The Sixth Annual Conference Working with Communities 6-8 th July 2004 Llandudno North Wales

1. The Sixth Annual Conference Working with Communities 6-8th July 2004 Llandudno North Wales Mr Mike Taylor NAAONB

2. AONBs OF England and Wales Working with Communities

3. AONBWorking with Communities • Not new idea for us • Each Conference of AONBs has recognised the importance of communities • Essential to achieve our overarching goal • Not least people who live and work in AONBs, given high populations

4. AONBsWorking with Communities • Norwich - Involvement local communities in Management Plans • Lancaster - AONBs only relevant if help local economy and social development of communities • Guildford - Need to improve image and contacts to gain support for strong planning policies to help achieve AONB objectives

5. AONBWorking with Communities • Expansion of dedicated AONB Teams has given new capacity to open up new initiatives and funding • The preparation of Management Plans has acted as catalyst • Local consultation major feature of Plans

6. AONBWorking with Communities • Articles in Outstanding evidence of excellent progress on working with community groups • How far have they been able to engage with wider communities ?

7. AONB Working with Communities • In Wales the existence of Sustainable Development Fund allowed AONBs to work directly with local groups to mutual benefit. • Recognition of importance also developing at regional level as England moves towards Welsh model for devolved decision making • Initiative of Alun Michael to bring RDAs and AONBs and NPs closer together starting to pay off • In England Ministers encouraging RDAs to set up similar arrangements. Lincolnshire Wolds and EMRDA paving way

8. AONBs Working with Communities • Planning and Compensation Bill chance to raise AONB profile • Important that HMG recognise relevance of AONBs in new system which will give more power to local decisions • Our interests were debated in Parliament during passage of Bill

9. AONBWorking with Communities • Whilst unsuccessful in getting AONBs specifically mentioned in the legislation Ministers did express belief that AONBs should be influential in new Planning system • That influence needs to reflect local aspirations as well as primary purpose of designation

10. AONBWorking with Communities “I fully expect that AONB boards will play an important part in plan development and revision at local and regional level” Keith Hill, Minister State, ODPM. Letter to Lord Judd.

11. AONBsWorking with Communities “We also expect Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty management bodies to play an important role in the new planning arrangements; for example, as partners in developing a sub-regional strategy for their areas, where that is appropriate” Lord Rooker, Hof L Jan 04

12. AONBWorking with Communities “AONBs, as areas with a distinct suite of issues and needs, are the sort of areas that we would expect our sub-regional approach to be applied to. An AONB may be treated as a sub-region, in the sense of an area with its own specific policies as well as, or instead of, some of those applicable across the whole region, even within the regional spatial strategy. Where that is the case, we would expect the management board or conservation board of the AONB to be a key partner in developing those sub-regional policies” Lord Bassam, Gov Spokesman , H of L Jan 04

13. AONBWorking with Communities • To do this AONBs need to develop deeper and wider contacts with needs aspirations of whole range communities • Ideally a version of Planning for Real that reaches out from, as well as into AONB is needed • But costs prohibitive

14. AONBWorking with Communities • AONBs are better financed now by Exchequer funds through CA , NAW and CCW than ever before • But still very much poor relations • Queen 61p/person • NPs 82p/person • AONBs 12p/person

15. AONBWorking with Communities • Continue to make slow progress with Sec 85 • Not perhaps as valuable as we expected because large number organisations not subject to it e.g. Electricity suppliers, phone companies • Some progress however

16. AONBWorking with Communities. • Forestry Commission accord resulted in AONBs being consulted on new Research Strategy and Forestry Officers attached to number AONBs • Accord with mobile phone operators should result in better contacts between AONBs and mobile phone operators at early stage of new developments

17. AONBWorking with Communities • In England, AONBs heavily involved in consultations on reform CAP

18. AONBsWorking with Communities • Working with EH and CADW on accord which should help development op and delivery MPs and protection of historic features of AONBs • Working with FOLD, CNP, CPRE and Energy Watch to reach understanding with electricity companies re overhead wires

19. AONBWorking with Communities • Efforts of AONBs and Association to raise awareness starting to pay off • Much more joint effort e.g. OS Outdoor Show • Quality contributions to Outstanding • All resulting in increasing awareness of importance AONBs nationally and locally

20. AONBWorking with Communities • AONB making excellent progress in past four years • Credit to every one involved including DEFRA Ministers & Officials, CA and CCW staff

21. AONBWorking with Communities • Challenge in next three days is share ideas and experience, to identify ways to build on progress to ensure AONBs become even more relevant through working with individual communities