Creswell Crags Limestone Heritage Area - Management Action Plan

PROJECT SUMMARY

This project is to develop an innovative, integrated archaeological, palaeontological, ecological and access Management Action Plan for the main limestone vales and gorges within the Creswell Crags Limestone Heritage Area (the southern Magnesian Limestone Natural Area).

The Management Action Plan for the Heritage Area complements the programme of Site Specific work in progress to improve heritage management and access at Creswell Crags and work in Urban Areas at Creswell (Creswell Townscape Heritage Initiative scheme) and Bolsover (Bolsover CAP scheme).

The Management Action Plan forms the second stage of a three stage programme that will result in major improvements to cultural and natural heritage conservation and access across the southern Magnesian Limestone. The project will help translate into detailed action at local level the strategic landscape character programme.

The Management Action Plan responds to policies and actions set out in the Creswell Crags Conservation Plan (2001) and the Creswell Limestone Strategy (2000) which jointly form the first stage of this programme.

The key elements of the Management Action Plan are:

1. An outline archaeological/palaeontological sensitivity study that will:

Identification of research priorities and an action plan for their implementation

4. An intellectual, physical and visual access study that will:

   Identify and assess opportunities for consolidating and improving intellectual, physical and visual access to the Palaeolithic/Pleistocene and ecological resource for local people and for visitors, for recreational and formal education purposes including the potential for involving local people in management and interpretation

5. Production of integrated conservation statements and management action proposals for each of the Limestone Vales and gorges covering Pleistocene archaeology and palaeontology, landscape history, landscape character, ecology and access, including provision for appropriate physical, intellectual and visual access and for involving local people in management and interpretation

The first stage of the Management Action Plan comprises elements 1, 2, 4, and 5 above. It is hoped that element 3 (the ecological potentiality study) will be incorporated in a second phase of the ALSF programme.

The Management Action Plan project is being managed by Creswell Heritage Trust. Elements 1,2 and 5 are being delivered by ARCUS. Element 4 is being delivered by Creswell Heritage Trust in partnership with Groundwork Creswell.

The third stage of the programme will be the subject of a follow up bid to the Aggregates Levy and other potential funders following submission of the Management Action Plan Final Report in February 2004.

This third stage will comprise:

BACKGROUND

2.1 Landscape, Wildlife and Habitats

The Magnesian Limestone runs in a narrow belt from Nottingham up to the north east of England around Tynemouth. Local conditions in the northern part of the belt support a distinctly different range of plants and animals. For this reason English Nature recognise the section from Nottingham to north Yorkshire as a distinct 'natural area'. The Creswell Crags Heritage Area and Creswell Limestone Strategy Area cover the southern third of this area.

Magnesian Limestone is a relatively soft rock that has weathered easily to form a plateau with rounded hills and dry valleys, cut by a number of sharply defined vales and gorges with caves and crags. The steep valley sides with cliffs in association with narrow river corridors create a strong sense of visual confinement. Areas of unimproved pasture and grazing meadows, often with patches of wet grassland, are a recurring feature of the gorges.

The Landscape Character types identified by Derbyshire County Council Landscape Character Assessment of the area are

• Limestone Farmlands - "A gently rolling, and in places urbanised agricultural landscape, characterised by large-scale open farmland, estate woodlands, and small limestone villages".
• Limestone Gorges - "Incised river corridors, characterised by steep rocky cliffs, woodland and grazed meadow".

Due to intense exploitation areas of wildlife interest are largely restricted to oases of high species diversity associated with the limestone gorges and vales. Because of their relative scarcity and high quality, it is particularly important that these sites are protected.

Magnesian Limestone grassland is the most distinctive habitat type. It is a nationally scarce habitat and is listed on the EC Habitats and Species Directive (1992) as a habitat type of Community interest. It is one of only very few habitats in Britain which is so rare that almost all known examples warrant statutory protection through SSSI notification, though fragments remaining in the strategy area are unlikely to meet the current criteria for designation. The limestone vales and gorges are the main refuges.

The area also contains fine examples of semi-natural broadleaved woodlands recognised as being of national importance for their plants and animals. The only remnants of woodland typical of the Magnesian Limestone are those along the grips and crags exhibiting a rich mix of deciduous species and many yews, the latter being vulnerable to farmers who are fearful of poisoning stock. Examples include Langwith and Roseland woods near Scarcliffe and Pleasley Park.

Several of the limestone gorges that characterise the area are Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS), coinciding closely with the important Pleistocene sites, areas of rare Magnesian Limestone grassland and fine examples of semi-natural broadleaved woodlands.

