1.2 Managing the area

The Norfolk Coast Partnership consists of:

The Core Management Group: made up of Natural England and local authorities whose area overlaps with the AONB: Norfolk County Council, North Norfolk District Council, the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and the Broads Authority;

The Partner Forum: made up of all the Partners; and

The Staff Team: a small staff team of five people, who support the work of the Norfolk Coast Partnership, focussing on:

• Managing and co-ordinating the work of the Partnership;
• Monitoring progress with actions;
• Working on specific projects;
• Building a library of supporting information which adds to the understanding of the area;
• Encouraging community involvement;
• Administering the distribution of external funding for projects;
• Raising local and visitor awareness of the AONB and the activities of the Partnership; and
• Responding to external consultations on behalf of the Partnership.

A full list of the members of the Norfolk Coast Partnership is shown in the ‘Partner Commitment’ and more details of their roles in relation to the AONB is included in Supporting Information.

Core funding, and some project funding, is provided by the members of the Core Management Group.  In addition, external funding may be available to support specific projects.  Current external funding includes:

• The Sustainable Development Fund (SDF)

The Sustainable Development Fund is provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to enable local communities and other organisations to make a difference in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty by promoting and achieving sustainable development. The Government stated that ‘these schemes should focus on integrating the environment, local communities and the economy so that these unique areas are conserved and their natural beauty enhanced, making them more enjoyable for all’.

• The Norfolk Coast and Broads Rural Development Programme (RDP)

In 2008, a six year programme of Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) funding for a large area based on the Norfolk Coast AONB and the Broads was awarded by the East of England Development Agency following a bid led by Norfolk County Council and the Norfolk Rural Business Advice Service, and involving a wide partnership of organisations including many within the Norfolk Coast Partnership. The programme is to be delivered through a ‘bottom up’ approach (‘Leader’ style after the European programme of this name), with £3.8 million available over the six years, to be matched with local non-public sector funds. The vision for the programme is ‘to use the exceptionally high value environment and landscape as a catalyst to business and community development and growth’, with three cross-cutting themes - protection of biodiversity, preserving local distinctiveness and mitigation of climate change.
The programme will provide opportunities in the area to enhance the local economy and contribute to sustainable development and environmental care.

• Funding for removal of overhead power lines through local distribution network organisations

There is currently a five year (2005 to 2010) programme of funding available for removing overhead electricity lines in protected landscapes (AONBs and national parks) in the east and south east of England. This has been made available through the Government regulator, Ofgem, via EDF Energy.
In the Norfolk Coast, this has resulted in schemes at Burnham Thorpe and Holme-next-the-Sea being completed and one at Salthouse planned for 2009.
The scheme provides 100% of the funding required to remove the overhead wirescape, the sums involved being so large that it would be very unlikely this could be achieved otherwise. National negotiations are in progress for a second five year period of funding. It therefore represents a unique opportunity to enhance AONB landscapes by removal of overhead lines.

There are many other areas with statutory designations overlapping with or contained within the AONB. These are independent of the AONB designation, but reflect the richness of its natural beauty in terms of wildlife, architectural and archaeological interest and contribute to the protection and enhancement of these aspects of natural beauty.

The North Norfolk Heritage Coast, a section of the coast from Holme-next-the-Sea to Weybourne, was defined in an agreement between local authorities and the Countryside Commission in 1975, recognising this section of coastline as one of the finest stretches of undeveloped coast in England and Wales. 'Heritage Coast' is a non-statutory definition, although it is recognised within the statutory planning system. Management of the Heritage Coast is considered within the overall management of the area, as contained in this plan.

In a unique situation for the two national landscape designations, a small area of the eastern outlier of the AONB overlaps with the Broads, which is effectively a National Park. This was designated under the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act in 1988 since it is also part of the area with the distinctive character for which the Broads was designated.

