Norfolk Recreation Project – determining visitor patterns across Natura 2000 sites in Norfolk

Population Growth and Nature Conservation in Norfolk: A strategic geographical overview of recreational pressures and opportunities.

Why? Provide the context and information of the relationships between • Norfolk’s population growth, • planning for new housing • associated green space and recreation areas, • recreational activity, • increasing tourist numbers and • impacts on Natura 2000 sites in Norfolk.

Leading to An improved understanding and strategic overview within which the assessments and decisions on local plan development, housing site allocations, and the management and protection of Natura 2000 sites can be undertaken.

Aim To understand • current visitor levels across Natura 2000 sites in Norfolk, • what factors underlie the visitor patterns • how these may link to current and future housing across the county • any impact on the nature conservation interests of the sites.

SAC

Designated features

SPA

Designated features

North Norfolk Coast

Inland dunes, euthrophic lakes, dry heaths, dry grasslands Breckland Alkaline Fens, narrow mouthed whorl snail, Desmoulin's whorl snail Coastal lagoons, vegetation of stony banks, Mediterranean scrub, embryonic shifting dunes shifting North Norfolk dunes, fixed coastal dunes, humid dune slacks, otter Coast

Over-wintering birds, breeding birds

The Wash & North Norfolk Coast

Habitats, harbour seal, otter

The Wash

Over-wintering birds, breeding birds

Ouse Washes

Over-wintering birds, breeding birds

River Wensum

spined loach vegetated sea cliffs Barbastelle bat Water courses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation, white-clawed crayfish, Desmoulin's whorl snail, brook lamprey, bullhead.

Roydon Common & Dersingham Bog

wet heath, valley mire, dry heath

The Broads

Habitats, Desmoulin's whorl snail, fen orchid, Ramshorn snail, otter Broadland

Breckland Norfolk Valley Fens

Ouse Washes Overstrand Cliffs Paston Great Barn

Stone curlew, nightjar, woodlark

Breeding & overwintering birds

Breydon Water

Over-wintering birds

Great Yarmouth North Denes

Little Tern

Waveney & Little Ouse Valley Fens

Molinia meadows, calcareous fens, Desmoulin's whorl snail, Fixed dunes, humid dune slacks, embryonic shifting Winterton Horsey Dunes dunes, white dunes

How to choose sites • • • •

Relevant to European sites and their interest features Relevant to areas where housing growth likely to occur Focussed around locations with parking Locations where access and nature conservation interest coincide • Capturing a range of sites, interest, seasons and issues • Ensuring good geographic spread • Safe to survey and suitable to interview people

SAC

North Norfolk Coast

Designated features Inland dunes, euthrophic lakes, dry heaths, dry grasslands Alkaline Fens, narrow mouthed whorl snail, Desmoulin's whorl snail Coastal lagoons, vegetation of stony banks, Mediterranean scrub, embryonic shifting dunes shifting dunes, fixed coastal dunes, humid dune slacks, otter

The Wash & North Norfolk Coast

Habitats, harbour seal, otter

The Wash

spined loach vegetated sea cliffs Barbastelle bat Water courses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation, white-clawed crayfish, Desmoulin's whorl snail, brook lamprey, bullhead.

Ouse Washes

Breckland Norfolk Valley Fens

Ouse Washes Overstrand Cliffs Paston Great Barn

River Wensum Roydon Common & Dersingham Bog The Broads

wet heath, valley mire, dry heath Habitats, Desmoulin's whorl snail, fen orchid, Ramshorn snail, otter

Waveney & Little Ouse Valley Fens Winterton Horsey Dunes

Molinia meadows, calcareous fens, Desmoulin's whorl snail, Fixed dunes, humid dune slacks, embryonic shifting dunes, white dunes

SPA Breckland

North Norfolk Coast

Designated features Stone curlew, nightjar, woodlark

Over-wintering birds, breeding birds Over-wintering birds, breeding birds Over-wintering birds, breeding birds

Breeding & overwintering birds Over-wintering Breydon Water birds Broadland

Great Yarmouth North Denes Little Tern

Results so far • Spring & summer surveys 2015 completed.

• 26 sites surveyed.

• Interim report is for 18 survey points completed before July 7, 2015 • A total of 1155 groups were counted entering the sites at the 18 survey points.

• 602 interviews were conducted.

• Most common visit duration 1-2 hours.

• 31%were visiting the site for the first time • Apart from first-time visitors, the most commonly frequency of visit was 1-3 times per week • 9% of interviewees indicated they visited the location where interviewed daily.

• 81% of interviewees had arrived by car/van • At four of the survey points (Hickling, Strumpshaw, East Wretham and Buxton Heath) all the people interviewed had travelled by car/van.

• 23% indicated that they were aware of nature conservation designations of the interview location.

69% of interviewees were on a day trip or short visit from home and 29% were holiday makers.

Dog walking (35%) was the most common main activity

Cannock Chase Example of how data gathered from visitors surveys can be used.

Maps from Footprint Ecology

Home postcodes of visitors to Cannock Chase Map from Footprint Ecology.

Home postcodes used to define ‘zone of influence’.

Dark red circle is 15 km from Cannock Chase. 87% of visitors originated from within km buffer Taken from Footprint Ecology.

Proportion of home post codes can be assigned to each Local Authority area around Cannock Chase.

Taken from Footprint Ecology.

Increase (%) in visitors based on new housing New housing in the relevant core strategies assessed is estimated to generate an increase in visitor levels of at least 9% to the SAC. Map from Footprint Ecology

Mitigation & monitoring The impacts from recreation arise in-combination - the cumulative effects of development in many different locations, across different local authorities • Habitat management, • Access Management and Visitor Infrastructure, • Publicity, Education and Awareness.

• Provision of alternative sites away from the SAC, • Supported by monitoring and further research, to ensure that the measures are successful

Way forward • SAC partnership • MoU ‘to review, prepare and implement common plans and policies to protect and enhance the Cannock Chase SAC’ • Cost has been divided between the local authority areas in proportion to the number of homes proposed within 8km of the Cannock Chase SAC. • Developer contributions towards mitigation measures will be secured through the Community Infrastructure Levy

Exe Estuary, Dawlish Warren & Pebblebed Heaths

Map from Footprint Ecology

Map from Footprint Ecology

Map from Footprint Ecology

Based on visitor surveys & where new housing will be it can be determined within what zone developers should contribute to mitigation & monitoring programme.

Map from Footprint Ecology

Mitigation & monitoring • • • • • •

Habitat management Planning & off-site measures On-site access maangement Education & communication Enforcement Monitoring to ensure that the measures are successful

Way forward • New Joint Approach of the three LPAs in partnership to use financial contributions to deliver the required mitigation measures.

• Developer mitigation can be access management within the European sites, or provision of substantial alternative recreation locations to draw users away.

• Developers can provide own mitigation or pay contribution for residential.

• Other developments still need AA & mitigation.

Any questions?