r u r a lr e n a i s s a n c eT h e R e g i o n a l R u r a l R e c o v e r y P l a n

A p r i l 2 0 0 2

rural renaissance

ContentsPage

1 CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD 1

2 PROMOTING RURAL RECOVERY THROUGHPARTNERSHIP 2

3 INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAN 6OVERVIEW 6OBJECTIVES 6APPROACH 7DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT 7STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN 8

4 THE STRUCTURE, COMPETITIVENESSAND CHANGING NATURE OF THE RURALECONOMY 10THE NATURE OF RURAL ECONOMIES 10RURAL COMPETITIVENESS 11

Rural Business Competitiveness Barriers 11Rural ‘Place’ Competitiveness Barriers 11

THE CHANGING NATURE OF THE RURAL ECONOMY 13CONCLUSION 14

5 STATUS AND DEVELOPMENT OPTIONSFOR THE RURAL ECONOMY OF THENORTH WEST 16INTRODUCTION 16REGIONAL CONTEXT 16

Demographics 16GDP 16Labour Market Activity 17Employment 17Unemployment 17Earnings 17Education, Qualifications and Skills 17Land Use and Quality 18Land Designation 18

FMD IMPACT 19FMD POLICY RESPONSE 19PRIMARY RURAL ECONOMY ACTIVITY:

AGRICULTURE 19Status 19Economic Profile 20Risk Assessment 20Options 20

PRIMARY RURAL ECONOMY ACTIVITY: FORESTRY 22Status 22Economic Profile 23Risk Assessment 23Options 23

PRIMARY RURAL ECONOMY ACTIVITY:RECREATION AND TOURISM 23Status 23Economic Profile 24Risk Assessment 24Options 24

RURAL STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSESAND OPPORTUNITIES 25

Page

6 THE POLICY CONTEXT 26

INTRODUCTION 26THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP) 26NATIONAL POLICY INITIATIVES 26

UK Rural Policy Objectives 26Our Countryside: The Rural White Paper (RWP) 27The England Rural Development Plan (ERDP) 27Other Policy Initiatives 30Policy Commission on Farming and Food 30RDA Rural Development Research and Priorities 30

RECENT REGIONAL INITIATIVES 32The North West Regional Economic Strategy and RuralAction Plan 32The North West Food Strategy (RFS) 32Action for Sustainability 32Renewable Energy 34Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) 34NWDA and Rural Regeneration in theNorth West 34

7 THE RECOVERY STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN 36INTRODUCTION 36VISION 36STRATEGIC AIMS 36STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES 36STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND POLICY ACTIONS 37

SO1: Broadening the Economic Baseof Rural Areas 37

SO2: Renew & Strengthen SustainableRecreation and Tourism 38

SO3: Assisting the Restructuring of Agriculture 38SO4: Enhancing the Competitiveness and

Capability of Primary Agriculture 39SO5: Rural Skills Development 40SO6: Development and Promotion

of Countryside Products 40SO7: Sustaining the Environmental Inheritance 41SO8: Delivering Social and community

Regeneration 41SO9: Strategic Actions 42

RURAL RENAISSANCE ACTIONS AND RES THEMES 42

8 COSTS, FUNDING AND IMPACT 48INTRODUCTION 48COST AND FUNDING GAP 48

9 DELIVERY AND IMPLEMENTATIONARRANGEMENTS 58INTRODUCTION 58ORGANISATION AND DELIVERYARRANGEMENTS 58

The Strategy Body 59County Bodies 59County Delivery Vehicles 60NWDA Role 60

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 61The M&E Framework 61Implementing the M&E Framework 62Indicator Contribution Profiles 62Baseline/Monitoring Indicators 63Indicator Roles 71

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1. Chairman’s Foreword

The rural areas of the Northwest have been experiencing severe structural changes for some time. The outbreak

of Foot and Mouth Disease last year had a particularly devastating impact on the region and brought to a head

rather sooner than we first thought, the need for change in the countryside.

Thankfully, we are now over the immediate problems that the disease caused. However, the long-term

implications still need to be addressed. Agriculture and tourism, the mainstays of our rural areas have been badly

hit by the loss of farm income and of visitor income. These sectors will need considerable help over the coming

years to overcome the impacts and to reposition the sectors for the future. It is clear that we need to plan for the

future. Rural economies need to be rebuilt in a new way, returning to the status quo is not an option. Broadening

the base of the rural economy is critical to a prosperous future.

The Northwest Development Agency, working with regional partners, took the initiative to produce a draft

recovery plan in October 2001. Following consultation, the draft has now been reworked and sets out a clear

vision for the recovery of rural areas and the detailed costed actions required to achieve that vision. Within this

context, Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire are drawing up proposals for rural recovery at the county level and

this plan should therefore be read in conjunction with those three documents.

We have decided to call the plan Rural Renaissance. The title sums up what is now required for our rural

communities. This plan was produced only after a great deal of consultation throughout the region. We now look

forward to working together to deliver the renaissance of the rural economy of the Northwest.

Bryan Gray

Chairman

2 rural renaissance

Cheshire

Cheshire County Council and its partner organisations

that form the Cheshire Rural Recovery Task Force

have contributed to the Regional Rural Recovery

Action Plan. The Task Force has signed up to many

of the short, medium and long term actions that are

proposed by the Action Plan, with the understanding

that because of the enormity of the task ahead no one

organisation has the ability to deliver on its own. The

hope is that the partnership will continue into the future

to assist the medium to long term recovery.

For Cheshire, addressing the key issues arising from

rural recovery depends much on the support that can

be provided through national and regional agencies

and through partnership arrangements. To that end

Cheshire’s own Rural Recovery Action Plan will identify

actions that can be implemented through the strength

of local commitment and the support of the Regional

Rural Recovery Action Plan. The County is confident

that the range of regionally branded initiatives will be

translated into actions that will help the County to

address specific need and to provide aid to assist

recovery within Cheshire.

[]

David Rowlands

Deputy Leader, Cheshire County Council

Chair of Cheshire Rural Recovery Task Force

2. Promoting Rural Recoverythrough Partnership

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Cumbria

The Cumbria Foot and Mouth Task Force and its

Regeneration Sub Group keenly support the approach

taken by the Regional Rural Recovery Action Plan.

The Task Force recognises the importance of a strong

regional recovery plan to address the difficulties faced

by rural economies in the North West Region.

Because of the enormity of the task of enabling the

region’s rural economies to recover and renew, no

single organisation will be able to delivery recovery and

renewal on its own.

Cumbria is by far the worst affected county in this

current outbreak of Foot and Mouth, with 44% of the

cases, and its economy is facing a drop in GDP of

£270m as a direct result of the crisis, with 12,300

jobs at risk. As a result, the Task Force has

developed proposals for Cumbria to become a ‘Rural

Action Zone’, and are continuing to work closely with

NWDA to ensure that proposals for recovery at both

the regional and the sub regional level are

complementary and mutually reinforcing.

Cumbria recognises that to address the key rural

recovery issues support will be required from regional

and national agencies, and delivered through

partnership arrangements. Cumbria is now developing

the next steps of its Rural Action Zone proposals to

deliver the objectives of Rural Renaissance in Cumbria.

Rex Toft

Leader, Cumbria County Council

Chair of Cumbria Foot and Mouth Task Force

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Lancashire

Over recent months the North West Development

Agency (NWDA) has facilitated an extensive

consultation process with regional partners to devise a

Regional Rural Recovery Plan. The Lancashire Rural

Recovery Action Plan forms part of the Regional Plan

and is designed to show how the priorities for rural

recovery will be managed and delivered in Lancashire.

The production of the Action Plan coincides with the

creation of the Lancashire Rural Partnership. The

Lancashire Rural Partnership is a concerted attempt to

bring a much greater level of coherence and

coordination to the ways in which support for

communities and business in rural areas across

Lancashire is planned, managed and delivered.

It is important that any resources available are used

with maximum effectiveness and by involving and

working with agencies and other bodies operating in

the rural community, it seeks to promote a living and

working countryside for the benefit of all.

This is a real partnership between the public, private

and voluntary sectors. Over 80% of Lancashire is rural

providing home for more than a third of the population.

In the County there must be no urban/rural divide.

Each requires and depends upon the other. Through

the development of the Lancashire Rural Recovery

Action Plan the Partnership will be working to make

sure our rural businesses and communities get the

best help available and that funding is used in the best

way possible.

Tim Ormrod

Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Rural Affairs

Chair of Lancashire Foot and Mouth Task Force

Overview

This document updates the North West Rural

Recovery Plan (RRRP) that was launched in the

autumn of 2001. The update extends the content of

that document to reflect considerations about delivery,

implementation and monitoring and evaluation. It also

modifies funding elements and actions points in the

light of further discussions with partners and funding

agencies.

The Rural Renaissance Plan is to operate over a five

year time horizon, has been constructed through an

extensive consultation process and is designed to link

to the emerging proposals from the County Task

Forces in the three areas that were primarily affected

by the FMD epidemic1. Namely: Cheshire, Cumbria

and Lancashire.

Objectives

The primary objective of the Plan is that it acts as a

platform from which regional partners can help deliver

the sustainable development of the rural economy

within the region. Other objectives include:

• Identifying current barriers and restraints to the

recovery of rural areas;

• Identifying the key issues and drivers of change

and assessing their impact on major rural sectors

including agriculture, tourism, other rural

businesses and rural services;

• Identifying the key challenges in driving forward the

rural economy, building on existing strengths and

alleviating weaknesses;

• Identifying priority actions for the RDA to address

regionally, nationally and in Europe;

• Outlining a model for rural recovery highlighting

specific actions required for implementation and

timescales; and

• Providing a framework for:

•• NWDA and partner priorities,

•• an integrated approach to public and private

sector investment; and

•• securing UK and EU resources.

The emphasis of the Plan, and associated actions, is

in recovery beyond the restoration of the status quo

prior to the onset of FMD. The North West rural

economy has experienced substantial stress over the

course of the recent years. In addition to longer-term

decline in the agricultural sector, the impact of BSE

and associated downward pressures on farming

incomes had already combined to weaken the

economic foundations of rural areas before the

emergence of FMD in the early part of 200.

The movement away from agricultural support

structures due to trade liberalisation and EU

enlargement means that seeking a return to the

position prior to the recent epidemic would represent a

missed opportunity for both NWDA and partners to

adopt an integrated and coordinated response to the

structural trends that are likely to continue to impact on

the economic vibrancy of rural communities.

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3. Introduction to the Plan

1 Rural areas in the larger regional conurbations – Greater Manchester and Merseyside – are also to be supported through the plan but were not significantly affected by the FMD epidemic

and are not consequently preparing recovery plans.

Approach

Like the Regional Strategy, the Rural Renaissance is

the outcome of a detailed consultation process during

which open panel meetings were held at five locations

around the region to hear submissions from invited

speakers and interested parties2. A range of written

submissions were also received as part of the

consultation exercise. Both forms of presentation

have played a significant role in determining the shape

of the plan and partners have contributed further

through commentary on draft versions of this

document.

In this way, NWDA has acted as a facilitator for

regional bodies and organisations. Rural Renaissance

is not the plan of the NWDA, it is a plan organised and

coordinated on behalf of the region by the Agency.

The nature, content and breadth of actions contained

in later sections of the Plan reflect the proposals made

by partners according to their experience of

interventions most likely to reinvigorate the rural

economy within the region and indicates their desire to

align funding and activities to secure synergy through

improved rural development coordination.

