NEWS local18 East anglian daily timEsMonday, June 29, 2015

Conference delegates were able to look back in time and get a unique glimpse of part of the Stour Valley as it was exactly 200 years ago.

Host Robert Erith welcomed guests to his Shrubs Farm, Lamarsh, home and invited them to view a painting in his drawing room that has immense personal value for him - and signifi-cant value to landscape historians.

The work - by artist I Harley and titled simply Sudbury - is thought to be precisely 200 years old.

It shows a vista of the valley from Ballingdon Hill, with the small town of Sudbury, including three of its churches, in the middle distance and Lavenham’s impressive St Peter and St Paul’s Church just visible near the skyline.

The painting was commissioned by Mr Erith’s great, great, great grandfa-ther, George Erith, who was Christened at Bures in 1778.

“He went to London to seek his fortune and had this painted, I suspect, to remind him of home when he was away,” said Mr Erith.

“We are trying to increase the extent of the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the west of Bures and I think it is interest-ing to see what part of that area looked like 200 years ago. 1815 is a very reasonable estimate as to when it was painted.

“The knoll from which the view was

painted is still there but it shows an area that is much more open than it is today,” he said.

Mr Erith added of the work: “I am very proud of it. It is lovely to have it and it is a great privilege.”

■■ Mr■Erith■and■his■wife■Sara■said■they■were■happy■to■welcome■parties■of■schoolchildren■to■Shrubs■Farm■for■educational■farm■and■garden■tours.■Local■primary■schools■had■already■made■visits■and■others■could■do■so■by■appointment.■Mr■and■Mrs■Erith■can■be■contacted■on■01787■227520.

Delegates’ brush with history

Treading a careful path through The future of the much-loved land-scapes of the Dedham Vale and the Stour Valley is in the balance - with balance being very much the opera-tive word.

Classic examples of English lowland countryside - as scenic today as they were when their rolling farm-lands, tranquil meadows, ancient woodlands and meandering water-courses beguiled artists such as Constable, Gainsborough and Munnings - the areas are revered by visitors and residents alike.

Their allure attracts millions of tourist-pounds to the economies of Suffolk and Essex, with the visitors’ crucial cash input supporting hundreds of tourism businesses and jobs. Picturesque historic villages offer enviable residential environ-ments for Vale and Valley locals.

Protecting the areas’ distinctive character while they absorb the thou-sands of tourists who annually flock in because of it is a question of balance - and achieving such equilib-rium was the key feature of a confer-ence last week that considered current and future issues in the areas.

The Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Stour Valley Forum Conference 2015 was titled Balancing Priorities in the Stour Valley.

Stunning pano-ramic views over gently undulating countryside from the relatively lofty heights of the conference venue - Robert and Sara Erith’s Shrubs Farm at Lamarsh - showed precisely why the land-scapes of the Vale and Valley are so firmly fixed in the affections of millions of admirers.

Conference speakers’ presenta-tions and delegates’ comments showed precisely how delicate the balancing act faced by the areas is likely to be.

The AONB and Stour Valley Project’s joint advisory committee chairman Nigel Chapman put it in a nutshell when he told delegates: “We want people to enjoy the area - but enjoy it without spoiling it.”

Tourism in the AONB was esti-mated to be worth £44million annu-ally to the local economy, he said.

“The local population will increase and we must ensure that the valley can cope. We want to maintain our thriving, living landscape while meeting the needs of conservation and ensuring that people and busi-nesses can prosper.

“There is a saying these days - ‘we are all in this together’ - and I believe that is true of our protected landscapes.”

Mr Chapman added: “The priori-ties in the Stour Valley are busi-nesses, the environment, residents and visitors. If we can sensibly some-how juggle all these apparently dispa-rate groups we could surely be said to

have achieved something.”AONB manager Simon Amstutz

said the newly appointed Government minister for environ-ment and rural affairs Rory Stewart was expected to consider the UK’s “fantastic landscapes” as important factors in building the economic recovery in Britain. “What we think we will see is that these areas will become to be seen as increasingly important to the wider society and that landscapes and biodiversity will be recognised, hopefully, as an impor-tant part of the economic recovery,”

he said.“There will be

development pres-sures and for us it has to be the right sort of develop-ment. Development can be accommodated in the Dedham Vale AONB and the Stour Valley but it needs to enhance what we already have here and not be to the detriment of what

we already have.”Visit Essex representative Mary

Tebje came up with a telling comment in her presentation on tourism in the area. Local distinctiveness was a current “buzzwords” phrase in the tourism industry and so Dedham Vale needed stand out and be perceived as “an AONB, not just A N Other” in a world that was becoming “increasingly homogenised”, she said.

