Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2011 - 2016

Community & Economy

Visions

• Communities within the AONB that are viable, vibrant and increasingly selfsustaining,
where rural disadvantage is addressed, supported by a low carbon local economy which is resilient against negative global economic trends.

• Places which meet the needs of people and have their own distinctive identity that is celebrated and enhanced by local communities.

• High levels of community education, awareness and participation in the management of the landscapes and settlements of the AONB.

• A high quality AONB landscape which supports a range of rural industries and sustainable AONB businesses, who in turn strengthen the social, physical and cultural identity of the AONB landscape.

Background

Cornwall is unique, and the settlements within it are diverse, unusual and immensely
valued by visitors and local people alike. The population of the Cornwall AONB lives
entirely outside the main towns, within villages, hamlets and scattered farmsteads, dispersed
throughout the landscape.

Many of the communities within the AONB have their roots in the primary economic sectors of tin mining, agriculture and fishing, although the main economic activities within the AONB
are now tourism and retail2, both sectors which rely heavily and thrive upon the spectacular
landscape of the AONB and the visitors it attracts. The creative arts and food and drink sectors also thrive within the AONB, especially important as they help to promote and celebrate landscape and local distinctiveness.

The dynamic economic activity of AONB communities both past and present, creates the settlement patterns; field patterns, harbours, quays and public buildings; houses and road
networks that give the AONB a very individual, typically Cornish, sense of place. The rivers
and coastal ports and harbours of the AONB still provide a vital source of income for local
communities and the paraphernalia of inshore fisheries and recreational boating add to the rich and colourful character of the coast.

It will be essential for the protected landscape to play its part in ensuring the continued viability of small rural communities, providing sustainable jobs, local services such as schools, post offices and shops and decent, affordable housing for local people whilst maintaining high levels of health and well being.

The protected landscape must lead by example and show how this can be achieved whilst
also ensuring that necessary development is sensitive, enhancing the unique landscape upon which the economy of the whole of Cornwall and its rural communities depend.

2. 2001 Census Data: Office of National Statistics

Management Framework

• The high quality and attractive landscapes of the Cornwall AONB are central to giving Cornwall the edge in terms of competitiveness for a knowledge based economy

• The high quality landscape of the AONB attracts investment as a desirable place to live and work and as an essential part of the tourism industry

• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership will be a partnership between local
authorities and businesses and will play a key role in promoting local economic development

• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Forum is the economic arm of the Cornwall Strategic Partnership charged with delivering and monitoring the economic development priorities set out in the Economic Development Strategy for Cornwall, ‘Strategy and Action’

• The 2003 Rural Economic Strategy sets out a framework for sustainable rural economic
development

• The Rural Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Partnership aims to contribute to the development of a sustainable and enhanced rural economy and to assist in maintaining and enhancing the well-being of AONB rural communities

• VisitCornwall is the key delivery body responsible for the marketing and economic competitiveness of the tourism sector (see Sustainable Tourism)

• The Sustainable Communities Strategy was reviewed in 2010 to set out community needs and aspirations for the next 20 years and to provide a framework for public and private sector management to meet those goals

• Cornwall Council has created 19 Community Network Areas. These are managed clusters of Parishes which will join together to facilitate local decision making and delivery of services

• The Cornwall Rural Community Council (CRCC) is part of a network of 37 rural community councils across England, all sharing the aim of enhancing rural communities

• The Cornwall Association of Local Councils (CALC) is the membership body for parish and town councils in Cornwall

• The planning system has a role in creating healthy, vibrant places in which to live and work, with good quality, affordable housing

• Community Land Trusts provide a cost-effective, community based approach to the provision of small scale affordable housing

• The proposed upgrading of broadband speeds will bring new opportunities for local businesses in the AONB as well as enabling more flexible working practices

• Sensitive conversion of traditional buildings such as old barns and engine houses to workspaces can bring them back into economic use

• The Government’s response to the Taylor Review of the Rural Economy endorses all the
recommendations for live/work initiatives and second home ownership

• Community plans such as Parish Plans and Landscape and Village Design Statements have a key role in identifying key community issues as well as steering local level landscape conservation and enhancement