As indicated in Figure 1, the Plan is a synthesis that

takes into account the evidence presented, the wider

strategic and policy frameworks, and a range of other

features.

Throughout the development process, care has been

taken to recognise the extent of variation in the nature

and scale of problems facing agriculture in different

parts of the region and attention has been paid to

securing actions that contribute to economic, social

and environmental sustainability. The Plan has been

subjected to an independent sustainability audit and

the resulting findings have helped to strengthen the

sustainability basis of proposals.

Development Context

The rural development context has been subject to

significant recent policy interventions. As indicated

elsewhere in the Plan, the current rural policy

framework at national level is enshrined within the

2000-2006 England Rural Development Plan (ERDP),

supplemented by the proposals contained within the

2000 Rural White Paper (RWP) and the overriding rural

and countryside policy objectives outlined by

Government in preparing the RWP.

Other structures of relevance include the UK

Biodiversity Action Plan and Sustainability Plan3, the

England Forestry Strategy, the English Tourism Council

Recovery Plan for Rural Tourism along with recent

reports/strategies from the Countryside Agency4, the

Hills Task Force5, the Better Regulation Task Force6,

the Association of National Park Authorities7, and

emerging reviews from the National Task Force and

the Policy Commission on Farming and Food.

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OralEvidence

Figure 1: The Recovery Plan Process

Rural WhitePaper

WrittenEvidence

UK/EUProgrammes

Task Forces Impact Study

Partners

NWDA

Contextual Analysis

Contextual Analysis

2 The Panel members comprised the Chairman of the Agency and other Board Members along with representatives from GONW, NWRA, the Countryside Agency and the Principal of

Myerscough Agricultural College. 3 The SSSI PSA target that 95% of SSSIs should be in a favourable condition by 2010 will be an additional important contributor to policy given the scale of environmental designations in

the North West.4 Strategy for Sustainable Land Management, June 2001.5 Report of the Task Force for the Hills, March 2001.6 Environmental Regulations and Farmers, November 2000.7 National Parks as Test-beds for Rural Revival, June 2001.

At regional level, the relevant policy context includes

the Regional Economic Strategy, Rural Action Plan,

Regional Food Strategy, Regional Renewable Energy

Strategy and Regional Planning Guidance. In addition,

each of the three affected counties in the region

(Cheshire, Cumbria and Lancashire) are currently in

the process of designing local recovery plans.

This range of policies creates a ‘congested canvas’

upon which to draw-up an additional set of proposed

interventions. The defining objective of this plan, on

the other hand, is to establish a set of actions that aim

to reinvigorate the rural economy of the region in the

medium to longer-term. FMD has accelerated the

need to undertake the planning exercise but has not

fundamentally altered the range of structural pressures

that have, and will continue to, impact(ed) on the

economic fabric of rural areas. Consequently, the Plan

focuses on options that are likely to support the

sustainable economic development of rural economies

as a priority.

One of the key strategic principles upon which the

Plan is based is that of subsidiarity. It is proposed that

implementation and delivery of actions should be

carried out at the lowest appropriate local level,

building upon the experience and knowledge already

gained by partners and taking advantage of the

investment already made in developing local strategic

partnerships and delivery mechanisms. Issues of

implementation and delivery will be subject to further

discussion with partners once the set of County Plans

have been finalised.

In this way, care has been taken to ensure that the

Plan will be judicious and efficient in its use of

resources. One manifestation of this approach is that

some proposed actions are similar in nature to existing

initiatives. This invariably reflects the ‘congestion’

referred to above but also reflects the fact that

significant incremental investment has already been

made in the design of structures targeted at promoting

recovery in rural areas. The Plan has been conceived

to strengthen and complement such initiatives rather

than supersede them, harnessing existing structures

to increase outcomes per unit of resource input.

Structure of the Plan

The remainder of the strategy continues as follows:

• section 4 examines the nature of rural economies,

the determinants of rural competitiveness and

drivers of change;

• section 5 provides an overview of the North West

regional and rural economy alongside consideration

of development options for primary rural activities

and a SWOT assessment;

• section 6 reviews the policy framework within

which the RRRAP is to operate;

• section 7 outlines a vision, strategic objectives and

a series of actions to support partner interventions;

• section 8 outlines envisaged costs, funding and

impacts; and

• section 9 outlines the envisaged implementation

arrangements.

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4. The Structure, Competitivenessand Changing Nature of theRural Economy

The Nature of Rural Economies

Rural areas play an important role in sustaining the

economic, social and environmental fabric of the UK.

As outlined in the November 2000 Rural White Paper8,

rural areas are important due to the fact that they9:

• Contain not only a substantial minority of the

nation’s population but maintain a wide diversity of

communities within which people live and work;

• Provide a base for economic activity that

contributes to the material wealth of local, regional

and national economies as well as helping to

sustain rural communities; and

• Contain landscapes and places of great beauty

and environmental value.

Rural areas can also be distinguished by a number of

other features, notably; the fact that:

• Relative sparsity of population and distance from

urban centres, often aggravated by limitations in

transport infrastructure, combine to:

•• Raise the costs of local public and private

service delivery;

•• Weaken the functioning of product and labour

markets;

•• Constrain the commercial benefits of ICT

infrastructure development, inhibiting

investment; and

•• Hinder the emergence of social and business

networks that operate to support and sustain

the development process via trading,

collaboration and learning;

• There tend to be fewer large employers (both in

terms of workforce size and turnover) in rural areas

and more micro-businesses and self-employment;

• Rural populations tend to be older as the young

population leave to seek opportunities that are not

available locally;

• There exists some variation in unemployment

experience - some rural districts exhibit below

average unemployment rates and vice versa; and

• There exist pockets of deprivation that are ‘invisible’

in terms of the standard deprivation indicators but

which present substantial community regeneration

challenge.

Rural areas also provide direct and clear evidence of

the interrelationship between economic activity and the

environment. The relative abundance and use of

open land not only results in production of a range of

primary products but produces a series of landscapes

and habitats with associated environmental and other

non-tangible benefits which generate significant

amenity value and attract large numbers of

commuters, leisure and recreation visitors and tourists.

One of the earliest and most salutary lessons of the

FMD epidemic has been to indicate the scale of the

economic activity that has grown to be supported by

the attraction of visitors to rural areas.

The environmental and amenity values generated

though the ‘working’ countryside have resulted in a

8 ‘Our Countryside: the future’, Cm 4909, November 2000.9 ‘Rural Economies’, Cabinet Office Performance and Information Unit (PIU), HMSO 2000.

situation where the by–product of that activity helps to

generate as much if not more ‘economic gain’ or

value–added than the original direct working of the

land. Yet, the primary industry necessary to sustain

the attractiveness of the rural environment – agriculture

– has been undergoing long-term structural decline.

This, added to the more recent pressures associated

with BSE and FMD, raises the spectre of a continued

reduction in the ‘core’ workforce, a range of land

management issues and potential deterioration in the

environmental infrastructure of the countryside.

Rural Competitiveness

The ultimate source of all economic growth and

prosperity is competitiveness or competitive

advantage. The difficulty for rural areas is that the very

nature of ‘rurality’ raises a number of inherent barriers

to improving local competitiveness.

Rural Business Competitiveness Barriers

The relative isolation of some rural businesses in terms

of formal/informal relationships with other businesses,

business development organisations, technology

transfer agencies, training suppliers colleges and HEIs

may contribute to the degradation of efficiency through

failure to adopt best practice, failure to undertake

capital investment and failure to upgrade management

and employee/operator skills.

In addition, small rural businesses are subject to the

pressures that limit small firms everywhere from

undertaking research and development, training,

business planning and other development actions.

Maintaining and/or improving the competitiveness of

rural businesses is, thereby, likely to require relatively

more intensive business support, guidance and

training than is the case in urban areas.

Rural ‘Place’ Competitiveness Barriers

• Physical infrastructure capacity:

•• Transport infrastructure:

■ Is invariably a constraint in rural areas resulting

in reduced accessibility and higher access

costs, impacting on margins and potentially

deterring some forms of relocation/inward

investment;

■ Rural areas are rarely well served by rail

infrastructure with very limited freight options

and rural bus services are typically

insufficiently comprehensive to sustain much

commuting activity;

■ The private vehicle remains the ultimate, and

frequently only, source of effective and

efficient transport for many rural residents.

•• Sites & premises:

■ Rural areas may struggle to provide sufficient

floorspace to facilitate the efficient functioning

of rural commercial property markets;

■ New additions to stock may, in certain areas,

be constrained through the planning process

and options for speculative development can

be limited.

•• Residential accommodation:

■ Accommodation for commuters, added to

the tendency towards second home

ownership and holiday letting, risks limiting

availability of affordable housing to the local

population, compromising labour supply for

‘local’ business.

•• ICT capacity:

■ Mobile communications may be limited and

the costs of delivering wideband internet

access too prohibitive to encourage private

sector development, inhibiting e-commerce.

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• Economic and financial infrastructure capacity:

•• Labour supply:

■ Businesses in rural areas may face problems

in targeting and attracting suitable candidates

for employment. Population dispersion

significantly raises hiring costs through the

necessity to advertise opportunities in a

variety of mediums.

•• Education:

■ Provides one of the few areas of overall rural

competitive standing though there is inevitable

pressure on viability as larger numbers of

schools are required to ensure accessibility to

dispersed populations.

•• Workforce skills:

■ Whether better school performance is offset

by out-migration is unclear as is the extent to

which individuals in rural areas continue to

pursue lifelong learning;

■ The prevalence of small firms in rural areas,

and network isolation, may result in more

limited workforce development.

•• Access to capital:

■ The ability of growth orientated rural

enterprises to access capital for growth, and

the ability of rural entrepreneurs to secure

venture finance, are important determinants of

rural competitiveness. Both of these areas

have provided difficulties in the past;

■ Financial services have consolidated in

market towns or urban areas, which lowers

‘connectivity’, and some evidence exists that

distance between investor and borrower is a

factor in determining the allocation of venture

capital funds in SMEs.

• Connectivity’ capacity:

•• Strategic location:

■ Rural areas generally suffer from a lack of

geographical concentration of the activities

that serve different industries, improving

efficiency and raising competitiveness. The

nearest equivalent is market towns though

the scale of such agglomeration is lower.

•• Local market demand:

■ Many firms will locate near to

population/business centres to benefit from

scale economies. Rural areas will not

typically possess the required

population/business densities in the light of

additional transport costs;

■ Rural areas may have difficulty in sustaining

cluster activity since access to large markets

will be a primary determinant for the cluster

‘core’ though the location of specific large

research and/or government funded

institutions can provide an initial spur to

cluster development in more peripheral areas.

•• Network infrastructure:

■ Potentially weaker ‘network relationships’

between businesses, business support

organisations (including training) and public

agencies, allied to the increased costs of

service support delivery, may raise

considerable ‘network’ challenges in rural

areas.

•• Local resource capacity:

■ Some communities may be too dispersed

and the dynamics of change may have been

such as to undermine local resource capacity

or social capital, requiring capacity building

investment;

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■ The concept of the rural ‘idyll’ is replete with

the notion of cultural capital10 but the

dynamics of change may have been such

that much in the way of cultural capital has

been depleted;

■ Rural areas contain significant natural

environment capital11 and, if combined with

an appropriate built environment, such

competitiveness can reap rewards in terms of

‘export’ earnings through the attraction of

visitors.

The Changing Nature of The Rural Economy

Like many other sections of the economy, rural areas

have been subjected to a series of pressures that

have been responsible for driving the process of

change.

