher until October 2015) the project attracted attention from BBC's Countryfile programme.

50 Years in the Making (Managed by Green Close) ran from June to December 2014 and engaged local residents, visitors, schools and artists through a series of workshops and exhibitions.

Bowland Explorers' Club (Managed by Mid Pennine Arts) began in May 2015 offering a programme of creative participation which particularly targets communities living around the National Landscape. The Explorers' Club has visited Cloudspotting (Gisburn Forest Hub), Blackburn Heritage Festival, Burnley Canal Festival; Hopeful & Glorious Art Fair (Lytham), Garstang Victorian Christmas Fair and Brockholes Visitor Centre (x2) In partnership with Wild Rumpus, the club organised a final celebration event in March 2016, again at Gisburn Forest, which attracted over 250 participants. Branches of the club also worked with In Situ in Brierfield, with Ground Up, linked to the Burnley Mechanics At Home group, and with a group in Bolton.

A Bowland Revealed discussion/evaluation workshop is planned for late April 2016.

6th May 2014 to 30th April 2016

Biodiversity Working Group re-established

Working group re-established in April 2014.

Will meet approx twice per year and direct biodiversity delivery through the development of annual delivery plans, made up from work across the delivery group.

1st April 2014

Priority Peat 2013

An assessment of the peatland restoration work still to be completed within the National Landscape area was undertaken as the Priority peat 2013 project, which was produced as a report in April 2014. The matrix approach allows priorities for action to be determined based on a large number of datasets and consultation with key partners. It has since been used to prioritise sites to be put into EU LIFE+ bids (2014 & 2015) and to direct EA funds to 'shovel ready' projects (eg work on Brown Syke, Abbeystead).

1st April 2014

Festival Bowland events calendar

Separate Festival Bowland events brochure produced for 2014.

Festival Bowland programme for 2015 included as part of Discover Bowland guide.

2016 programme currently under development and will be included as part of discovery guide again.

1st January 2014

1.2 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Action		Targets and Timescales	Partners
1.2D	Explore opportunities for biodiversity offsetting with local planning authorities (recognising the mechanism as a last resort after options for avoidance and on-site mitigation have been exhausted)	Hold 'planning and development' seminar to discuss opportunities for biodiversity offsetting within the National Landscape 2014	BD Working Group AONB Unit LPAs Environment Bank Landowners United Utilities Ribble Rivers Trust	View
1.2E	Play an active role in the government's 'Catchment-based Approach' (CaBA) to river management and restoration for the Lune, Ribble and Wyre	Meet with EA catchment management staff and Rivers Trusts for Lune and Wyre re:CaBA 2014 Attend at least 2 Ribble Life stakeholder exchange meetings per year Annually Investigate opportunities for catchment-based management options and agreements for the New Environmental Land Management Scheme (NELMS). 2014	Rivers Trusts EA AONB Unit Natural England CSF United Utilities BLMF RSPB	View

1.3 Habitats
Action		Targets and Timescales	Partners
1.3D	Restore and re-wet areas of blanket bog habitat as identified in the National Landscape Peatland Restoration Plan	Restoration and re-wetting of 35hectares of blanket bog habitat (subject to funding availability) 2019	Lancashire Upland Peat Partnership Pennine Peat Partnership AONB Unit EA Natural England United Utilities LWT Landowners/farmers	View
1.3E	Play an active role in local and regional peatland initiatives (e.g. Lancashire and Pennine Peat Partnerships) to seek additional funding to deliver National Landscape Peatland Restoration Plan	Lancashire Upland Peat Partnership restoration plan (incl. National Landscape data) complete 2014 National Landscape projects included in Pennine Peat Partnership bid for EU LIFE+ funding 2014	Lancashire Upland Peat Partnership Pennine Peat Partnership AONB Unit EA Natural England United Utilities LWT Landowners/farmers	View
1.3G	Support the creation of new native woodland in appropriate sites and the expansion of existing woodlands to reduce habitat fragmentation	Utilise woodland opportunities mapping to guide future woodland creation and expansion 2016 onwards	Lancashire Woodlands Project Forestry Commission Natural England Rivers Trusts United Utilities	View

