The Landscape & Environment Working Group is led by Charles Pope & Arianwen Neve. They cover issues relating to the AONB (using the specialist information and advice from the High Weald AONB Unit), open spaces, recreation, footpaths (and associated “furniture”), Hemsted Forest and other historic woodlands, historic landscape, ghylls and smugglers trails. Sustainability issues, specifically relating to the green environment and future generations. Landscape character assessment.
Their initial task is to identify and assess candidate Local Green Space sites, and understanding the landscape & habitat issues in the parish. The 2015 Parish Plan has provided a useful basis for work, alongside material from the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team, and feedback on priorities identified during the village workshop on 13th Jan in the Village Hall.
Some of the fantastic views submitted by readers of Benenden’s Parish Magazine summer 2018
They have undertaken a number of field visits across the village & wider parish, and this information, alongside existing data from the major conservation organisations, is helping the shape their draft policies. This helped prompt an article in the July Parish Magazine (Thinking of View – see the post in General News section).
| Working Group Members are: | |
| Charles Pope / Arianwen Neve | |
| Peter Driver | Minnie Garnier |
| Julie Lewis | Joanne Pope |
| Nancy Tolhurst | Charles Trollope |
| Heather Trollope | |
Our Objective: We will generate planning policies designed to protect valued environmental assets, support our peaceful, rural way of life. Recognising that the Parish is one of the most unspoilt parts of the AONB our policies will enable villagers and visitors to continue to enjoy important green spaces, footpaths and dark skies.
Landscape & Environment Workshop Outputs
| Opportunity | Threat | |
| Routeways & Open Spaces | Increasing tourism | Increasing development & traffic |
| Woodlands, Trees, Hedgerows, & Field Patterns | Plan to protect & replace hedgerows & plant new trees
|
Ignorance of people moving into countryside: education needed in country ways |
| Biodiversity (Wildlife): Flora & Fauna | Funding from builders to protect wildlife knockoff rolex yacht master 16622sso rolex calibre 2836 2813 mens platinum dial hands and markers flora & fauna – more targeted conservation, funding, and understanding what is already going on | Density of new developments – risk from large estates |
| Views, Dark Skies, Tranquillity | Identify the most important / outstanding views within the parish. Might be threatened by site of 20 houses | Large estate development impact on views / light pollution / urbanisation |
| Streams, Ponds, Ditches & Flooding | Builds could be tasked to maintain ditches / waterways | Existing farmers are maintaining these: if sold off for building = risk to ongoing maintenance |
More information will be shared at the Iden Green Exhibition in September 2018.