• Economic Drivers

•• There has been a steady tendency for average

farm size to increase for a number of decades

and evidence suggests that there no reason to

expect this pattern to change;

•• Larger farms can be expected to continue

expanding in size through purchase, leasing or

other contractual arrangements with many

smaller farms breaking up into smaller units

operated by owners with other sources of

income;

•• Movements in exchange rates, trade

liberalization, downward pressure on world crop

prices and more extensive bureaucracy have all

compromised the rewards from agriculture;

•• Rising disposable incomes have refocused

concern about food from quantity to quality with

much greater emphasis on choice,

convenience and safety;

•• Rising affluence and changing leisure tastes

have reduced emphasis on the countryside as

a resource for production and increased

emphasis on its potential for ‘consumption’ in

terms of residency, leisure and recreation;

•• Concerns have emerged that policy structures

were not only contributing to overproduction

with consequences for woodland, hedgerow

and habitat loss but were consuming excessive

resources on subsidies;

•• The growing desirability of the rural environment

has encouraged relocation of businesses to

rural areas and opened up opportunities for

new industry, weakening the general

presumption that land-based activities are the

only appropriate form of economic activity;

•• Rural areas have been gaining population as

people have moved out from larger towns and

cities creating development pressures and

resulting in more extensive ‘contesting’ of

countryside management and development;

• Social Drivers

•• Most social drivers (such as increasing mobility,

ageing populations, changing household

structures) have an important long-run impact

on employment patterns and economic activity;

•• The continued change in gender activity

patterns with the rise of the female workforce

and the increasing participation of women in

paid employment in contrast to declining male

activity in older age groups is an important

consideration of rural areas;

•• Other social considerations reflect:

■ Declining farmer numbers and increasing

isolation;

10 The history, traditions, customs, language, music and art of an area that combine to form a common background linking together businesses, workers and public agencies to support

the basis of local development11 Environmental capital includes both natural environment capital (such as landscape and climate) and built environment capital (historic buildings, physical and tourist infrastructure).

■ Potential large numbers of farmers

approaching retirement without identified

successors;

■ Increasing personal stress within the farming

and wider agricultural community;

■ Loss of the ‘young’ through out-migration;

■ Public transport pressure and service

detioration;

■ Affordable rural housing and social mix;

• Institutional Drivers

•• A range of important institutional drivers exist in

the form of:

■ Growing centralisation of public and private

services (shops, post offices, schools,

hospitals, GPs) away from rural areas;

■ The centralisation of processing and

marketing of primary agricultural products.

■ The additional costs of service delivery in rural

areas.

• Environmental Drivers

•• There has been a significant increase in

concern for the environment as well as a

broadening of what constitutes the

environment;

•• The landscape, wildlife and wilderness ‘values’

of many rural areas has grown substantially;

•• There has been growing concern that policies

of agricultural intensification were linked to the

declining safety of the environment and of

agricultural produce

• Policy Drivers

•• The increasing role of supra-national regulatory

bodies such as the EU and the WTO has

tended to diminish the scope for local control of

markets and management;

•• EU enlargement and trade liberalization is likely

to impact on the structure of CAP;

•• European Species Directive;

•• Policy Commission of Farming and Food.

Conclusion

Rural economies maintain a wide diversity of living,

working communities, provide a base for a range of

trade and industry and contain landscapes of

significant environmental value.

Such economies face a number of barriers, however,

that combine in differing degrees across different areas

to constrain rural development and improved

competitiveness. Some of these factors are similar to

those typically found in urban contexts but many are

compounded by sparsity and distance from

population/business centres which weaken the

functioning of product and labour markets, hinder the

emergence of business networks that support and

sustain the development process and raise the costs

of public and private service delivery.

More particularly, rural economies have increasingly

become subject to pressures that are fundamentally

altering the profile of rural areas. Foremost among

these is the fact that the primary industry that indirectly

sustains the attractiveness of the rural environment has

been undergoing long-term structural decline,

accelerated by BSE and FMD.

Maintaining agricultural land-use is an imperative, both

for long-term protection of an essential resource and

for management of an environment and landscape

character with consequent effects on the

attractiveness of the countryside to mobile labour,

potential investors and visitors. However, over the

course of the next decade significant changes are

likely to emerge from trade liberalisation, expansion of

the EU and reform of CAP. It is likely that downward

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pressure on farm incomes will continue and that the

sector will continue to consolidate.

With reducing income from traditional farming and

declining levels of succession, those wishing to retain

involvement in agriculture will find it necessary to

generate income from a broader and diversified range

of activities both within and beyond agriculture.

Moreover, while agriculture and the primary industries

provide an important backbone of the rural economy,

significantly greater value added and wealth is created

by other sectors of the rural economy and it remains

the case that rural areas are less diversified than their

urban counterparts.

Broadening and extending the economic base of rural

areas and ensuring that such emerging opportunities

are both available and accessible will be a key element

in ensuring the capacity to adapt of the rural economy

and are primary considerations in the Rural

Renaissance Plan.

As the PIU (PIU 2000) point out, "These trends impact

on different parts of rural England in different ways.

But, taken together, they amount to a fundamental

change in views of what the countryside is for and in

principles and priorities for public policy on rural issues,

as well as in the pattern of social and economic life in

rural areas"12 .

rural renaissance 15

12 ‘Rural Economies’, Cabinet Office Performance and Information Unit, 2000

Introduction

This section of the document reviews the profile of

both the rural and the wider economies of the

Northwest and considers options for potential

development. Statistical analysis of rural areas is

hampered by the absence of an agreed definition of

‘rurality’ but the profile demonstrates a number of

features of the rural economy that are important in the

development of the Rural Renaissance Plan. Some of

the material contained in the section is taken from the

analyses undertaken by the Regional Planning Group

(RPG), in conjunction with partners, in preparation for

the ERDP.

Regional Context

Demographics

• The North West region supports a population of

6.9m persons13, some 14% of the England total,

within an area of 14,165km2.

•• Close to 58% of residents live in the

conurbations of Greater Manchester and

Merseyside with a significant proportion of the

remainder living in the industrial towns of Central

and East Lancashire and in North Cheshire;

•• Carlisle, Lancaster, Preston, Bolton, Stockport

and Chester are major centres for retailing,

leisure, culture and tourism and a relatively large

number of market and rural towns exist in

Cumbria and North Lancashire, despite the

absence of large centres of population.

•• Age profiles broadly mirrors the national picture

though older profiles exist in some parts of the

region, particularly in coastal resorts and parts

of the Lake District.

GDP

• Estimates of regional GDP for 199914 indicate a

North West figure of £77.6bn, just under 10% of

the England total,

•• The 1999 GDP share is some 92% of that for

1989 indicating a decline in competitiveness

compared to other parts of the UK.

•• Per-capita GDP is lower than all other regions

of the UK with the exception of the North East,

Wales and Northern Ireland.

•• Manufacturing contributes 24% of regional GDP

and remains much more concentrated within

the region than elsewhere. Other business

services and wholesale and retail distribution

account for another 18% and 13% respectively.

•• Agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing

account for just 0.9% of GDP.

•• Greater Manchester is the primary generator of

GDP within the region, accounting for some

38% of the regional total in contrast to 19% in

Lancashire and Cheshire, 16% in Merseyside

and 8% in Cumbria15.

•• Comparison of GDP distributions over the

course of the 1990s indicates that Cheshire

has experienced most significant relative gain,

followed by Greater Manchester, but that the

other areas have all lost ground.

rural renaissance16

5. Status and DevelopmentOptions for the RuralEconomy of the Northwest

13 OPCS Mid 2000 population estimates.14 Residence based.15 County Totals are for 1998.

•• Data on GDP per capita demonstrates that only

Cheshire fares better that the UK average with

all other areas lying at least 10% or more

behind.

•• Cumbria contains the second highest per

capita GDP index value but this has declined

by 10% from 1993 when county GDP was

marginally higher than the UK average. Other

parts of the region have experienced declines

of between 4% and 7% with the exception of

Cheshire where per capita GDP has increased

by just less than 1% over the same period.

Labour Market Activity

• Activity rates and employment rates are lower in

the North West than GB.

•• Activity rates within the region vary from 70% in

Merseyside to 76.4% in Greater Manchester,

77.6% in Cumbria, 79.5% in Lancashire and

79.8% in Cheshire and there exists significant

activity rate variation sub-regionally.

•• Employment rates within the region vary from

63.6% in Merseyside to 71.1% in Greater

Manchester, 73.0% in Cumbria, 75.2% in

Lancashire and 77.1% in Cheshire.

Employment

• The service sector accounts for around 70% of

total employment16 in the region, is least

concentrated in Cumbria and Lancashire where

manufacturing is more dominant and most

concentrated in Merseyside (primarily due to public

sector services), Greater Manchester and

Cheshire.

•• Agriculture and extraction activities account for

less than 1% of employment, are most

prominent in Cumbria where they account for

just under 3% of total employment, close to

double that in Lancashire and Cheshire. Such

activity represents less than 0.5% of

employment in the two conurbations17.

•• Close to a fifth working population in the

region’s rural areas are self-employed,

significantly higher than the overall national

average and primarily the result of the level of

agriculture and tourism related activities with

their reliance on part-time, seasonal work.

Unemployment

• Seasonally adjusted claimant unemployment in the

Region, at mid 2001 stands at 3.7% in contrast to

3.0% for England and 3.2% for the UK.

•• Male unemployment lies at 5.4% compared to

4.2% for England and 4.5% for the UK;

•• Female unemployment lies at 1.8% compared

to 1.6% for England and 1.7% for the UK;

•• June 2001 claimant count unemployment rates

for counties stand at 1.8% for Cheshire, 3.2%

for Cumbria, 3.4% for Greater Manchester,

2.8% for Lancashire and 6.6% for Merseyside.

Earnings

• Average earnings in the Region are below the

national average – average gross weekly earnings

for mid 2000 are reported at £385.70 in contrast

to £416.30 for England and £410.60 for GB;

• Average weekly earnings are highest in Cheshire

(£404.80), followed by Greater Manchester

(£386.80), Merseyside (£385.30), Lancashire

(382.30) and Cumbria (£371.70)

Education, Qualifications and Skills

• The skill profile of the region shows significant

under-performance at the lower end of the skills

spectrum;

• Large numbers of working-age residents are

rural renaissance 17

16 ABS 199817 Such activities can, however, be significantly more important at lower spatial scales eg Parishes.

devoid of any documented skills or qualifications

with little evidence of a learning culture;

• It is clear from the school league tables that

schools based in rural areas, or with predominantly

rural catchment areas, outperform their urban

counterparts both at GCSE and ‘A’ level.

• The urban/rural divide is confirmed by analysis of

the Basic Skills Survey conducted by the Basic

Skills Agency.

Land Use and Quality

• Approximately 80% of land in the region is

designated as agricultural, 12% is designated as

non-agricultural and 8% defined as urban.

•• The primary agricultural areas are in Cumbria,

Lancashire and Cheshire where agriculture

accounts for 88%, 84% and 83% of land use,

though it also accounts for around 40% of land

use in Manchester and Merseyside. The

quality of such land is, however, highly

variable18,19.

•• Despite the prominence of agriculture, Cumbria

contains a smaller proportion of grade 1 and 2

quality land than do all other parts of the region,

including Manchester and Merseyside.