• The rural parish system could be used as a framework for the development of more sustainable ways to live and work

• Community health issues and the increasing cost of health care has focused attention on active lifestyles and highlighted the need for people to be more active

• In Cornwall there are three Local Action Groups (LAGs): Clay Country, East Cornwall and West Cornwall, administering RDPE grant funding for rural communities

• Volunteer Cornwall is dedicated to developing active and engaged citizens through volunteering

• There is a strong sense of community within the villages and hamlets of the Cornwall AONB demonstrated in the plethora of festivals, fairs and events which are held annually

• The Localism Bill currently going through parliament will bring sweeping changes to local
level decision making, placing more emphasis on community involvement and referendum,
neighbourhood planning and local decisions regarding development

Community & Economy Policies

CE1	Reinforce the link between a high quality landscape and a prosperous and sustainable, low carbon economy and develop a clear understanding within the Local Enterprise Partnership and among other decision makers and opinion formers of the true value of the AONB landscape to Cornwall’s economy
CE2	Support rural industries, businesses and local enterprises that contribute to the special local distinctiveness and landscape character of the AONB, such as local food and drink and the creative arts, via investment, sensitive marketing and appropriate farm diversification
CE3	Support communities to be self-sustaining in terms of infrastructure, food, services, employment, affordable housing and Green Infrastructure in the planning of smaller settlements within the AONB which respect the purposes of the AONB whilst ensuring climate change and economic resilience
CE4	Support live/work initiatives and the development of economic and employment facilities within AONB communities which respect and enhance local vernacular and settlement pattern and are supported by effective IT systems and Next Generation Broadband in order to promote a low carbon economy
CE5	Encourage community planning and Parish Plans within the AONB which raise awareness, promote a sense of ownership and meet the needs and aspirations of local communities in ways which strengthen local distinctiveness and sense of place
CE6	Develop best practice in voluntary and community led sustainability initiatives that enhance landscape and settlement character and address issues of rural disadvantage
CE7	Encourage and promote the full use of the AONB landscape for positive health benefits to communities within and outside the AONB
CE8	Support and promote community festivals, fairs and other events and initiatives which celebrate and enhance local distinctiveness and sense of place

Community & Economy Actions

A/CE1	Undertake an audit of the economic, social and environmental value of the AONB’s in Cornwall in conjunction with a wider ‘Valuing the Environment Study’ and use this to ensure that the economic value of the AONB is recognised within the future Economic Strategy and by the Local Enterprise Partnership – Cornwall Economic Forum, Cornwall Council Environment Service and Cornwall AONB Unit
A/CE2	Collate and highlight best practice examples of businesses which directly rely on landscape and strengthen local distinctiveness and landscape character – Cornwall Economic Forum and Cornwall AONB Unit
A/CE3	Input AONB and landscape objectives into the review of the Sustainable Communities Strategy – Cornwall AONB Unit
A/CE4	Establish an annual Cornwall AONB forum, involving Parish Councils and Community Network Areas – Cornwall AONB Unit and Cornwall Association of Local Councils
A/CE5	Develop a project to trial approaches to self sustaining and low carbon rural communities within the AONB, where local people can live and work affordably, supported by landscape goods and services and an integrated ‘total place’ approach to the delivery of public services – Rural Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Partnership
A/CE6	Develop training and skills in sustainable management practices for community volunteers and volunteer leaders within the Cornwall AONB – Cornwall AONB Unit
A/CE7	Develop a project to produce community lead, local level Parish Plans and Landscape/Village Design Statements for identified parishes within the AONB and embed within the Local Development Framework – Cornwall Council Planning and Regeneration and Cornwall Rural Communities Council
A/CE8	Improve links between the Cornwall AONB Partnership and the health sector so that the AONB can be better utilised for health benefits, targeting areas of health deprivation in and around the Cornwall AONB – Cornwall AONB Partnership and Cornwall AONB Unit

Further Information

Further information on condition, predicted trends, management framework and monitoring can be found in the web based appendices to this chapter http://www.cornwall-aonb.gov.uk/management-plan/further-communities-and-economy.html