In addition, the AONB encompasses a range of other designations and important features:

• 4 Ramsar Sites;
• 1 Biosphere Reserve (North Norfolk Coast);
• 7 Special Areas of Conservation;
• 4 Special Protection Areas;
• 6 National Nature Reserves;
• 28 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (ranging in size from less than 1ha to several thousand hectares);
• 1 Local Nature Reserve (Wiveton Downs);
• 85 County Wildlife Sites;
• 59 Scheduled Monuments;
• 6 Historic Parks and Gardens;
• 42 Conservation Areas;
• 36 registered commons (some with registered common rights); and
• Numerous listed buildings.

In addition to the overlap with the Broads in the eastern part of the AONB, there are two other partnerships with complementary objectives to those of the Norfolk Coast Partnership, whose geographical area overlaps the AONB:

• The Wash and North Norfolk Coast European Marine Site Management Scheme

A very large area covering marine and intertidal areas of the Wash and the Norfolk coast as far west as Weybourne, focusing on specific marine-related biodiversity ‘interest features’.
For further information see www.esfjc.co.uk/ems.htm

• The Wash Estuary Strategy Group

This has no clearly defined boundaries, unlike the AONB and the European Marine Site and covers the Wash and its surroundings, with a broad remit of landscape, biodiversity and people.
For further information see www.washestuary.org.uk

There are close links between these partnerships and the Norfolk Coast Partnership – many representatives sit on two or more of the partnerships and all co-operate closely to pursue joint interests and initiatives.

The relevant local authorities (Norfolk County Council, North Norfolk District Council, Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Broads Authority) have agreed that the Norfolk Coast Partnership should undertake the requirement of Section 89 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 on their behalf. This requires local authorities for all areas wholly or partly within the AONB ‘to act jointly to prepare and publish a plan which formulates their policy for the management of the AONB and for carrying out their functions in relation to it’. In practice, the plan extends to a much wider partnership of organisations.

This document is the second Management Plan produced by the Norfolk Coast Partnership for management of the Norfolk Coast AONB under the CRoW Act and builds on the previous 2004-9 Management Plan.

It has been developed through extensive consultation with local communities, organisations, interest groups and individuals. Details of the consultation process can be found in Supporting Information.  Thanks are due to the many people who have contributed to the preparation of this plan during public consultation and drafting.

Though the new version of the Management Plan has not ‘started from scratch’, as much of the 2004-9 Management Plan remains valid, the structure of the plan has been adapted with the intention of providing a clearer flow from the objective of designation of the AONBs through management issues, objectives and policies to actions over the five year lifetime of the plan, with more focus on structuring the plan as a working document, for use by, and of use to, partner and other organisations and individuals.

The Management Plan is the framework for all organisations with a role in management of the AONB and, in the new Management Plan, there is a sharper focus on how the organisations that make up the Norfolk Coast Partnership will use the Plan to help to conserve and enhance the area’s special qualities of natural beauty.

All Partners have worked together to produce and agree the contents of this Management Plan and are committed to its delivery.

Partners should continually measure their actions against the content of this plan, using it as a guide to the best interests of the area.

There are also many other plans, both statutory and non-statutory, ranging from local site management plans to international in their scope, which potentially affect the AONB or parts of it, either already in existence or in preparation. Almost all of these relate to management or enjoyment of aspects of its natural beauty or matters affecting it in some way. Many of these plans specifically refer to and recognise the AONB, those relating to the Town and Country Planning system being particularly important. Statutory powers available to partner organisations in AONB management play an important part in conserving and enhancing natural beauty.

It is intended that partners will ensure that broad objectives for the area, and the AONB Management Plan, are recognised in relevant plans they produce, and that they help to ensure these are also recognised in plans in which they have some influence. Conversely, the AONB Management Plan has been developed to maintain consistency with other relevant plans and initiatives that can help to meet its objectives, which are listed in the individual Theme sections.

The AONB Management Plan will not override or supersede these other plans, strategies and designations, or confer any additional powers on any organisations. All of the organisations involved will continue to have their own objectives, powers and limitations. What the AONB Management Plan does is to provide an agreement between organisations for how they will work together, towards agreed aims and objectives for the Norfolk Coast AONB. It also provides guidance for other organisations and individuals who wish to play their part in conserving and enhancing its natural beauty.