She advocated visitors to the area being “slowed down” so that they could experience the area’s unique qualities, with businesses that were currently “not so visible” being brought into the “tourism spotlight”.

An innovative initiative designed to promote the distinctiveness of the Dedham Vale AONB and its Suffolk Coast and Heaths counterpart was launched at the conference.

In an EU-funded programme of activities for tourism businesses launched in March, almost 50 firms have taken part in events designed to demonstrate that landscape features can increase visitor enjoyment and encourage return business.

Known as Outstanding Landscapes, the programme is run by

both AONBs. Cathy Shelbourne, of the EU-funded Proximity Programme, launched an Outstanding Landscapes online quiz designed to equip tourism businesses with knowledge about the areas’ landscapes so that they can share it with visitors and guests.

Questions of a different sort were raised by conference delegates, however. In a question-and-answer session chaired by Mr Erith, dele-

gates raised issues that illustrated the delicacy of the balancing act that faces AONB and Stour Valley guardians.

Michael Archer, of the Dedham Vale Society, said the precious tran-quillity of the area was being disrupted by increasing levels of noise pollution from road vehicles, small planes and other powered aircraft.

The problem, he said, was the

“elephant in the room”. Mr Chapman agreed that “the A12 at least is getting noisier and it is something that is there 24 hours a day now.” He said he would be pursuing the matter to see if “engineering solutions” could help address the issue.

Sheila Beeton, of Dedham Parish Council, and Suffolk County Council member Sandy Martin both raised concerns over the increasing number of cars using the area’s roads. They

How to protect special landscapes while helping their communities to thrive and prosper can sometimes be a tricky question of balance. JOHN GRANT reports from a conference that faced up to the question

■■ Above,■the■painting■Sudbury■by■I■Harley■that■is■thought■to■be■200■years■old.■Below,■its■owner■and■conference■host■Robert■Erith■welcomes■delegates■to■Shrubs■Farm,■Lamarsh.

There is a saying these days - ’we are all in this together’ - and I believe that is true of our protected landscapes

Nigel■Chapman,■■Chairman,■Dedham■Vale■AONB■and■

Stour■Valley■Project■■joint■advisory■committee

local NEWS19East anglian daily timEs Monday, June 29, 2015

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issues facing our Vale and Valley

■■ Above,■speakers■at■the■Balancing■Priorities■in■the■Stour■Valley■conference■at■Shrubs■Farm,■Lamarsh■-■from■left,■Stour■Valley■Project■officer■Matt■Holden,■AONB■manager■Simon■Amstutz,■Mary■Tebje,■of■Visit■Essex,■Cathy■Shelbourne,■of■the■EU-funded■Proximity■Programme,■Ian■Williams.■of■Anglian■Adventures■Ltd,■AONB■and■Stour■Valley■Project■joint■advisory■committee■chairman■Nigel■Chapman,■and■conference■host■and■AONB■and■Stour■Valley■Partnership■chairman■Robert■Erith.■Left,■delegates■at■the■event.■ Photos:■SU■ANDERSON.

called for improvements in the area’s public transport, with Mr Martin suggesting there should be a “co-ordi-nated package” of measures that would “encourage people not to bring their car”.

Ken Jackson, of the Bures Transition Group, asked the panel of conference speakers what their views were on renewable energy installa-tions, such as wind and solar farms, in the AONB and the Stour Valley.

Mr Amstutz replied: “The AONB and the Stour Valley Project has a very clear position in that we under-stand the issues and we welcome renewable energy, but not of the scale that would impact adversely on the natural beauty and the special land-scapes we have here.

“We would not object to an applica-tion if it paid heed to what makes this area so special and was of a scale that was for local use - but it might be very

different if it was for industrial-scale production.”

After the conference session at Shrubs Farm, delegates explored some of the special qualities of the local area in field trips led by experts.

Some delegates studied woodland management at Shrubs Farm in a tour led by Mr Erith and Rob Brooks and Sam Chamberlin, of the Subury-based Eden Rose Coppice Trust.

Another group studied the history

of the Lodge Hills, Wormingford, area in a visit led by Ellie Mead and Jane crone, of Travels in Time Archaeology.

A third group took a trip on the River Stour on the Stour lighter John Constable, which was restored with a Heritage Lottery Fund grant as part of the recent Managing a Masterpiece Landscape Partnership Scheme. The trip took delegates from the Henny Swan to the River Stour Trust’s visi-

tor and education centre at Cornard.Other delegates stayed at Shrubs

Farm and took part in a workshop which was led by Mr Amstutz and studied how landscape issues can be incorporated into Neighbourhood Plans.

■ The Outstanding Landscapes quiz, and further information about AONBs and the Stour Valley, is accessible at www.dedhamvalestourvalley.org and www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org