Agenda item

Verbal report by Stewart Pomeroy Colne Valley Team Manager

Stewart Pomeroy, Colne Valley Team Manager gave a presentation on the Colne Valley key projects and vision for the future. During the presentation the following information was provided: -

·         The Colne Valley Regional Park was formed in the 1960s and scopes 5 local authority areas.

·         Key statistics to show the scale of the park included, 50,000 people live in the valley, 3 million people live within 10 miles, the valley covers 43 square metres, 70 lakes and 200km river, 100s green spaces, 5 county parks, 20 nature reserves and 13 scientific sites of interest.

·         The benefits of green belt land include 6 objectives: vibrant and sustainable landscape, safeguarding the countryside, biodiversity, countryside recreation, rural economy and community participation.

·         Over 75 organisations have pledged support for the Colne Valley.

·         The Green Infrastructure Strategy had been created for organisations to adopt as the basis for the vision for the future of the area. The strategy highlighted the project aspirations for fundraising and opening up discussions with land developers. The local authorities will adopt the strategy in their plans and a model planning policy for Colne Valley Regional Park and water courses are included in the strategy. The Denham Neighbourhood Plan had already adopted part of the strategy and there were ongoing discussions with Buckinghamshire councillors to link the strategy to the Buckinghamshire plan.

·         The team have produced good work in tackling a number of issues facing the Colne Valley including, rural urban fringe, landscape decline, dereliction, HS2 and Heathrow expansion.

·         A map of the Colne Valley regional park from 2018 was presented showing villages, small industrial estates and motorways. It was highlighted the map is now out of date and there is a concern for the future of the park regarding major developments and lack of clarity and vision for the greenbelt. Furthermore, discussions with MPs regarding the green belt is needed to engage with parliament on the issue.

The key projects the team had participated in were highlighted including the government green recovery challenge fund which gave young people not in work or education a six month placement to get them job ready. The Colne Valley was featured on Countryfile with the team advising on how they were tackling evasive species. Members were advised the organisation had small core funding, despite this every £1 invested by local authorities and corporate supporters the team delivered £14 worth of projects. Another project upcoming is focused conservation training for local young people. Finally, it was advised a multi-million pound application has been made to Highways England to support biodiversity in the Colne Valley corridor.

The Chairman advised the community board would support the Colne Valley and become a friend of the organisation. It was requested Stewart Pomeroy would follow up with the community board co-ordinator as to how the board could support the organisation.

A Member highlighted the importance of defending the greenbelt and asked if it was possible to extend the Chiltern valley ANOB area to Colne Park. It was confirmed that discussions were in progress with Natural England for this to happen. Another Member highlighted the Colne Valley was a vital asset for all community board areas and asked if the ANOB consultation was open to public engagement. This point will be looked into by the Colne Valley and there was a request for support from residents and politicians.

A Member reported the Colne Valley has taken a strain from HS2 and developments and advised many Buckinghamshire Council employees are unaware of the Colne Valley. There was a request for the Council to organise away days at the Colne Valley to raise awareness.