1.4 Species
Action		Targets and Timescales	Partners
1.4C	Continue to support research and monitoring and encourage implementation of habitat projects for characteristic bird species such as hen harrier, merlin, peregrine, ring ouzel, lapwing, snipe, redshank and curlew; including support for relevant species recovery plans	Identify and agree appropriate habitat intervention opportunities for at least 2 species 2016	Natural England RSPB United Utilities Landowners BD Working Group	View
1.4D	Support local actions to provide suitable conditions to re-establish hen harrier as a breeding species in the National Landscape, in line with the government's emerging national species recovery plan	Develop local actions to support the re-establishment of breeding hen harrier in the National Landscape 2014-15 Active participation in the new 'Northern England Protected Landscapes Hen Harrier Group' Annually	Natural England Defra BD Working Group United Utilities Landowners RSPB AONB Unit	View
1.4E	Investigate feasibility of establishing pilot predator control areas to reduce the impact of predators on ground-nesting bird populations (waders in particular) within the National Landscape	Feasibility study complete 2015 If appropriate, seek funding to establish at least one pilot predator control area 2015	BD Working Group BLMF United Utilities Landowners	View

1.6 Historic Environment
Action		Targets and Timescales	Partners
1.6B	Develop bid to Heritage Lottery Fund 'Landscape Partnership Scheme' for a landscape restoration programme for Pendle Hill area	Complete Stage 1 Bid planning 2015 Submit Stage 1 bid 2015 If successful: 2016 Commence development phase 2017 Submit Stage 2 bid 2017-18 Commence LPS delivery	AONB Unit LCC AONB Partnership Natural England Heritage Lottery Fund Landowners United Utilities RVBC Pendle Council Ribble Rivers Trust Local history groups Friends of Bowland Tourism businesses	View

2.1 Farming and Land Management
Action		Targets and Timescales	Partners
2.1H	Support the development of local woodfuel economy, linked to improved woodland management and focusing on smaller and less-accessible sites	Commission research to collate evidence of existing and past traditional woodland management in the National Landscape 2014 Hold woodland management seminar/field visit 2014 Secure funding for at least 1 pilot 'woodfuel' project in the National Landscape 2016	LCC E&C Projects LCC Countryside Lancashire Woodlands Project Cumbria Woodlands Arnside and Silverdale AONB United Utilities LWT Woodland owners/managers Existing woodfuel suppliers	View

2.4 Sustainable Tourism
Action		Targets and Timescales	Partners
2.4I	Support opportunities to develop and promote 'Gisburn Forest and Stocks' as a destination for cycling, walking and riding	New branding and visitor information rolled out for Gisburn Forest and Stocks 2014 onwards Investigate potential to divert bus route to link with Gisburn Forest Hub 2014	Forestry Commission United Utilities AONB Unit Marketing Lancashire Welcome to Yorkshire RVBC Craven DC	View

3.1 Countryside Access
Action		Targets and Timescales	Partners
3.1B	Continue to undertake PRoW/access improvement surveys, identifying and acting upon opportunities for improvement	Survey at least 10% of PRoW within National Landscape per year Annually	LCC PRoW NYCC PRoW AONB Unit LCC E&C Projects United Utilities	View
3.1C	Seek to install least restrictive access furniture and to provide appropriate signage on strategic and National Landscape 'Promoted Routes'	'Access for all' provided on at least one route per year Annually Hold meetings with PRoW teams to raise awareness of importance of appropriate signage in the National Landscape (e.g. materials) 2015 Develop a monitoring system with PRoW teams to flag reports relating to signage renewal in the National Landscape 2015	LCC E&C Projects AONB Unit LCC PRoW NYCC PRoW United Utilities Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board	View

3.3 Visitor Management
Action		Targets and Timescales	Partners
3.3A	Continue to facilitate meetings between relevant partners regarding access and visitor management for popular visitor sites (e.g. Upper Hodder Management Group, Pendle Hill Advisory Group)	At least 1 meeting per year of Management Groups Annually	AONB Unit Local authorities Forestry Commission United Utilities Landowners Parish Councils LCC E&C Projects	View
3.3B	Develop and share best practice amongst countryside site managers and management groups (e.g. Friends groups)to consider development of visitor facilities, minimising impact on landscape and biodiversity and refreshing signage and interpretation with National Landscape 'messages', wherever possible	Investigate demand for establishing National Landscape Countryside Site Managers group 2014 Establish a list of National Landscape 'honeypot' sites including details of site management arrangements 2014	Wyre Coast and Countryside Service LCC E&C Projects Friends groups Forestry Commission United Utilities LCC Countryside Countryside Site Managers	View