RURAL VISION
A view of Bradford District’s rural
landscape and its public goods and
services. Workshop at the Rural
Conference, 21 October 2004
LAND WATER TREES
Mark Fisher
[email protected]
ACCESS
LAND
Access land
Moorland line
(250-300m)
Open
country
(mountain
, moor,
heath and
down) and
registered
common
land
www. countrysideaccess.gov.uk
Agricultural
Land
Classification
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
No arable or horticulture
Farming Less Favoured
Areas
Disadvantaged
Severely
Disadvantaged
•Dairy farming - only holding on in valley bottom
•Sheep and cattle – precarious viability on hillsides & moors
Average
Annual Rainfall
710-756
756-824
824-921
921-1083
1083-1344
Rainfall highest into the Pennine upland
Reservoirs &
Watercourses
Harden Beck
Reservoirs
Flood Risk Areas
North Beck
River Aire
River North
Bradford Beck
Clayton Beck
Landscape
Conservation
Areas
Special areas
of
conservation
Twite
Lapwing
Curlew
Owl
Sparrow hawk
Kestrel
Woodland Coverage
Woodland or
plantation
Flood risk
areas
< 5% woodland cover in Bradford District
Flooding risk in all riparian habitats
Sphagnum moss
Bog asphodel
Sundew
Heath orchid
Ragged Robin
Cranberry
Water mint
Greater birdsfoot
trefoil
Baildon Access Area
woodland & wildflowers
BAILDON
MOOR
BAILDON BANK
Broadstone wood
SHIPLEY GLEN
Loadpit Beck
Midgeley wood
Water wood
Trench wood
Baildon Moor - south
Bracken
Woodland
spreading in
from Mitton
Spring
Moorland grass
and sedge, with
some heather
and bilberry
Millstone grit guild
Birch, rowan, holly, gorse, broom, heather
Baildon Moor southern area - re-wooding the bracken areas
A
East side
C
B
B
A
D
C
West side
D
Baildon Moor re-wooding – action -plan
•Identify archaeological sites
•Survey soil depths
•Devise planting plan – birch, rowan, holly, hawthorn,
willow, broom, gorse – with some oak?
•Fence off areas or use individual tree guards? Check
whether commons registration affects ability to fenceoff
Workshop Feedback
ISSUES
1. The low tree cover in the District (4%) compared to the national average (10%)
2. The level of local information and promotion of open access areas in the District,
and guidance on the public's use of the land
3. Because of the nature of land use in the District, there needs to be recognition
that landowners as well as farmers need support for environmental management
of their land.
ACTIONS
1. Develop a view and strategy for the public goods and services of the rural
landscape of the District, exploring new woodland as a way in by considering the
examples of tree planting in riparian habitats for flood mitigation and for the
control of bracken on Baildon Moor.
2. Explore the potential of planning obligations as a means of raising funds in the
District for organisations such as Forest of Bradford to carry out tree planting
identified in action plans arising from the strategy.
3. Improve local information on open access by presenting feature walks on the
council's website (i.e. the reservoir walks on the Yorkshire Water website) and
accompany it with general information on open access and the Countryside Code.
Refresh and vary the Guided Walks program of the Countryside Service.