The National Trust are about to begin Phase 1 of a project to encircle the plateau of Kinder with a fence. The whys and wherefores of this project are explained in this news article.
1. Why is putting fencing up necessary? Prior experience on Bleaklow and other sites in the Peak District has shown that restoration projects on this scale stand the greatest chance of success when stock is excluded from the area as this allows plants the opportunity to re-vegetate and flourish instead of being eaten by sheep before they have had the chance to establish. The Trust has a local policy that no major vegetation restoration work can take place unless sheep are excluded due to the cost of the work and the likelihood of failure if sheep are present.
Through discussions with Natural England, other partners and our tenants, the National Trust has considered various options for keeping Kinder Scout clear of stock during the restoration process including gathering in the sheep via shepherding each week or by erecting a fence around the site.
The outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in 2001 and the introduction of new stock movement legislation meant that weekly shepherding was no longer an option (new regulations enforced farms to stand still for 6 days every time stock arrives on the farm). Over the last 9 years the National Trust has endeavoured to find a way forward, working with Trading Standards, DEFRA and local farmers but this has proved to be very difficult. This is due to the nature of the legislation, land ownership boundaries and how sheep move across the moors. We have explored options including Kinder being excluded from the current legislation due to its national importance and unique problems. However, no compromise could be met.
Consequently, the National Trust has now reached the conclusion that the only way to ensure the successful restoration of Kinder Scout in the current environment is to put up temporary fencing, for a period of 15 years, until the revegetation is established. We are still exploring a solution on the fenceline across the plateau which may result in this fence not being needed. However, the proposed fence to the north would still be required.
2. Why is it the only option? The only real option other than fencing is through gathering in the sheep by weekly shepherding. However, the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in 2001 and the introduction of new stock movement legislation meant that weekly shepherding was no longer an option. Over the last 9 years the National Trust has endeavoured to find a way forward, working with Trading Standards, DEFRA and local farmers but this has proved to be very difficult. We have very recently proposed an alternative option to DEFRA which would mean that the proposed section of fence on the plateau would not be required but would be shepherded on a weekly basis.
3. Why are you doing this now? Previously restoration work on Kinder has been undertaken in a piecemeal way. However, the scale of the restoration task means that we need and now have the opportunity because of external funding to tackle it on a landscape scale. It is unlikely that this scale of external funding would be available again in the medium to long term. To give the restoration the greatest chance of success and ensure the best return for our investment, we need to ensure that all stock are removed.
4. How long will the fence be up? It will be a temporary fence and based on the experience of other successful projects will be in place for 15 years maximum. This timescale will be reviewed regularly depending on the success of the restoration work, which may result in the fence coming down earlier.
5. Won’t putting fencing up on Kinder compromise access and that’s what the National Trust is all about. The National Trust looks after places of natural beauty whilst providing public access to them. This is why we are committed to restoring Kinder Scout, not only for the landscape and wildlife benefits but also for people’s enjoyment of it now and in the future. Kinder is designate open access under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act and so access cannot be compromised. The purpose of our consultation exercise is to find out where people think that the fence line should go, where the access points should be and how far apart they should be. We are keen to ensure that we can care for and restore Kinder Scout for future generations while maintaining access for the many people who enjoy walking on it today.
6. Kinder is a National Nature Reserve in part for its wildlife value. Won’t the fence harm breeding birds on site? Kinder is an important site for key upland birds. Our experience form Bleaklow fence and other sites is that fencing is not a real problem for them. Also, the majority of the fence is positioned at the base of the plateau and so away from key breeding sites. The benefits of restoring the peatland habitats on Kinder will create a significant improvement in the conditions and sites for breeding birds, so that the work will infact enhance the site for wildlife.
7. How are you consulting with people? We held two public meetings on 15 December 2010 and 6 January 2011 where we explained the work and listened to the views of interested people. We will also be setting up a web page where people can submit comments and putting up displays around the area to explain the proposed work.
8. How are you consulting with farmers? We’ve met some individual farmers already, who the fence has the greatest impact on, to help us shape our thinking and we’ll be having another meeting in late November with the wider farming community in the area whose sheep presently stray onto Kinder. Depending on the ongoing discussion with DEFRA we may also want to discuss with them new shepherding arrangements for the eastern part of Kinder.
9. Who has helped to inform your decision? We’ve had discussions with the key partners including Natural England, United Utilities and the Peak District National Park Authority.
