Dear Subscriber,

Blow Away the Cobwebs

With the dark nights approaching, the autumn leaves falling, the fungi bursting into life, and the nuts and conkers dropping, how about your local school discovering the exhilaration and thrills of a walk in the countryside. From snails to styles, orchids to ooze and coccoliths to chalk hill blues, over 800 school children and communities have discovered the Kent Downs’ hidden heritage over this last year. Nine schools have already participated in our walks in the countryside learning about its heritage and linking that into the national curriculum. There is the opportunity now for further schools to participate. So join us and discover the countryside near you which inspired Charlotte Tuffin from Hollingbourne Primary School to write this poem.

I was excited every part of the way,
I love the view for the hills above and below,
the sound from the mooing cows,
and the smell of manure,
I was excited every part of the way
 

Orchards

Traditional orchards have a special place in the landscape of Kent, they provide an intimate beauty throughout the year and are a big part of what makes Kent the Garden of England. Led by the Kent Countryside Management Projects it is exciting news that a Kent Traditional Orchards Heritage Project has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund. This is based on some of the good work carried out by the Mid Kent Downs Orchards project and, if successful, will see the conservation and enhancement of even more of our precious orchards. The Kent Orchards project will be hosted by the Kent Downs AONB Unit if it is successful

For more information on this project please contact nick.johannsen@kentdowns.org.uk or  caroline.drewett@kent.gov.uk

Wood Fuel Project approved

The Kent Downs AONB is one of the UK’s most wooded landscapes. Finding a positive, sutainable use for the woodland products of the Kent Downs has been a goal for some time now. The opportunities presented by generating heat from wood fuel can provide a market based way of getting much needed, sensitive management back into our coppice woods – there is an opportunity to be grasped. Working with the Forestry Commission, Kent County Council and with funding from the 2 Seas Interreg programme we are delighted to announce that we will shortly be launching the Kent Downs Wood Fuel Pathfinder. A 2 year project will seek to link potential demand for wood fuel based heat with the supply available from our woods, we will work with land owners, coppice workers, boiler installers and building owners, developers and managers to try to establish new, exemplar projects which will lead the way and hopefully provide helpful lessons for others. At the moment we are recruiting a project manager make this a reality.  For more information on this project please contact Nick Johannsen nick.johannsen@kentdowns.org.uk

Dover Heritage Lottery Fund development stage

Following the welcome announcement of over nearly £2m allocated by the Heritage Lottery Fund to a Landscape Partnership Scheme in Dover we have been working closely with Dover District Council to get a development stage manager in place. The new scheme is set to invest significant amounts of money in the management of the precious cliffs and chalk grassland around Dover and Folkestone. It will take a year to provide the detailed project and business management processes making sure that the local communities and partner organisations are closely involved in the development of the final scheme.  For more information on this project please contact Nick Johannsen nick.johannsen@kentdowns.org.uk

Undergrounding

Three new schemes have gained stage one approval and are now going through the consultation process. The schemes are at Saltwood, Folkestone Downs and Chartham Downs. Two more proposals are being worked on ready for presentation at the next Undergrounding Steering group meeting in December. These are at Frenchstreet Farm and the Birling Estate. Ideas for future schemes are still welcome. Contact Tim Owen for more details tim.owen@kentdowns.org.uk

Fly Tipping

Funding is still available to tackle areas which are persistently spoilt by fly tipping. Funding can be used to put measures in place to deter fly tippers. We are also keen to record what areas are regularly spoilt by illegal tipping, if you’re aware of any locations, please send details through to Tim Owen tim.owen@kentdowns.org.uk

Rural Development Programme for England

In the summer we received a conditional approval from the Rural Development Programme for England for an exciting tourism project which would work across the National Parks and AONBs of the South East of England. The idea is to develop completely new responsible tourism packages in each landscape. To do this we will work with local businesses and experts in the field. In developing the bid we involved a private sector partner www.responsibletravel.com   who  will support the project development, help us develop the marketing and web presence for the new products and will continue to support the project beyond the short period of public funding. At the moment we are waiting to see whether the RDPE funding stream will survive the cuts in public spending but we are hopeful because we have an excellent and well researched project ready to go.For more information on this project please contact Nick Johannsen nick.johannsen@kentdowns.org.uk

Kent Downs Farmstead Guidance

This has been produced to provide readily accessible design guidance to contribute to the conservation and enhancement of the special characteristics of farmsteads in the Kent Downs. By understanding the inherited character and significance of farmsteads in the landscape of the Kent Downs, the opportunities, constraints and potential for change within a farmstead can be recognised.

Landscape and Nature for All

The Landscape and Nature for All Project had its annual steering group meeting on 20th October in France. Seven French and 14 English conservation organisations were represented and the Interreg IVA Channel Programme was represented by Samuel Lesart. The organisations discussed  joint work and sharing existing intiatives between partners. The project will finish in December 2011 and all the organisations are working hard to achieve all project outputs and financial spend by this date.
 

Managing Land for Horses - a guide to good practice

The AONB, on behalf of the Joint Advisory Committee, have prepared this draft document for consultation based on national guidance developed from research through the SEEDA Rural Sector Champions programme. We hope it will be helpful guidance for land managers and policy makers to support good practice in land management for horses in the Kent Downs AONB. We would be pleased to receive any comments on the document either via email to mail@kentdowns.org.uk or in writing to our office at West Barn, Penstock Hall Farm, Canterbury Road, East Brabourne, Ashford TN25 5LL. Comments need to be within the context of AONB objectives and where possible it would be helpful if you could cite any research or evidence base from which your comments are drawn. Closing date for comments is 19th November.See www.kentdowns.org.uk for further details.