West Durham Coalfield Current Initiatives

Countryside Stewardship

The amount of land in Countryside Stewardship varies considerably across the area. Existing agreements are mostly for uplands, old meadows and pastures, waterside land, arable, arable margins, field boundaries and lowland heath. Countryside Stewardship was replaced by Environmental Stewardship in 2005. Existing agreements, which last for 10 years, will progressively expire. Some of these may be replaced by new agreements under Environmental Stewardship.

View Land Management Agreements Map

Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship incorporates a higher level scheme providing funding for restoration, creation and specialised management works and an entry level scheme to support positive management of environmental features. The scheme was introduced in 2005 and take up in the area has been modest to date due to the presence of existing Countryside Stewardship Agreements.  It is anticipated that while take up of the entry level scheme may be high in the area, higher level schemes may be limited in number.

Woodland Grand Scheme

A large number of the woodlands in the area are managed or planted under Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS) contracts.  Take-up is variable across the area and is indicative that in some parts of the landscape there is little active woodland management.

Great North Forest

The Great North Forest covers parts of the area in the north. Enhanced grant rates are available for woodland planting. Local Management Zone Strategies set out objectives for the local landscape. The Great North Forest Land Management Initiative (LMI) is investigating land management issues in the urban rural fringe.

The Mineral Valleys Project

The Minerals Valley Project covers much of the West Durham Coalfield. It contains a wide range of projects for the enhancement and interpretation of natural and cultural heritage in West Durham, and is managed by English Nature and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Urban and Rural Renaissance Initiative

The Urban and Rural Renaissance Initiative covers the West Durham Coalfield. It contains a programme of regeneration initiatives aimed at improving the both the local environment and local economy of settlements affected by the decline of traditional industries.

Local Environment Agency Plans

The area falls within the Local Environment Agency Plans for the Wear and Tyne catchments.Further Information

• West Durham Coalfield Strategy
• West Durham Coalfield Assets and Attributes
• West Durham Coalfield Trends and Pressures

For further information about Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship visit English Heritage‘s website. Information on the English Woodland Grant Scheme  can be found on the Forestry Commission website.