•• Cumbria also contains by far the highest

proportion of grade 5 land (45% of the

agricultural total in the county) though

proportions of grades 3 and 4 are broadly

comparable with Lancashire. Almost 60% of

Cheshire (and 72% of agricultural land) is

graded at level 3.

Land Designation:

•• The bulk of Cumbria and parts of Lancashire

are designated as Less Favoured Areas (LFAs),

the majority of which are classified as severely

disadvantaged (SDAs):

•• Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in the

Region include the Lake District, and parts of

The North Peak, the South West Peak and the

Pennine Dales20,21;

•• The North West contains three National Parks

(the Lake District National Park, parts of the

Yorkshire Dales National Park and the north-

west fringe of the Peak District National Park)

covering some 18% of the Region’s land area.

•• A further 11% are designated as Areas of

Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB - Solway

Coast, North Pennines Arnside and Silverdale

Forest of Bowland)

•• The coastline has one site of 22.8km2

designated as Heritage Coast (St Bees in

Cumbria).

•• The Region also contains nationally and

internationally important nature conservation

sites22;

■ 15 RAMSAR sites,

■ 15 Special Protection Areas (SPA) (some

cross border),

■ 38 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC),

■ 438 Sites/266,883ha of Special Scientific

Interest (SSSIs) and

■ 31/15,854ha National Nature Reserves

(NNRs).

•• proposals exist to seek World Heritage Site

status for the Lake District National Park.

rural renaissance18

18 Agricultural land is graded according to the degree to which its physical and chemical characteristics impose long-term limitations on agricultural use. The main physical factors which

are taken into account are climate (particularly rainfall, transpiration, temperature and exposure), relief (particularly slope) and soil (particularly depth, texture, structure, stoniness and

available water capacity).19 The Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) system assigns land into five grades with quality ranging from Grade 1 (the most versatile) to 5 (the least versatile)20 The ESA Scheme is an agri-environment measure designed to protect and enhance the environment by offering payments to landowners and occupiers in these areas to adopt

environmentally beneficial agricultural practices. Land outside the ESA boundaries is eligible for the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, a separate agri-environment measure which also

offers payments for environmentally sustainable land management and associated capital works.21 There is one Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), designated under the EU Nitrate Directive at Kelsall in Cheshire22 Rural parts of the region also contain many other English Heritage recognised sites of particular heritage interest.

FMD Impact

The impact of FMD on the rural economy of the region

has been evaluated in a series of studies undertaken

by Pion Economics23. The evaluations take account of

the likely loss of farming, agricultural and tourist

incomes, supply-chain expenditures and subsequent

multiplier effects on local economies within the region.

The latest assessment is based on data/evidence

available as at February 2002 and projects that FMD

has been responsible for:

•• GVA24 losses to Cumbria in 2001 of broadly

equivalent to 4% of county GDP;

•• GVA losses to Cheshire in 2001 of some 0.2%

of county GDP;

•• GVA losses to Lancashire in 2001 of some

0.2%/0.3% of county GDP; and

•• GVA losses to the region in 2001 of some

0.4% to 0.5% of regional GDP.

The ‘at risk’ assessment of employment as at February

2002 has been substantially reduced in the light of

information on business response to the epidemic.

Estimates are now that the initial ‘worst case’ scenario

did not emerge, that businesses have tended to use

previously accumulated resources to sustain activity

and employment such that the response moderated

‘worst case’ for 2001 has been reduced to just over

8,000 at risk jobs and may in practice turn out to have

been as low as 4,000.

FMD Policy Response

In the wake of the epidemic, a Business Recovery

Plan provided:

•• Funding to Business Links to enable

emergency survival advice;

•• Other direct assistance to businesses;

•• Funding (via Tourist Boards) to enable marketing

with a view to encouraging visitors back to the

countryside; and

•• Implementation of regeneration initiatives

focussed on the rural economy and

communities.

Primary Rural Economy Activity: Agriculture

Status

Agriculture is unique in that while it supports less than

1% of employment in the region, its activities operate

over, and directly influence, 80% of the regions land

area. The agricultural industry is thereby a vital

contributor to physical management of the countryside

but it is also the case that agriculture can provide the

primary basis of economic activity in many peripheral

areas. Concentrating on the relatively small scale of

overall activity risks underestimating its importance to

the functioning of the rural economy.

The North West is an area of wide-ranging agricultural

activity ranging from the predominantly dairy farming

county of Cheshire to arable and horticulture in South

West Lancashire and beef and sheep farming in the

upland areas of North Lancashire and Cumbria.

Agricultural land data for 2000 indicates25:

• A North West agricultural area of 856,492

hectares (excluding common land), some 9.5% of

the England total, supporting 17,944 or 12% of all

holdings and 11% of agricultural employment in

England;

• Just over half of agricultural land lies in Cumbria

with 24% in Lancashire, 18% in Cheshire and the

remainder in Greater Manchester and Merseyside;

• The distribution of holdings is less extensive – 37%

in Cumbria, 30% in Lancashire, 23% in Cheshire

rural renaissance 19

23 Economic Impact of FMD in the North West of England, Pion Economics, May 2001; Economic Impact of FMD in the North West of England – Update, August 2001. Economic

Impact of FMD in the North West of England – Update, February 2002.24 Gross Value Added.25 These figures are prior to the outbreak of FMD.

and 10% in the conurbations – indicating an

average holding of 66 hectares in Cumbria and

between 27 and 42 hectares elsewhere in the

region;

• Approximately 35% to 40% of land is rented from

other landowners in Cumbria, Cheshire and

Lancashire with slightly higher figures for Greater

Manchester and Merseyside;

• Grassland dominates agricultural land in the region,

with the vast majority classed as permanent

pasture (i.e. more than 5 years of age). Cereal

cropping took place on 71,500 hectares of land

with horticultural crops accounting for another

6,600 hectares; and

• The North West supports a large number of

livestock - 1.063 million cattle and calves; 3.705

million sheep and lambs; 246,000 pigs and 9.020

million fowl.

Economic Profile

Over the course of the last 5 years, UK agricultural

GVA has declined by 34% despite a volume increase

of some 4% and its contribution to total UK GVA has

declined by 50%. Part of the explanation lies in

declining trading conditions whereby crop, livestock,

and product prices have declined by 25% whereas

input prices have fallen by only 8% placing significant

pressures on margins per unit of output. Total Income

From Farming (TIFF) has dropped by 63% with the

result that average income per UK agricultural worker

has declined by some 30% since 1989 and is

equivalent to some £8,500 in 2000 prices.

At regional level, agriculture is estimated to contribute

somewhere in the area of 1% of total England gross

output and 0.7% of regional GDP. Information on local

agricultural incomes is collected through regional

surveys of farming profitability though the definition of

regions is not consistent with GO boundaries26. Data

for the area that includes Cumbria indicates

1999/2000 net farm income figures of between

£3,900 and £15,500 per farm while those for the

area including Cheshire and Lancashire vary between

-£2,000 and £26,500 per farm.

Risk Assessment

Agriculture continues to undergo significant structural

adjustment. Over the course of the next decade

significant changes are likely to emerge from the

process of trade liberalisation, expansion of the EU

and reform of CAP. It is likely that downward pressure

on farm incomes will continue and that the sector will

continue to consolidate. With reducing income from

traditional farming and declining levels of succession,

many of those wishing to retain involvement in

agriculture will find it necessary to generate income

from a broader range of activities.

Options

Diversification Within Agriculture27

There is evidence that the farming community

recognise the potential benefits of diversification and

that elements of farm capital are increasingly being

targeted at non-agricultural commercial use.

However, not all farms have the suitable physical

resources, location or appropriate skills base through

which to attempt non-farming activities.

In such circumstances diversification within agriculture

itself (other than part-time farming to allow employment

elsewhere) remains one of the few potential options for

seeking new forms of income. Non-food crops,

biomass, organic and agri-environment agriculture are

the most obvious options.

rural renaissance20

26 Cumbria is contained in the Northern region alongside Northumberland, Durham and Tyne and Wear while Cheshire and Lancashire are contained in the North West region alongside

Staffordshire, Shropshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.27 The distinction between within and beyond farm diversification is made only for convenience. Some holdings may diversify in both areas.

• Crops for uses such as industrial oils and

lubricants, fibres for textiles, composite building

materials and high value products such as

pharmaceuticals are all potential niche areas for

growers of certain agricultural crops.

• Crops that can be developed for non-food or

industrial purposes include high erucic acid

rapeseed (HEAR), willow or poplar grown as short

rotation coppice (SRC).

• The development of power generation through

biomass fuel will generate a requirement for forestry

residues and specifically grown energy crops when

commercially viable.

• Organic farming is an option also being explored by

many food producers as it becomes apparent that

this system offers an opportunity (at least in the

short term) to produce high quality goods for a

price premium.

Diversification Beyond Agriculture

There are few technical limits to the scope of other

forms of on-farm diversification provided they are also

socially and environmentally acceptable. Noise,

pollution, traffic generation and effect on the landscape

are critical considerations in this area but emerging

opportunities are becoming evident through the

continuing development of ICT and related

technologies.

On-farm diversification does not have to be related to

agriculture. It can encompass recreation, crafts, light

industry, professional services, general retail and other

land uses. However, there remain constraints on the

development of new buildings in the countryside and

employment-generating development remains relatively

rare despite the fact that previously employment-

generating sites (local garages, shops, workshops

etc.) have often been used for the creation of housing.

Potential diversification involving existing buildings might

include the development of workshop facilities, storage

facilities (furniture, warehousing, caravans etc), services

such as kennels or livery and passive lets.

One clear form of non-agricultural diversification

available to farmers is to become involved further down

the line of the food chain, enabling them to "add-value"

to production through processing and packaging

before produce leaves the farm:

• alternative marketing of agricultural products e.g.

direct marketing, farmers’ markets, farm shops and

delivery rounds are all potential development

options.

• marketing activities such as farm shops offer

potential in locations within close proximity to urban

markets.

An important element in the process of encouraging

diversification through processing and packaging is

promotion and the development of consumer markets.

NWDA is currently supporting the development of a

coordinated North West Region Specialty Food Group

resulting from the work of the North West Food

Alliance and the recent regional food strategy which

addresses the traditional problems of limited integration

in the food supply chain and between the food sector,

primary production and tourism.

The Group comprises the initial development of two

new sub-regional groups to coordinate activity in their

own areas (Made in Cheshire and Made in

Lancashire) alongside the continued development of

the existing Made in Cumbria initiative and the regional

based North West Fine Foods which aims to promote

rural renaissance 21

and market specialty food and drink in order to

increase the sales of the regional product in the North

West and beyond28. Potential for diversification

extends beyond food produce, however, to a much

broader range of products including wood and other

crafts, wool and leather.

More generally, reducing the ‘distance’ between

producers of foods/crafts and consumers, either

through use of ICT or strengthening links with urban

areas is likely to prove crucial to the development of

new market opportunities.

The increasing demands for quality assured crops may

lead to a gradual move away from on-farm drying and

storage towards greater use of co-operative and

private drying and storage facilities of which there are

few in the Region. There is also only limited

collaborative activity between farmers to apply new

technologies, develop innovative processes and

become more closely involved in marketing and

processing procedures. These are areas of potential

support and development.

