News, Events and Announcements

Managing a Masterpiece: The Stour Valley Landscape Partnership
Background
The Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project is working with Essex County Council’s Historic Environment Branch and Suffolk County Council’s Archaeology Service on a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Landscape Partnership Scheme.

If successful the scheme would implement 29 historic landscape projects that will involve professional and community groups. They include projects that will increase understanding of the Stour Valley such as oral histories, analysis of landscape art and primary research into navigation structures, historic houses and farm buildings.

Further projects include use of churches as interpretation and viewing centres, archaeological projects such as training digs and fieldwalking and projects to improve historic landscape assets such as meadows, field boundaries and riverside trees and creating new art work.

A Landscape Partnership Board has been set up consisting of funding partners and key stakeholders to oversee the scheme. A wider grouping, made up of over 100 individual and organisational stakeholders, have expressed an interest in developing and implementing the scheme and are known as the Partnership.

Stage 1 Submission
A stage 1 submission of Managing a Masterpiece: The Stour Valley Landscape Partnership was submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Landscape Partnership Programme for the 1 October 2007 deadline.

Managing a Masterpiece: The Stour Valley Landscape Partnership is proposed as a three year scheme costed at £1,271,803.01 made up of the following contributions:

Funding source Contribution
Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project 5,000.00
Local Authority Contributions (Essex and Suffolk Countys, Colchester and St Edmundsbury Boroughs, Babergh, Braintree and Tendring Districts)61,400.00
Grant applications to English Heritage for specific projects and Natural England contribution 99,000.00
In Kind Contributions (volunteer labour, professional support and use of facilities) 114,330.00
Heritage Lottery Fund 992,073.01

TOTAL SCHEME COSTS 1,271,803.01

HLF have six months to consider the stage 1 submission and will award a stage 1 pass if they consider the application meets their priorities and they have the available funding. Further development, with HLF development funding, to a stage 2 application then takes place.

Process from October 2007

Period/Time Stage/Event Activity
Oct 07 to
Apr 08 HLF consider stage 1 application HLF consider application and may award a stage 1 pass with a view to further development work to stage 2 application
Apr 08 to
Apr 09 Development stage If stage 1 pass awarded an appointed Scheme Manager will develop a stage 2 application
1 Apr 09 Stage 2 application Submission of stage 2 application
Apr 09 to
Aug 09 HLF consider Stage 2 application and decide to award pass or not
Nov 09 to
Oct 12 Implement-ation 3 year work programme
2013, 2018 and 2023 Monitoring and assessment of scheme

Programmes and Projects

Managing a Masterpiece: The Stour Valley Landscape Partnership is divided up into four programmes:

1. Understanding the Masterpiece: Landscape History (8 projects)
Documentary research, historic map analysis and place name analysis: Oral history recording, landscape art and photograph analysis: community vision for 21st century (land utilisation survey) and surveys of field boundaries, meadows and riverside trees: landscape character assessment: historic landscape character.

2. Understanding the Masterpiece: Archaeology and Built Heritage (7 projects)
Fieldwalking: palaeoenvironmental survey: historic farm building and historic house survey and management guidance: survey of navigation structures: archaeological projects (including community excavations) of medieval earthworks.

3. Conserving the Masterpiece (7 projects)
Archiving projects: management of painters’ views: historic environment training: conservation and access projects to medieval earthworks: Stour lighters project: conservation projects on navigation structures.

4. Celebrating the Masterpiece: Access and Interpretation (7 projects)
Churches as interpretation and view centres: guide to the Stour Valley: web based interpretation: increasing access not traffic (walk/cycle guides and hopper bus): interpretation projects (site based, mobile and web)

Further information: Simon Amstutz, Operations Manager
Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project
Tel: 01473 264263
Email: simon.amstutz@et.suffolkcc.gov.uk
Website: www.dedhamvalestourvalley.org

NEW CHAIRMAN
Charles Aldous has succeeded Simon Ward as Chairman with effect from 1st January 2008

He can be contacted at Ravensfield Farm, Bures, CO8 5DP Telephone 01787 227881

Stansted Expansion and New Flightpath Proposals.
I am sure most of you will have read with alarm the proposals for a second runway at Stansted. The proposal was always bound to be put forward by BAA regardless of whether or not there was a stronger case for another runway at Heathrow. Wherever is ultimately chosen it will blight the lives of those on the ground particularly those who live near the airport. Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) have started campaigning against this latest proposal and you should follow developments on their website.

If you are not already a Member of SSE, then you should be, unless of course you like aircraft noise and damaging the environment! SSE runs a very good ongoing campaign to try to limit expansion of Stansted and deserves support. Visit their website info@stopstanstedexpansion.com where you can contact them, or go to their website www.stopstanstedexpansion.com. The CSCA give financial support to SSE.

New flightpath proposals have been put forward by NATS and these can be most easily seen by going to the SSE website using the following link.
www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/nats_2008.html

BAA APPLIES FOR SECOND RUNWAY
BAA has submitted its proposals for a second runway.

Those of you who are Members of Stop Stansted Expansion will have received a letter from Peter Sanders, the Chairman, in which he makes the following assessment of the proposal "What is proposed goes beyond environmental vandalism and is tantamount to a declaration of war on the local community and environment".

The proposals would make Stansted larger than Heathrow. If you have driven along the M4 you will have no doubt counted as many as five, or more, aircraft coming in to land at anyone time, and of course the same number are also taking off.

A lot of the noise of aircraft, using Heathrow, is lost due to the traffic and the noise created by London. However, here in the countryside, the noise will never be lost and the environmental damage will be immense. You must register your views.

You can obtain a copy of the proposals by telephoning 01279 662800 and asking for a copy of the proposals or you can e-mail BAA at stanstedpublicaffairs@baa.com You may find it easier to go via the SSE link which is detailed below, and while you are about it why not ask for copies for your friends? There can be no better way of making BAA realise the opposition to their proposals than for them to have to spend thousands of pounds printing and posting out copies of their report!

You can also find out more by visiting the SSE website:



www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/second_runway.html