The AONB who's who

The AONB Partnership

AONBs are distinctive landscapes of outstanding quality and value. They are designated in recognition of their national importance and to provide a mechanism to ensure their character and qualities are protected.  

Coordination is needed to conserve and enhance these nationally important landscape for future generations and local authorities, national agencies, conservation organisations, local communities and businesses all have a role to play.

These bodies have a wide variety of reasons to ensure the vitality of AONBs as living landscapes - a business may trade on being located in a beautiful place, residents may love an area because of the recreational enjoyment it provides, conservation organisations may aspire to protect particular habitats and species and local authorities will seek to ensure the local economy develops sustainably. To achieve action on the ground and ensure relevant policies and strategies are in place for the long term future, all AONBs have formed partnerships which bring together all with a stake in ensuring AONBs remain special.

The Arnside & Silverdale AONB Partnership is made up of our two district councils, two county councils and six parish councils, along with two national government agencies, four national or county conservation organisations, with other members representing local voluntary sector organisations, local businesses, landowning and farming interests, and community and interest groups. Representatives from these groups sit on the AONB Executive Committee which develops and guides delivery of a joint AONB Management Plan.

The AONB Team is employed on behalf of the Partnership to develop and drive forward the delivery of the Management Plan. The principal funding partners in 2010-11 were Natural England, South Lakeland District Council, Lancashire County Council, Lancaster City Council and Cumbria County Council. Lancaster City Council acts as the host authority for the AONB Team.

The AONB Management Plan

Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, South Lakeland District Council and Cumbria County Council are jointly responsible for preparing, publishing and reviewing the AONB Statutory Management Plan. The Management Plan has a five year life span and is published by the AONB Partnership on behalf of these four local authorities.

Fundamental to delivering the priorities set out in the AONB Management Plan, is the work of  the AONB Partnership and AONB Team which ensures a unity of action across the whole of the AONB. Action on the ground requires resources of time, effort and money. By working together in partnership within the AONB, the four local authorities access support and financial resources from Natural England, Defra and other organisations to support and develop work that delivers their statutory responsibility to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area.

 

 
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The AONB Team

The AONB Team works on behalf of the AONB Partnership to conserve our landscape for future generations. Our work aims to ensure the area is a valued, distinctive and living landscape, rich in wildlife and cultural heritage, and is supported by a vibrant rural economy and strong diverse local communities.

The four-strong AONB Team is based at the Old Station Building, Arnside, and develops and supports the implementation of the AONB Management Plan.

The AONB Team:

  • Takes action to conserve and enhance the landscape
  • Provides strategic direction and advice about management of the area
  • Secures funding and resources
  • Supports communities to enhance, celebrate or interpret the AONB
  • Influences planning decisions
  • Develops education resources and runs events
  • Facilitates research about the area
  • Runs an active volunteer programme
  • Provides information to promote understanding and enjoyment of the area
  • Works in partnership with others to achieve success

We can be contacted on 01524 761034 or at info@arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk.

 

Our work

The work of the AONB Unit is directed by its Business Plan which has been developed in response to the AONB Management Plan. The Business Plan allows us to measure our achievements against agreed targets and sets priorities for action in the short to medium term.

The AONB Team Business Plan aims to achieve four key outcomes:

  • An outstanding landscape rich in wildlife and cultural heritage
  • A thriving sustainable economy and vibrant communities
  • A strong connection between people and landscape
  • A dynamic and successful AONB Partnership

 

Why do we produce an Annual Review?

The Annual Review provides a retrospective account of the work carried out by the AONB Team to deliver local and national priorities for this nationally designated landscape. The Review provides a valuable overview of the work of the AONB Team and helps connect people to the work that is going on day in, day out to ensure the area's special qualities are protected, conserved and enhanced.

The Review provides an opportunity to showcase our work to a wide audience, give a clear record of our activities and demonstrate how public money has been spent in fulfilling the purpose of designation of the AONB. 

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The AONB Staff (from l to r: Tony Riden, Barbara Henneberry, Lucy Barron, David Askew)

National Climate Change Challenge workplace winners!
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Climate Week aimed to show how every part of society can help combat climate change. The AONB Team took part in the Challenge Competition on the 21st March and were announced winners of the 'workplace' category.

Over the course of seven days in March, Climate Week set out to inspire millions to act during the other 51 weeks in the year. The event this year gained the backing of the Prime Minister and leading figures such as Al Gore and Kofi Annan, as well as celebrities like Paul McCartney, Lily Cole and Michael Palin.

The week was kicked off by Britain’s biggest ever environmental competition, the Climate Week Challenge, with more than 130,000 office workers and school children signed up to take part. The challenge, revealed on the first morning of Climate Week, tasked teams to dream up new green ideas that can save or make money. More than 72,000 people including police, nurses, soldiers and scientists as well as school pupils, took part in the live version of the competition by simultaneously responding to the same task over the course of one intense day. The winning ideas, revealed on 4 April, were judged by a panel including stars such as singer KT Tunstall, TV presenter Ben Fogle and footballer Gary Neville, as well as experts from the Energy Saving Trust and the Met Office.

At the AONB a team of six including staff, volunteers and a work experience student sat down together on the morning of 21st March to rise to the time-limited Challenge. The AONB Team came up with the idea to work with the local farming and dairy community to develop a network of farm-based anaerobic digesters that could convert farm and food waste to produce biogas and fertilizer. The biogas would be collected with adapted milk tankers to reduce vehicle movements at farms and then be processed at dairy business sites. The methane gas would be sold to the National Grid. The unique selling point of the idea was that rather than releasing the residual carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the greenhouse gas could be combined with calcium from waste milk to create limestone (calcium carbonate) to fill in old lime stone quarries.

For further information on the Climate Week Challenge and Climate Week follow this link www.climateweek.com



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