Another potential area of diversification is that of farm-

based visitor facilities including farm-based

accommodation (bed and breakfast, self-catering,

camping/caravanning) and farm-based

recreation/leisure/education/catering facilities (farm

parks, sports, golf, tea rooms). The regional ERDP

research suggests that only about 2% of farms

nationally operate commercial recreational/leisure

facilities. These encompass a wide range of activities

ranging from traditional pursuits such as riding,

shooting and fishing, through to open working farms,

rare breeds centres, facilities for motor sports,

paintballing and golf courses but significant expansion

opportunities remain. The Countryside and Rights of

Way Act will, in turn, provide opportunities due to the

need to manage the process of access. Preparation

for such opportunities will require careful planning to

ensure that proposed alternative uses for agricultural

land are secured in a sustainable manner.

Finally, there is scope for agricultural land to be

developed for a variety of non-agricultural purposes

such as mineral extraction, water catchment

purposes, new housing/industrial sites, a wide range

of leisure and sporting facilities, as well as for the

housing of renewable energy sites (e.g. wind turbines).

Off-farm Employment of Farm Household Members

As farming incomes have declined, evidence suggests

that off-farm incomes have acted to offset the perilous

state of many farming household incomes. The ability

to access off-farm opportunities is likely to continue to

represent a mechanism through which many farming

families will continue to work the land and maintain an

acceptable standard of living. In practice, potential off-

farm employment opportunities are likely to be linked

with access to labour markets and therefore more

prevalent in urban/market town fringes than in marginal

upland areas.

Primary Rural Economy Activity: Forestry

Status

With coverage of some 92,000 hectares, the North

West has one of the lowest levels of tree cover in

England. Coverage ranges from the mountainous

landscape of Cumbria (7.5% cover) to the sparsely

wooded plains of Lancashire and Cheshire (less than

4% cover) and the conurbations of Greater

Manchester and Merseyside. Despite such variation,

there exist extensive areas of broadleaf woodland, a

rural renaissance22

28 Its products range from dairy products, meat, preserves, and confectionery to beverages and fresh produce. The group has been involved in a number of initiatives to promote good

quality food produced locally, thus supporting rural businesses.

significant amount of which is classified as Ancient

Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW). Much of this lies in

North Lancashire and Cumbria where a large number

of sites are designated as SSSIs and are of

international importance.

Forest Enterprise manages 28% of the region’s

woodlands including the Forest Parks; the region also

contains the two largest of England’s 12 Community

Forests (Red Rose and Mersey Forests) and there are

a wide range of existing partnerships delivering multi-

purpose, integrated woodlands development.

Economic Profile

The overall 1999/2000 gross output contribution of

forestry and associated processing in England is

estimated to lie in the region of £1bn, producing a net

output figure of some £380m29. Standing timber

prices have been subject to a long-term trend decline

for some decades, nevertheless the region contains

24 of the 97 paper mills that exist in the UK with an

estimated employment of some 3,200. This is

relatively small in comparison to agriculture but may

undervalue the role of forestry as a basis for attracting

land-based recreation visitors. The Forest Parks in the

region are estimated to attract 1m visitors per annum

with associated benefits for local economies.

Risk Assessment

Traditional forestry products may well have reached

market maturity and future development may be more

suited to aiding rural development through promoting

woodland as a complement to wider regeneration

objectives – assisting agricultural diversification,

increasing the amenity resource offer by

complementing the tourist industry, contributing to

environmental and habitat renewal and providing a

base for wood products and crafts.

Options

Options for woodlands in the context of the RRRAP

include:

• generating income through increased recreation,

tourism, crafts, country sports and environmental

management;

• assisting and guiding landowners and farmers to

adopt integrated woodland management practices,

• providing an alternative use for farmers wishing to

downscale their activities;

• assisting growth of cluster activities for use of

wood residue and short rotation coppice for

biofuels development;

• complementing the livestock business providing a

sources of shelter, fencing material, renewable

energy and seasonal work opportunities; and

• contributing to biodiversity, protecting water quality

and soils.

There is significant scope for both existing and new

woodlands to contribute to agricultural diversification

and wider rural development. Opportunities for tailored

woodland creation are extensive throughout the region

with plenty of scope to balance woodland creation

against other land uses and to complement

environment and landscape needs.

Primary Rural Economy Activity: Recreation

and Tourism

Status

The rural areas of the North West provide a wide

range of opportunities for access and recreation:

• The region contains the Lake District National Park,

parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the

Peak Park and a wide variety of stately and historic

houses, churches, parks and gardens open to the

public;

rural renaissance 23

29 Forestry Commission England Impact Study – ‘English Forestry Contribution to Rural Economics.

• It has a significant resource of existing or planned

long distance trail routes;

• Forest parks and community forests promote

access and encourage a strategic approach to

managing the countryside in and around towns

and cities;

• The water and coastline resources of the Region

are diverse and provide a variety of opportunities

for water sports and recreational activities;

• The 2002 Commonwealth Games will not only

make a significant contribution to the regeneration

of East Manchester but will provide an opportunity

to attract visitors to all parts of the region.

Economic Profile

The English Tourism Council (ETC) estimates that

tourism in England accounts for £50bn of spending,

some 4% of English GDP, 6% of consumer spending

and provides employment to 1.5m persons. The

latest data from the United Kingdom Tourism Survey

(UKTS) relate to 1999 and indicate that domestic UK

residents made some 14.4m trips30 to the region and

spent approximately £1.6b. With overseas visitors

adding another 10% to 15% to numbers and

spending more than £1bn, this scale of tourism activity

represents a major contribution to regional GDP and

income31.

Domestic trips to Cheshire and Lancashire totalled

some 6.2m in 1999, accounted for 18.4m bednights

and expenditure of £733m. Figures on overseas

tourists report 0.5m trips, 3.1m bednights and

expenditure of £182m. Figures for Cumbria include

3.6m domestic trips, 13.5m bednights and

expenditure of £536m. Overseas tourists accounted

for another 0.24m visits, 1.6m nights and £64m

expenditure.

Risk Assessment

Tourism is likely to remain a long-term contributor to

the rural economy in the region though emerging

leisure patterns may impact on the nature of the

existing product.32 It is likely therefore that a

broadening of the range of such opportunities will be

required to ensure that the region can increase its

market share of future growth as well as sustaining its

more traditional tourism offer. While the growth of

tourism and recreation presents opportunities for the

rural economy, it is also necessary to ensure that

development is sustainable and does not develop in a

way which threatens the quality of the environment on

which it depends.

Options

Options for tourism in the context of the Rural

Renaissance include:

• strengthening the marketing or rural destinations

and products;

• strengthening the competitive position of the

region;

• developing activity and countryside sports and

recreation tourism;

• improving the quality of and networking of

operators;

• improving and widening the range of quality

accommodation;

rural renaissance24

30 Trips are defined within the UKTS as any holiday trips, visits to friends and relatives (VFRs) and business trips that last for one night or more.31 The North West GO region is covered by two tourist-boards, the North West Tourist Board (NWTB) which covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside and the

Cumbria Tourist Board (CTB).32 The Government is also planning to introduce a new statutory right of access on foot to mountain, moor, heath and registered common land for open-air recreation. Access to

woodlands, coastal areas and watersides are also to be considered for their suitability. These proposals may help to increase leisure and recreation visitors.

rural renaissance 25

Rural Strengths, Weaknesses and OpportunitiesIn the light of the above analysis, and previous research, it is possible to establish a range of features whichcombine to characterize the rural economy in the North West.

StrengthsEconomic:• Available workforce• Tourism• Delivery partnerships. • Woodland initiatives• Community forests• High quality environment

Environmental• Recognised importance of key conservation areas• Sub-regional diversity• Community Forests• Forest Parks• National and international designations• Coastline and estuaries• Distinctive agricultural breeds

Social• Role of market towns as a focus for services & culture

and jobs• Voluntary sector• Community identity• Presence of large institution landowners• Recreational assets

WeaknessesEconomic:• Lack of skills and culture change• Poor infrastructure and access to services • Decline in farm incomes • Lack of capital for diversification• Tenancy restrictions & planning constraints • Food Supply chain • Lack of entrepreneurs and marketing skills• Lack of alternative upland options in upland • ICT infrastructure• Little tradition of collaboration

Environmental• Quality of habitats often poor• Scattered distribution of habitats• Areas of overgrazing and landscape dereliction.• Decline in farmland bird species.• Lack of environmental management skills• Low woodland cover

Social• Rural leadership• Ageing population & opportunities for the young• Limited employment roles for women• Childcare, local services & public transport• Low incomes• Peripherality & isolation• Access to education & training • Public transport & wider transport infrastructure

OpportunitiesEconomic:• Develop culture of entrepreneurship• Promote Tourism and Leisure• Add value to foodstuffs• Woodland development • Supply chain development.• Diversification, crops and renewable energy • Stock of buildings from decline in agriculture• Increase skills base• Reform of CAP• Experience of rural business support delivery

Environmental• Expand biodiversity• Restore and create woodland• Organic farming• Increased interest in agri-environment schemes• Growing demand for recreation and access

Social• Enrichment of market towns• Social benefits from agricultural change• Community capacity building • Development of voluntary sector

Threats Economic:• WTO/CAP/EU enlargement • Regulation – stifle innovation, • Abattoirs reduced in number• Food integrity• Balance between promoting tourism and damage to

the environment• Lack of capital for investment in new enterprises

Environmental• Unfavourable management• Current agriculture policies and economics• Areas of landscape dereliction• Development pressures on green belt and market

towns and small communities • Ageing profile of farmers & lack of heirs• Loss of traditional management skills• Overgrazing

Social• Funding competition with urban areas• Agricultural support industry decline• Polarization of rural area• Depopulation of hill areas

Introduction

The Rural Renaissance has been developed within the

context of a raft of existing and emerging policy

initiatives and strategies. These provide an important

backdrop to the Plan and the desire that it should

maintain a high degree of consistency, coherence and

integration with the wider policy framework. This

section reviews the recent changing pattern and

context of UK Rural Policy.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

One of the most significant determinants of current

rural policy is the CAP, introduced in the early 1960s

by the original members of the Community to address

the issue of food security at the European level. The

primary purpose of the Policy was to raise production

levels and to reduce reliance on imports through

financial support and market regulation.

Over time, chronic surpluses began to emerge as

production responded to the incentives of the

scheme, aggravating relationships with other trading

blocks less reliant on subsidy structures and raising

concerns about environmental damage through

overproduction. Such difficulties have encouraged a

long process of reform that is still underway today:

• The introduction of quotas and set-aside schemes

in the 1980s were followed by reforms in 1992

which reduced a range of support prices alongside

compensating income compensation and

extended thinking with regard to associated social

and agri-environmental measures.

• The 1995 Uruguay Round Agricultural Agreement

allowed agriculture to be covered by GATT and

included a so-called ‘Peace Deal’ that prevents any

challenge of the CAP until 2003;

• Proposals for EU enlargement and expectations

GATT rounds would seek reductions in both tariffs

and market support encouraged further reforms in

the late 1990s with a set of further commodity

price cuts covering a wider range of agricultural

sectors and introducing greater degree subsidiarity

for Member States in implementing elements of

the CAP33.

• The reforms also introduced the Rural

Development Regulation (RDR) which has now

come to be known as the second ‘pillar’ of CAP34.

The RDR required Member States to draw up

Rural Development Plans for the period 2000-

2006 but also introduced provisions for up to 20%

of direct compensatory payments to fund agri-

environment, afforestation of agricultural land, LFA

support and early retirement schemes35.

National Policy Initiatives

Far from being a forgotten, rural development issues

are addressed by a relatively large number of recent

national and regional strategy documents.

