Decision

To approve the acceptance of the grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (Heritage Fund) for the Nature Ridge Landscape Connections pre-project planning grant of £250k. Approve the signing of the Terms and Conditions for accepting the grant by two senior legal representatives.

Reasons for the decision

The North Wessex Downs National Landscape (AONB) is a nationally designated landscape. Around 40% of it is within the area of Wiltshire Council. Wiltshire Council is a leading member of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape Partnership acting as the host authority and accountable body, employing the officer team that operates on behalf of the partners to help them fulfil their responsibilities under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The statutory duty of the NWDNL and its partners is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the North Wessex Downs. The Levelling -up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA), section 245, also strengthens the duty on public bodies, authorities and statutory undertakers to ‘seek to further’ the purposes of the National Landscapes. This requires active enhancement of natural beauty in decision-making and planning.

The Heritage Fund have launched a new strategic grant programme called Landscape Connections. £150 million pounds will be available to fund c 20 projects for 10 years in Protected Landscapes. Designed to support our most precious landscapes, facing immense challenges due to a changing climate, changes to agriculture and rapidly declining nature and biodiversity.

The Heritage Fund encouraged the North Wessex Downs National Landscape to submit an application for a Pre-Project Planning Grant under this programme, which has now been awarded. This grant is to provide resource to the NWDNL to do the initial thinking, explore project feasibility and draft the Development stage application that is usually carried out by the applicant at their own expense and time.

Initial project partners that will be key organisations in this application are the Chilterns National Landscape, the Ridgeway Partnership and National Trails UK. This pre-project planning phase will help develop and bring additional Partners and funding on board.

The pre-project planning phase will fund two main members of staff, a Project Development Manager (1FT) and a Project Development Support Officer (1 FTE), who will be based in the NWDNL team and employed through WC and provide funds for technical support and to commission initial surveys and data analysis.

If this phase is completed and it is decided to continue to apply for further funding in the Landscape Connections Programme, a Development bid worth up to a further £1m developing the Delivery bid will be submitted at the end of this pre-project planning phase. If the Delivery bid is successful, up to £10m of Heritage Fund money may be available for delivery over a further 8 years, plus any additional match funding that will be required.

The Heritage Fund have awarded the grant, however, to receive the grant two legal signatories authorised to sign on behalf of Wiltshire Council will need to approve and sign the Terms and Conditions. This is an unusual opportunity to have early scoping and 2 members of staff for a large project to be funded by the Heritage Fund. The Landscape Connections programme fits very well with the priorities set out in the 2 National Landscapes Management Plans and that of the Ridgeway National Trail.

I confirm that in making this decision I have considered the following in line with Wiltshire Council’s Constitution:

Key decision requirements: No

Views of relevant cabinet member(s), committee chairman, area board(s): Yes

Consultation with cabinet member(s), the Leader and Scrutiny (for Executive decisions taken under Emergency Powers): NA

Consultation in accordance with the council’s consultation guidance and the views emanating from that process: Yes

Implication of any council policy, initiative, strategy or procedure: Yes

Staffing, financial and legal implications: Yes, 2 temporary members of staff will be employed

The assessment of any associated risks in accordance with the Council’s risk management strategy: Yes

Involvement of appropriate statutory officers and/or corporate directors and directors: Corporate Director for Resources, Corporate Director for Place

Regional or national guidance from other bodies where relevant: Yes

The council’s constitution, including the Procurement and Contract Rules (Part 10) and the Financial Regulations and Procedure Rules (Part 9), all relevant guidance, legislation, codes of practice, and protocols: Yes

Alternative options considered

Not accepting this grant would be mean the loss of an opportunity to take forward this concept. The current team is very small and without additional resources that this grant will bring, this innovative approach and strategically vital project is highly unlikely to go ahead. Other grant sources have been considered, however this programme, delivers the level of support that will be required to deliver a vision of such scale and complexity.