The access community have been helping shape our thinking via the Kinder and High Peak Advisory Committee. This committee which has representatives from the local Ramblers Association groups, the British Mountaineering Council, Sheffield Campaign for Access to Moorlands and Mountain Rescue, was set up when the National Trust first purchased Kinder in 1982 to help advise the Trust on management and access on Kinder. This committee, independently chaired, has made it clear that the Trust must try and find an alternative to the fence line proposed to cross the plateau, hence our ongoing discussion with DEFRA over the shepherding proposals for this section. They recognise the need for restoration and a temporary fence.
10. Why aren’t you consulting on if a fence is the right option? This has not been a decision that we’ve taken lightly. However, based on our discussions with partners and key stakeholders, the complex nature of the issues surrounding stock movement legislation, the piecemeal success that recent restoration on Kinder has had and the experience from other successful projects like the Bleaklow fence, we feel that a fence is the only viable option available to us to keep stock off Kinder.
11. What will you do if people cut the fence? We will re-instate it. Removing stock from Kinder is imperative for the success of the restoration project.
12. Kinder Scout is a precious landscape – won’t the Trust’s plans to put fencing up change the look of it? The impact will be minimised by placing the fence at the base of the plateau along the north and southern edges, so reducing any landscape impact on views and visual impact caused by a fence on a flat landscape. The western edge is already stock proof through existing walls and fences. The proposed fence line across the plateau on the eastern edge of Kinder is the most significant in terms of impact. Although a line can be found which should reduce the impact on the landscape, our preferred option would be to shepherd this section. The fenceline along the southern edge around Grindsbrook is on private land and being negotiated by Natural England. Existing enclosure fences on the plateau will be removed as part of this project and that process will benefit the landscape.
13. What will the fence be made of? Metal, with wooden access furniture. The fence will be single strands of plain wire which will be easy to repair, able to withstand damage from snow and be more livestock friendly.
14. Is all £2.5 million being spent on the fence? No, the fencing will cost less than £200,000. The remainder of the budget will be spent over 5 years on gully blocking, brash spreading and revegetation work. A Project Officer is being appointed to co-ordinate the work.
15. How many access points do you want to have? This is what we want the public’s views on – what would be reasonable access? We are committed to putting in access points at Rights of Way. We are also keen to hear if people thin there should be gates or stiles.
16. Why have you allowed Kinder to be over-grazed? Since the Trust acquired Kinder it has not been over-grazed. Infact we estimate there to be around 100 or so sheep on site at any one time. This number would however have a significant impact on the restoration work and once that has started and vegetation is growing again we know from experience that this will act as a beacon, attracting sheep from further afield. The damage to Kinder has been caused by a combination of historical over-grazing (pre 1980s), wildfires, industrial air pollution from the surrounding cities and damage caused by walkers.
17. Why have you allowed Kinder to be damaged by human trampling? Kinder has an estimated 100,000 visitors a year and the Pennine Way crosses the site. The site is also open access, dedicated by the Trust on purchase and more recently under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, therefore people have a right to walk anywhere. This significant pressure has resulted in major damage to the site. Most of this damage has been restored during the 1990s when a major footpath restoration project took place and again last year on Swine’s Back. However, the nature of Kinder means that people don’t just walk on the main paths, they cross the fragile peat soils to get to other parts of the plateau. This ongoing trampling continues to have an impact on the site.
18. Who is in support of the Trust’s plans? We have been advised and supported by the Kinder Advisory committee and will be consulting with local Parish Councils. The key local farmers are also in support. The proposals also have the support of key partners like Peak District National Park Authority, Natural England and United Utilities.
19. Won’t the fencing stop people being able to walk freely on Kinder? No, access will still be available through key points and this is what we are now undertaking consultation on – where do people think these access points should be and how far apart should they be?
20. Why is moorland restoration important for carbon storage? Peatlands are the single largest carbon reserve in the UK. With around 3 billion tonnes of carbon, more carbon is stored in UK peat than in the forests of Britain and France combined. Within the UK carbon inventory peatlands are considered a net sink, that is peat bogs have the potential to actively sequester carbon. However, a recent Nature paper, states alarming figures that 80% of UK soils carbon losses are derived from upland peat soils. We estimate all of the peatlands in England and Wales could absorb around 400,000 tonnes of carbon a year if in pristine condition but could emit up to 381,000 tonnes of carbon a year if they are damaged by wildfires or practices such as over-grazing, damage by fire or drainage.
For more information and to register your comments, please visit the National Trust website.
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