UK Rural Policy Objectives

Preparation for the 2000 Comprehensive Spending

Review included an Interdepartmental Cross-Cutting

review of Rural Policy which agreed a series of high

level objectives for rural and countryside policy to be

taken forward in Departmental PSAs and to inform the

development of the Rural White Paper. Five objectives

were identified designed to:

rural renaissance26

6. The Policy Context

33 The so-called ‘degressivity’ option, to reduce compensation payments over time, was not however accepted.34 The first pillar broadly accounts for 90% of CAP budget costs (27% for market price support and 63% for direct payments to farmers) leaving the second pillar some 10% of the budget.35 The UK initially agreed to divert 2% of direct payments through this ‘moderation’ mechanism rising to 4.5% in 2005.

• Facilitate the development of dynamic, competitive

and sustainable economies in the countryside,

tackling poverty in rural areas;

• Maintain and stimulate communities, and secure

access to services which is equitable in all the

circumstances, for those who live or work in the

countryside;

• Conserve and enhance rural landscapes and the

diversity and abundance of wildlife (including the

habitats on which it depends);

• Increase opportunities for people to get enjoyment

from the countryside and to open up public

access to mountain, moor, heath and down and

registered common land by the end of 2005; and

• Promote government responsiveness to rural

communities.

Our Countryside: The Rural White Paper (RWP)

The RWP sets out a vision for rural areas which

incorporates

• A living countryside with thriving rural communities

and access to high quality public services to be

achieved via:

•• Supporting vital village services;

•• Modernising rural services;

•• Providing affordable homes; and

•• Delivering local transport solutions.

• A working countryside with a diverse economy

giving high and stable levels of employment to be

achieved by:

•• Rejuvenating market towns and a thriving local

economies; and

•• Setting a new direction for farming by:

• A protected countryside in which the

environment is sustained and enhanced and

which all can enjoy to be achieved by:

•• Preserving what makes rural England special:

and

•• Ensuring everyone can enjoy an accessible

countryside.

• A vibrant countryside which can shape its own

future to be achieved by:

•• Giving local power to country towns and

villages; and

•• Rural proofing.

The England Rural Development Plan (ERDP)

The ERDP is an important document in that develops

a range of actions consistent with the ambitions of the

RDR and draws these actions from a set of key

national priorities that are broader in content and

outlook than the Regulation and are designed to

enable an integrated approach to support for rural

development using both Community and national

instruments.

National Priorities for the Rural Economy

• Priority 1: To facilitate the development of

dynamic, competitive and sustainable economies

in the English countryside, tackling poverty in rural

areas;

• Priority 2: To maintain and stimulate

communities, and secure access to services

which is equitable in all the circumstances, for

those who live or work in the countryside;

• Priority 3: To conserve and enhance rural

landscapes and the diversity and abundance of

wildlife (including the habitats on which it depends),

to safeguard their integrity and value for future

generations and to provide a source of economic

opportunity; and

• Priority 4: To increase opportunities for people to

enjoy the countryside.

ERDP Programme, Priorities and Measures

Taking into account the scope of the Regulation,

rural renaissance 27

available financial allocations, a review of previous

interventions, consultation and a SWOT assessment,

the ERDP has been designed to focus on two

priorities – creating a productive and sustainable rural

economy and conservation and enhancement of the

rural environment - as the basis of the Programme to

200636. Tables 6.1 and 6.2 outline the range of

activities to be supported under the Programme.

rural renaissance28

36 The ERDP contains no provisions for aiding for the early retirement of farmers and farm workers or nor aid for setting up young farmers in the light of consultations and economic

appraisal evidence.

Priority Level Objective(s)

Projects to:

create more diverse andcompetitive agriculture andforestry sectors;

create new jobs in thecountryside;

encourage the development ofnew products, market outletsand greater collaboration; and

provide targeted training tosupport these new activities

Measure Level Objective

Investment in agricultural holdings tosupport the development of moresustainable and competitive farmingbusinesses with improved agriculturalincomes, redeployed production anddiversified farm activities.

Training to broaden the skills base of theagricultural and forestry workforce toenable it to meet the challenges of there-orientation of agriculture and forestryand contribute to the new demands ofthe rural economy.

Improving processing and marketing ofagricultural products to encourageinnovation and investment to achieveadded value for English primary productsand to enhance market opportunities.

Afforestation of agricultural land andother forestry measures to improve thelandscape, habitats, wildlife and amenityvalue of agricultural and non-agriculturalland by planting woodland, creatingemployment and diversifying land use toimprove the ecological and socialfunctions of existing forests; and toencourage the growth and collaborativeproduction of short rotation coppice as acontribution to tackling climate change.

Adaptation and development of ruralareas to provide targeted assistance tosupport the development of moresustainable, diversified, enterprising ruraleconomies and communities, assistingregeneration and adjustment to thedeclining importance of agriculture andto the new demands of the ruraleconomy.

Actions to be implemented

A new Rural Enterprise Schemeproviding grant aid for capital investmentsin agricultural diversification and a newEnergy Crops Scheme providing grantaid for the establishment of miscanthus.

The introduction of a new regionallytargeted Vocational Training Scheme tofacilitate the delivery of other measuresunder the Programme.

The re-introduction of Processing andMarketing Grants.

The existing Woodland Grant and FarmWoodland Premium Schemes and anew Energy Crops Scheme

A new Rural Enterprise Scheme toinvolve setting-up of farm relief and farmmanagement services; marketing ofquality agricultural products; basicservices for the rural economy andpopulation; diversification of agriculturalactivities and activities close to agricultureto provide multiple activities or alternativeincomes; agricultural water resourcesmanagement; development andimprovement of infrastructure connectedwith the development of agriculture;encouragement for tourist and craftactivities

Table 6.1: ERDP Priority A Profile – Creation of a Productive and Sustainable Rural Economy

29rural renaissance

Priority Level Objective(s)

Projects to:

significantly increase the areacovered by agri-environmentschemes over the Programmeperiod and to maintain thesustainable management of anappropriate area of the LessFavoured Areas

Measure Level Objective

Agri-environment support to conserve andimprove the landscape, wildlife andhistoric heritage of the countryside,contributing directly and indirectly toeconomic activity and social objectives inrural areas.

Less Favoured Areas (LFA) support tohelp preserve the farmed uplandenvironment through sustainablemanagement and to contribute themaintenance of the social fabric in uplandcommunities.

Adaptation and development of rural areasto provide targeted assistance to supportthe development of more sustainable,diversified, enterprising rural economiesand communities; assist their regenerationand adjustment to the decliningimportance of agriculture and to the newdemands of the rural economy.

Actions to be implemented

The existing Environmentally SensitiveAreas and Countryside StewardshipSchemes and the re-opened OrganicFarming Scheme.

The introduction of a new Hill FarmAllowance Scheme (HFAS).

A new Rural Enterprise Scheme torenovate and develop villages; protectand conserve rural heritage and protectthe environment in connection withagriculture.

Table 6.2: ERDP Priority B Profile - Conservation and Enhancement of the Rural Environment

Within the context of the Programme, the

Environmentally Sensitive Areas, Organic Farming, Hill

Livestock Compensatory Allowance and Hill Firm

Allowance Schemes are operated on a national basis

only. The Countryside Stewardship, Farm Woodland

Premium, Woodland Grant and Energy Crops

schemes have some degree of regional discretion in

targeting but operate within a national framework while

Processing and Marketing Grants, the Rural Enterprise

and the Vocational Training Schemes are directed

through Regional Programming Committees.

Other Policy Initiatives

Other structures of relevance include the UK

Biodiversity Action Plan and Sustainability Plan37 and

the England Forestry Strategy along with recent

reports/strategies from the Countryside Agency, the

Hills Task Force, the Better Regulation Task Force,

Lord Haskins, the Rural Task Force and the

Association of National Park Authorities38.

Policy Commission on Farming and Food

In the wake of FMD, the Government established a

Policy Commission on Farming and Food to advise on

the creation of a sustainable, competitive and diverse

farming and food sector that contributes to a thriving

and sustainable rural economy, advances

environmental, economic, health and animal welfare

goals, and is consistent with its aims for CAP reform,

enlargement of the EU and increased trade

liberalization. The commission reported in January

2002 and provided a series of recommendations

based on themes relating to profit, the environment

and people. Table 6.3 summarises a range of the

recommendations.

RDA Rural Development Research and Priorities

In the wake of the FMD crisis, the English RDAs

commissioned an exercise to examine key issues

affecting rural areas, identify future scenarios and

associated challenges and suggest priority actions39.

The proposed actions included:

• Help shape farming by influencing UK/EU

approaches to CAP reform;

• Strengthen role in reintegrating agriculture and land

management into regional economies;

• Reinvigorate the development and promotion of

tourism;

• Encourage an enabling planning system that

promotes sensitive economic development;

• Ensure rural businesses/locations are integral to

RDA strategies;

• Address economic/service decline through

innovation in market towns;

• Take the lead in new institutional arrangements and

influence the development of rural policy;

• ‘Think rural’ by improving rural coordination and

‘proofing’ at regional level;

• Promote rural recovery/regeneration as an integral

part of regional development; and

• Understand rural – improve indicators data

collection and intelligence gathering.

rural renaissance30

37 All are referenced in notes 4-7 above.38 The ANPA has recently outlined proposals for National Parks to become test-beds for rural survival. These involve establishing multi-disciplinary rural revival teams, a rural revival projects

fund, fresh start and sustainable development initiatives.39 ‘RDAs and Rural Development: Priorities for Action’, Centre for Rural Economy, university of Newcastle and Arup Economics and Planning.

rural renaissance 31

Table 6.3: - Farming and Food Commission Recommendations

Profile• reform of CAP to:• remove price supports/production controls/direct

payments• progressive transfer of resources to Pillar II & increase

modulation• better risk management of currency fluctuations• improved R&D/technology transfer• promotion of demonstration farms• improvements to supply chain• encourage collaboration between farmers• promote red tractor standard• improved competitiveness of red meat sector• expansion of processing and marketing support• mainstream locality food marketing• protect local locality brands• regulation should move towards whole farm approach• develop animal health strategy• improved planning advice for diversification• develop long-term strategy for non-food crops• improve facilitation advice/support• encourage new entrants• promotion of vocational training• improve business advice

Environment• reinforce government commitment to the environment• remove price supports/production controls/direct

payments• progressive transfer of resources to Pillar II & increase

modulation to 10%/20% over time• improve application procedures for agric-environment

schemes• promotion of whole-farm audits• introduce ‘broad and shallow’ schemes for hill areas• more support for organic farming• capital allowances for pollution control/monitoring

equipment• maintain strategy to reduce pesticide risk• encourage supermarkets to reexamine supply routes• maintain review of landfill tax rate• support FSA work on labeling• improve access to farms through CROW 2000 Act• better enforcement of welfare codes

People• support FSA work on labeling• improve access to farms through CROW 2000 Act

better enforcement of welfare codes• improve transparency of public regulatory bodies• promote improved nutrition strategy • review procurement of food by public sector

Recent Regional Initiatives

The North West Regional Economic Strategy

and Rural Action Plan

The regional economic strategy is based on a 20 year

vision and contains a set of four related themes with

associated objectives and priorities to guide policy

action40, namely

• Investing in Business and Ideas

• Investing in People and Communities

• Investing in Infrastructure

• Investing in Image and the Environment

The RAP built upon the RES to extend the focus of

the latter across rural areas in the region but is

effectively superseded by the current Plan41.