The legacy of industry and mineral extraction has resulted in immature restored landscape features (e.g. pit tips) where reclamation schemes have been undertaken and large unreclaimed sites. These are either already valuable biodiversity nodes or have considerable potential for enhancement of their biodiversity value.

2.2 Palaeolithic/Pleistocene Archaeology and Palaeontology

The area contains seven sites associated with Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) material of which four are Scheduled Ancient Monuments. They represent a significant proportion of the Scheduled Ancient Monuments for the Old Stone Age in Britain. Other caves and rock shelter sites are known but are currently unexplored and add to the potential for discovering further Pleistocene sites.

Archaeological exploration of the area began in the mid 19^th century and continues today. Prominent archaeologists who have worked in the area include Boyd Dawkins, Armstrong, Garrod, McBurney, Roe, Campbell, Mellars and White. Key sites include Creswell Crags, Ash Tree Cave, Langwith Shelter, Dead Mans Cave, Lob Wells Rock Shelter and Thorpe Common rock shelter.

The finds and archives from these excavations are dispersed amongst a number of regional and national museums. The artefact assemblages from several of the caves have been assigned to the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic and the important faunal assemblages extend back to at least the Ipswichian interglacial.

2.3 The Modern Cultural and Organisational Landscape

The whole of the Heritage Landscape Area lies at the heart of the former coalfield and most communities have been affected by economic decline. Long term high quality conservation of the Ice Age scientific and educational resource is threatened by the continued poor economic, social and environmental conditions that many of the communities continue to face and by the poor understanding an appreciation of the distinctive culutral and natural heritage by local people and by decision makers.

These conditions affect external perceptions of the area, are a break on inward investment, encourage vandalism and neglect and provide conditions for inappropriate development and use. The high quality cultural and natural heritage is undervalued. There is the potential for the natural and cultural heritage to act as a catalyst for a new vision of the future of the area, creating a high quality sustainable natural and cultural environment and encouraging inward investment.

Strategic planning for conservation management, including Landscape Character, nature conservation, and natural and cultural heritage based regeneration is made difficult by the location of the Heritage Area on the boundaries of three County or Unitary Authority areas and the diversity of administrative units that result. Organisations such as the Groundwork and Heritage Trusts that work across these boundaries are of particular value in acting as catalysts for partnership working and strategic planning.

PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES

The significance of the area's environmental and cultural heritage resource is affected by a number of issues that provide a framework for action within the remit of the Aggregates Levy Scheme. These issues have been clearly identified in the Creswell Crags Conservation Plan and in the Creswell Limestone Strategy and provide a rationale for the various elements of the project.

3.1 General Purpose, Area and Outcomes

The project will develop an innovative, integrated archaeological, palaeontological, ecological and access Management Action Plan for the main limestone vales and gorges within the Creswell Crags Limestone Heritage Area (the southern Magnesian Limestone Natural Area).

The area covered by the Management Action Plan is identified on the attached plan. The main limestone vales and gorges are:

Roche Abbey Valley

Firbeck Valley

Anston Stones and Lindrick Vale

Red Hill Valley

Thorpe Common and Lob Wells Wood

Ash Tree Gorge

Markland and Holinhill Grips

Elmton and Whaley Valleys

Langwith Vale

Pleasley Vale

Creswell Crags

The most important output of the project is the Management Action Plan which will include clearly identified and costed, practical and achievable action proposals to improve conservation, management and access with respect to archaeology, palaeontology,ecology and landscape . As far as possible, the level of detail will include reference to specific land units or parcels (fields, woods etc) and compartments which reflect primary habitat types where these are significant within these land units or parcels.

An integral part of the project is the construction of a unified GIS for the area with respect to the project parameters, integrating the existing County GIS. The complex administrative boundaries and the lack of appropriate information currently limit the potential of the Landscape Character approach to provide a framework for strategic planning and management. Establishment of a unified GIS will be a significant step forward.

3.2 Project Elements

Develop a unified GIS for the Creswell Limestone Area

Outline archaeological/palaeontological sensitivity study:

Consolidation and stabilisation of the national collection and archive of archaeological and palaeontological material of the Palaeolithic/Pleistocene period from the Heritage Area (excluding Creswell Crags):

Identification of research priorities and an action plan for their implementation

Ecological potentiality study

Intellectual, physical and visual access study:

Production of integrated conservation statements and management action proposals

detailed Conservation Statements covering Pleistocene archaeology and palaeontology, landscape history, landscape character, ecology, landforms and access. These Conservation Statements should address significance, factors affecting significance, and proposals to conserve, enhance and manage significance.

Management Action Plans containing clearly identified and specified actions and activities with estimates of costs and timescales, and identification of appropriate implementation agencies.