New plan to care for the Shropshire Hills
News from our partners Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership
Joining up the conservation effort, and valuing the Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty in planning and decisions, are two of the top priorities in a new plan approved this week.
The Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty runs from the Stiperstones to the Wrekin, and the Clee Hills to the Clun valley. The national designation brings protection similar to a National Park, as well as attracting funding to the area. The AONB Management Plan just approved by Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council also supports sustainable land management, enjoyment and the visitor economy, raising awareness of the landscape and encouraging participation in its care, and local working with communities.
George Chancellor, Chair of the AONB Partnership, said:
“The new Plan continues to see effective conservation and enhancement as inextricably linked to social and economic vitality. Reflecting the importance of the most comprehensive landscape scale working, it views the Shropshire Hills in the wider rural, wildlife, historical and ecosystem contexts that are vital to its well-being and that of the surrounding countryside.”
Mal Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for planning and housing, said:
“The AONB plays an important role to protect and enhance Shropshire’s unique and beautiful landscape, and we are happy to support this management plan. Although councils have the statutory responsibility for the AONB, it’s important that landowners, local communities and other organisations continue to work together to help secure its future.”
Councillor Chris Turley, Telford and Wrekin Council member on the AONB Partnership, said:
“The Wrekin has always been a special landscape and highly valued by people. Being part of the AONB provides a mechanism to look after those qualities that people value, and to address opportunities and its practical management.”
The new Management Plan runs from 2014 to 2019. The AONB Partnership team runs a variety of projects, multiplying the council funding it receives by over 20 times with funding from other sources. More details are available at www.shropshirehillsaonb.co.uk.