The North West Food Strategy (RFS)

The RFS has been conceived with the express

purpose of developing the agri-food sector within

the region. It proposes nine strategic objectives

designed to:

• Establish the North West Food Alliance at the heart

of agri-food sector and activity within the region;

• Create and reinforce a positive image of the region,

its producers and processors;

• Develop markets for the regions food;

• Develop skills and enterprise within the sector;

• Promote technology and innovation;

• Deliver specialist business support and advice for

the sector;

• Improved business organisation;

• Promote inward investment; and

• Promote environmental good practice.

Action for Sustainability

Northwest England’s framework for sustainable

development is enshrined in the Action for

Sustainability Action Plan42. Objectives are defined in

terms of the Live, Protect Save and Grow themes that

underpin actions: These are outlined in Table 6.7.

rural renaissance32

40 The RES is supported by a regional HRD Strategy – The Right Angle on Skills - which contains a set of objectives and priorities to guide policy action in increasing employer demand;

increasing individual demand; promoting equality of opportunity; and improving the functioning of the labour market.41 The RES is to be reviewed during 200242 NWRA 2000

33rural renaissance

Table 6.7: - Action for Sustainability Objectives

Live Action Plan objectives: To• Reduce Poverty• Encourage communities to be actively involved in local

decision making and voluntary activities• Improve access to basic goods, services and amenities• Improve health and increase life expectancy• Increase the proportion of the population living in good

quality affordable and resource efficient housing• Reduce crime, disorder and fear of crime• Improve educational achievement, training andopportunities for lifelong learning and employability• Improve the skills and competence of the workforce• Reduce homelessness• Ensure that food and drink is affordable, of good quality

and safe• Reduce health inequalities• Improve equity and equality of opportunity for people and

reduce all forms of discrimination• Develop the social economy and not-for-profit sector• Improve the economic performance of excluded

communities• Reverse the trend of the depopulation of major

conurbations• Raise awareness of issues relating to social progress

and its relationship with the other two themes forsustainable development

Protect Action Plan Objectives: To• Protect and enhance endangered and valued speciesand habitats• Increase tree cover in the region and ensure active andsustainable management• Protect and enhance local distinctiveness, wildlife valueand general quality and accessibility of landscapes• Protect, enhance and, where necessary, restore thequality of inland, estuarine and coastal waters• Protect or, where necessary, improve local air quality• Create new areas of habitat and manage existingnetworks of sites, which are essential for the movement andinterchange between populations of wildlife and the generalenhancement of biodiversity• Protect historic biological, geological, landscape and landform features (earth heritage sites)• Reduce the potential impact of climate change• Protect, enhance and, where necessary, restore thequality of land• Raise awareness of issues relating to environmentalprotection and its relationship with the other themes forsustainable development

Save Action Plans: To• Reduce emissions of gases which contribute to climate

change• Increase the use of demand management and mew

technologies to reduce energy and water consumption• Increase the proportion of energy generated from

sustainable and renewable resources• Minimize the production of waste and increase recycling

and recovery rates• Reduce the use of primary minerals• Ensure the preservation, sensitive adaptation and re-use

of the built heritage• Minimise intrusion of new development onto greenfield

sites and green spaces in the countryside and urbanareas

• Ensure the sustainable management of water resources• Achieve sustainable inland and coastal and sea fisheries• Promote the use of good design to improve the

aesthetic, efficiency and longevity qualities of productsand development projects to maximize net social andenvironmental gain

• Manage nuclear waste safely• Ensure the use of best practice in the management of

general and special wastes• Raise awareness of issues relating to prudent use of

natural resources and its relationship with the otherthemes for sustainable development

Grow Action Plan: To• Reclaims dereliction, accelerate regeneration and optimize

the beneficial use of brownfield sites• Reduce the need to travel and improve choice and use of

sustainable transport modes• Increase the level of investment in and use of reail and water

freight transport• Increase investment in, training for and use of information and

communication technology• Increase the level of engagement of large companies in

corporate social responsibility and business excellence• Increase investment and employment and development of

sustainable leisure and tourism• Increase investment, employment and innovation in clean

technologies and services• Improve the image of the Northwest• Stimulate entrepreneurship and promote innovation and

creativity• Remove barriers to employment• Accelerate business development, encourage spinout

business from large companies and improve the survivalrates of newly registered businesses

• Increase the use of locally produced goods, food andservices

• Increase investment and employment in, and development,of sustainable agriculture

• Encourage academic and public bodies to secure moreR&D investment and improve links with business needs

• Increase investment and employment in, and developmentof , cultural, creative and new media industries

• Raise awareness of issues relating to economic successand its relationship with other themes for sustainabledevelopment

Renewable Energy

The potential available from renewable energy has

been defined via a detailed study funded by a wide

range of regional and national partners and which

identifies wind power, solar energy and biomass as

capable of delivering new jobs, inward investment,

rural diversification and fewer greenhouse emissions43.

Regional Planning Guidance (RPG)

The Draft RPG for the North West44 is structured

around a core strategy, namely the delivery of

sustainable development defined as:

• Social progress which recognises the needs of

everyone;

• Effective protection of the environment;

• Prudent use of natural resources; and

• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic

growth and employment.

This is supported by three principles - economy in the

use of land, enhancing existing capital, quality in the

use of land – and six objectives:

• Achieving greater economic competitiveness and

growth;

• Securing an urban renaissance in the cities and

towns of the North West;

• Sustaining the region’s smaller rural and coastal

communities;

• Prudent management of the region’s environmental

and cultural assets;

• Securing environmental quality; and

• Creating an accessible region.

RPG makes specific reference to support for

agriculture (RU4) diversification of the rural economy,

(RU5) and support for local services in rural areas

(RU6).

NWDA and Rural Regeneration in the

North West

At present NWDA Rural Development Programme

(RDP) spending is concentrated in two designated

Rural Priority Areas (RPAs), defined in 1994 as being

the areas of greatest rural need in the region. The

Agency will continue to report on activity within the two

designated RPAs and has extended funding for the

Programme until April 2003 to provide an effective

resourcing ‘bridge’ until the Rural Renaissance Plan is

fully implemented.

In future regeneration programmes, NWDA intends to

concentrate on the economic regeneration of

communities, complementing the activities of other

agencies, bringing mainstream resources to bear on

the range of issues which affect them and to work

through sub-regional and local strategic partnerships.

The new approach will not mean new geographical

target areas but the establishment of thematic priorities

or ones relating to local spatial targets (eg. market

towns) or identified, generic business requirements

(such as managed workspace facilities).

Both RDP partnerships in Cumbria and Lancashire

have recently revised their RPA strategies in line with

NWDA objectives and discussions are taking place

with new and proposed sub-regional partnerships and

LSPs about their rural priorities and actions plans.

The Market Towns Initiative also gives the Agency the

ability to target resources on rural service centres and

their hinterlands in order to increase the impact of

regeneration activity where required. The NWDA

Board has agreed a number of priority towns in

Cumbria and Lancashire where action plans will be

developed in coming months and where the majority

rural renaissance34

43 From Power to Prosperity, Sustainability North West, 200144 People, Places and Prosperity, NWRA, 2000

of the existing resources for the initiative will be

targeted over the next 3 to 4 years. It is expected that

the Agency will continue to work with local

partnerships to identify new priority towns, or priorities

within towns, in order to make use of proposed new

resources and to expand the potential of the initiative.

There are, in addition, a number of existing and new

schemes run under former SRB regulations which

address local issues of importance to rural areas or

thematic issues on a strategic basis. These include:

• Enterprising Rural Communities scheme in north

Lancashire;

• Cleator Moor Regeneration scheme;

• Maryport Regeneration scheme;

• Sustainable Tourism scheme being run by Cumbria

Tourist Board;

• CREDITS scheme - establishing Community

Development Centres in rural parts of Cumbria;

• New Frontiers scheme - offering careers advice in

rural Cumbria; and

• Distinctly Cumbrian scheme - seeking to promote

and enhance local food production in Cumbria.

NWDA also has the capacity to fund ‘ad hoc’

schemes which address spatial and thematic priorities

of a large nature and which may require a pilot phase,

which are not covered by any of the existing

partnerships or which might involve small scale studies

of local interest.

The intention is to integrate these funding streams

through the Rural Renaissance Plan and it is

anticipated that each shire county will produce a sub-

regional plan that ‘nests’ beneath it. These sub-

regional plans will be appraised by NWDA as potential

delegated schemes under the new single financial

framework arrangements post April 2002.

rural renaissance 35

rural renaissance

Introduction

This section outlines the proposed Recovery Strategy

and Action Plan in the light the preceding analysis, the

assessment of the rural economy in the region and

the existing/developing policy framework.

The Strategy provides the proposed framework for

promoting the sustainable recovery of rural area

economies in the region and is designed in the form of

a vision supported by agreed themes and objectives

designed to direct the effort of delivery agents/partners

through specific interventions/projects.

Vision

A dynamic rural economy for the North West

which is financially, socially and

environmentally sustainable

Strategic Aims

In order to achieve the vision, a number of strategic

aims have been identified. These include:

• Recognising and accepting the countryside as a

living workplace;

• Accepting the countryside as a place of continual

change;

• Creating sustainable rural economies through

economic development opportunities that place

priority on, safeguard and protect, valued

landscapes and biodiversity;

• Enhancing social inclusion and integration;

• Creating a more integrated economic and social

network infrastructure between farming and other

rural business and residential communities; and

• Recognising the values of diversity, quality of life

and the distinctiveness of the countryside;

To secure these aims the strategy promotes the

development of an integrated package of initiatives

tailored to the needs of the region as informed by

scrutiny of regional circumstances.

Strategic Principles

The strategy is founded on a number of strategic

principles designed to guide the nature of activity and

partner contributions, namely:

• Objective driven - rather than responding in a

reactive way, Rural Renaissance sets out a clear

vision with actions designed to contribute towards

securing these aims ;

• Additionality - the key focus of actions should , as

far as possible, focus on generating net additional

improvements in local conditions, i.e.

improvements over and above what would have

happened anyway;

• Beneficiary focused - the focus should be potential

beneficiaries, not the process;

• Quality - a key feature of the strategy will be to

focus on delivering high quality programmes and

activities;

• Partnership driven - the recovery process will be

delivered through an integrated partnership

approach;

• Flexibility - this plan should not be cast in stone

and both it and partners must be able, within the

framework provided by the strategy, to respond to

new opportunities and challenges as they emerge;

36

7. The Recovery Strategy andAction Plan

• Performance orientated and Value for Money –

actions will seek to achieve real and lasting

improvements in a cost effective way and thus

emphasis should be given to outcomes not just

outputs and inputs; and

• Subsidiary in nature - delivery of the plan should be

carried out at the lowest appropriate local level.

Strategic Objectives and Policy Actions45

The Action Plan is based on a series of specific

interventions. This section reviews the proposed

intervention strategy and is followed by discussion of

partner roles and funding. It is proposed that

implementation and delivery of actions should be

carried out at the lowest appropriate local level,

building upon the experience and knowledge already

gained by partners and taking advantage of the

investment already made in developing local strategic

partnerships and delivery mechanisms. Issues of

implementation and delivery will be subject to further

discussion with partners once the set of County Plans

have been finalised.

SO1: Broadening the Economic Base of Rural

Areas

Rationale: While agriculture and the primary industries

provide an important backbone of the rural economy,

significantly greater value added and wealth is created

by other sectors of the rural economy and it remains

the case that rural areas are less diversified than their

urban counterparts. In attempting to broaden the

economic base of the rural economy, SO1 seeks to

enhance inherent wealth generating capacity and

employment opportunity, appropriate in scale and

nature to local circumstances, thereby reducing the

exposure of such areas to external shocks.

Actions:

•• Provision of rural business support/

development advice and/or intermediaries;

•• Develop rural enterprise support network

providing facilitation and advice, comprising rural

development officers with network managers;

•• Coordinate rural ICT strategy to incorporate

infrastructure, training and e-commerce;

•• Continue support for ICT related investment in

rural areas;

•• Target opportunities for IT training both for

members of the farming community and those

who are being forced to leave it due to

economic restructuring;

•• Continue reviewing emerging broadband

technology capability and opportunities for rural

connectivity;

•• Attract inward investment, of appropriate scale,

focusing on ‘rural’ potential in the area of

environmental technology, remediation and

related knowledge based industry sectors;

•• Facilitate rural business finance scheme;

•• Examine integrated transport options and

promotion of the transport needs of rural

communities within the Regional Transport

Strategy;

•• Build upon recent workspace and new

premises studies to promote relocation, inward

investment as well as new starts and bring

forward sites for employment purposes;

•• Support a woodland rural development

programme;

•• Build upon market towns programmes as a

focus for services, culture and jobs;

•• Facilitate regional HEI Rural Development Focus

group;

rural renaissance 37

45 Some proposals may require State Aids clearance by the European Commission.

SO2: Renew & Strengthen Sustainable

Recreation and Tourism

Rationale: The trends towards greater leisure,

recreation and tourism suggest that such activities are

likely to remain a long-term contributor to the rural

economy in the region. As such, it is imperative that

the competitive position of regional tourism product be

improved, enhanced and broadened to attract an

increasing share of this growing market. SO2 is

designed to provide a generic framework within which

partners can seek to achieve these ambitions while

recognizing the interdependence between tourism and

landscape and ensuring adherence to sustainability

principles.

Actions:

•• Coordinate action between partners to

strengthen the regions competitive position as a

leisure and business tourist destination and

counter seasonality;

•• Overseas marketing programme to restore

image and renew overseas activity levels post

FMD/September 11th;

•• Examine rural tourism product ‘branding’,

promotion/re-launch opportunities/requirements

post FMD and strengthen existing marketing

partnerships/consortia;

•• Design and development of ICT support

structure for promotion of farm-based tourism

and recreational opportunities and interfacing

with emerging national ICT systems;

•• Promote explicit inclusion of sustainability

principles across all recreation and tourism

development projects;

•• Support high quality wildlife habitats to improve

the landscape and tourism product and raise

the profile of eco-tourism;

•• Extend sustainable tourism related to cultural

and heritage assets, wildlife, forestry, regional

parks and woodland and countryside sports;

•• Support arts events/venues to encourage and

develop cultural tourism potential;

•• Develop improved intelligence capabilities to

identify emerging and changing customer

needs and preferences and new market

opportunities in rural areas;

•• Harness development and implementation of

regional and sub-regional e-tourism strategies

to maximise benefit to the rural economy;

•• Reduce operator fragmentation through

development of more extensive operator

networks;

•• Promote continuous product improvement

initiatives to enhance quality and skill standards

and of operators;

•• Plan and coordinate for opportunities raised

through the 2000 Countryside and Rights of

Way Act and the emergence of Local Access

Forums.

•• Ensure rural ‘gain’ from the Commonwealth

Games

SO3: Assisting the Restructuring of Agriculture

Rationale: The agricultural industry will experience

significant structural change through the process of

trade liberalisation, expansion of the EU and probable

reform of CAP. Downward pressure on farm incomes

will continue and the sector will continue to

consolidate. With reducing income from traditional

farming, many of those wishing to retain involvement in

agriculture will find it necessary to generate income

from a broader range of activities.

SO3 is designed to assist an efficient and effective

transition within agriculture, building upon existing

structures, to enable improved efficiency,

environmentally friendly diversification appropriate to

local circumstances and multifunctionality through

agricultural business reviews, planning, diversification

and training.

rural renaissance38

Actions:

•• Provision of environmentally friendly

‘diversification’ business support/development

advice and/or intermediaries;

•• ‘Within’ agriculture diversification programme:

■ Non-food crops;

■ Biomass/energy crops;

■ Organic46;

■ Forestry;

■ Stewardship;

■ Other agri-environment measures

•• Beyond the farm gate agriculture diversification

programme:

■ Food processing/value-added capture/

producer groups;

■ Building redevelopment/renewal;

■ Crafts/Light Industry/Professional Services;

■ Countryside sports;

■ Renewable energy;

■ Farm Tourism;

•• Assistance to identify and secure diversification

potential through targeted woodland creation

and management programme;

•• Diversification training needs assessment and

delivery;

•• Training to support access to off-farm income

opportunities;

•• Promote more effective interface between

agricultural colleges/research and

experimentation groups and farming

community;

•• Targeting the special needs of upland farmers;

•• Development of the Planning Facilitation Service

to promote proactive use of the planning

system to deliver good quality and sustainable

development;

SO4: Enhancing the Competitiveness and

Capability of Primary Agriculture

Rationale: Maintaining agricultural land-use is

imperative, both for long-term protection of an

essential resource and for management of an

environment and landscape character with

consequent effects on the attractiveness of the

countryside to mobile labour, potential investors and

visitors.

Despite the range of commercial pressures that are

expected to bear on the agricultural sector over the

next decade, large numbers of existing producers are

likely to seek continued involvement in primary

agriculture. Long-term survival will require a process of

continuous efficiency improvement and enhanced

competitiveness. SO4 is designed to assist primary

producers within the region to adapt to changing

circumstances and enhance their capability to

compete.

Actions:

•• Provision of agricultural business

support/development advice and/or

intermediaries;

•• Establish best practice/benchmarking networks

to ensure transfer of R&D findings and

technology developments;

•• Support for cooperatives/collaboration to

reduce costs and improve sales efficiency;

•• Facilitation advice/guidance to ensure access

to, and enhance take-up of, available funding

support;

•• Develop ICT based infrastructures to assist

purchasing and sales efficiency;

•• IT training and delivery;

•• Promotion of farming practices/solutions that

rural renaissance 39

46 The three RDAs in the North of England – NWDA, One Northeast and Yorkshire Forward – have recently commiisioned a feasibility study into the need for a strategy to develop the

organic sector in the North of England.

promote economically and environmentally

sustainable systems of farming;

SO5: Rural Skills Development

Rationale: Workforce skills are vital to the

competitiveness of all businesses. The higher the

‘level’ of skills in the workforce of any area, the more

capable will be that workforce in adopting and

adapting new or innovative practices and processes

and the more likely that members of the workforce

may develop ‘spin-off’ technologies and contribute to

the generation of new firm growth. SO5 is designed

to ensure that the process of strengthening the

primary agriculture base, restructuring and

diversification within the rural economy, as well as the

broadening of the economic base, is supported by

commensurate development of human capital.

Actions:

•• Maintain and enhance farming/related skills to

ensure retention/attraction of key staff and

develop primary agriculture efficiency;

•• Integrate training and ‘new-start’ initiatives to

ensure sufficient new entrants for maintenance

of farming systems essential to the future

management of landscapes and habitats;

•• Support skills upgrading/diversification in small

rural businesses alongside expansion of

management development, business mentoring

and self-employment programmes;

•• Targeting opportunities for IT training for

members of the farming community and those

who may be forced to leave it due to economic

restructuring;

•• Examine need for flexible learning centres and

develop mobile learning facilities;

•• Targeted training to support:

■ Tourism sector;

■ Small heritage, arts crafts and culture

businesses;

■ Creative industries sector;

■ Environmental enhancement;

Environmental sector growth47 ;

SO6: Development and Promotion of

Countryside Products

Rationale: The development and promotion of local

countryside products offers significant potential for

producers to establish differentiated brands, develop

new and alternative markets and generally add and

retain value locally. SO6 is designed to renew and

accelerate the potential benefits from such activities by

assisting marketing and consumption of local products

that sustain the environmental and cultural heritage of

the region.

Actions:

•• Support for local farmers markets;

•• Support economic collaboration amongst

farmers, especially smaller producers, to form

and develop cooperatives;

•• Support community agricultural and ‘food

futures’ programmes;

•• Build upon existing fine food marketing

structures (North West Food Alliance) to

promote produce both within and beyond the

region;

•• Implement the regional food strategy

•• Promote the procurement of local food

products, within the preview of any prevailing

competition requirements, by public and private

organisations;

•• Build upon existing food and non-food

marketing structures to promote products both

within and beyond the region and strengthen

links with market towns/urban areas;

rural renaissance40

47 It is estimated that the sector supports 39,000 jobs and generates value added of some £1bn in the region – The Environmental Economy, ERM, 2000.

•• Support the development of non-food

products;

•• Provide marketing training within the local

farming, food processing, craft and other

product communities;

SO7: Sustaining the Environmental Inheritance

Rationale: Rural communities are custodians of an

environmental inheritance. Such has become the

economic value of that inheritance that it is in the long-

term interests of those communities to ensure

environmental sustainability. SO7 seeks to promote a

range of actions designed to ensure environmental

sustainability remains a key feature of all forms of

structural change and transition in rural economies.

Actions:

•• Encourage adoption of farming

practices/solutions that promote economically

and environmentally sustainable systems of

farming;

•• Dedicated whole farm business planning

support;

•• Support a Woodland Rural Development

Programme;

•• Support environmental conservation work which

generates economic activity in its own right;

•• Improve information and advice infrastructure to

promote best practice in the design of

economic development proposals;

•• Develop Integrated Land Management Service

building upon existing best practice within the

region to secure land use policies that

safeguard and enhance landscape, habitats

and biodiversity

•• Review of countryside stewardship/ESA

schemes to investigate effectiveness and

encourage take-up;

•• Increase awareness of sustainable building

practices;

•• Support environmental and access

enhancement programmes;

SO8: Delivering Social and community

Regeneration

Rationale: A growing volume of development research

and practice emphasises the role of social capital,

community relations and very local organisations48 in

sustaining rural regeneration policies and programmes.

SO8 seeks to support the social infrastructure of rural

areas through maintenance of service infrastructure,

addressing particular forms of exclusion and

invigorating support networks.

Actions:

•• Retention of rural services infrastructure:

■ Working with local authorities and other

bodies to maintain an appropriate service

infrastructure in rural areas;

•• Overcoming financial and property/housing

exclusion:

■ Pilot Community & Asset Reinvestment Trust

(CART) scheme;

•• Rural Support Networks:

■ Support and strengthen existing counselling

services post FMD;

■ Voluntary sector support, development and

integration to promote community

empowerment;

■ Capacity building;

■ Leadership and facilitation skills development;

•• Support the development of rural credit unions

•• Support community and social enterprises;

•• Support rural healthcare support infrastructure

rural renaissance 41

SO9: Strategic Actions

Rationale: Preparation of the Plan has identified a

series of strategic actions that would contribute to the

wider ambitions of the strategy, improving the efficacy

of proposals and support the recovery programme.

Actions:

•• Support review of CAP and investigate options

to promote agri-environment mechanisms to

accelerate the process of change;

•• Investigate potential for RDR regional modulation

flexibility and other incentives to promote

diversification;

•• Lobby for capital allowance incentives for

purposes of diversification;

•• Seek review of ERDP structures and operation

as part of the interim evaluation process to

ensure more appropriate mechanisms for

delivering the ‘public goods’ of the countryside

environment;

•• Support efforts to design and refine indicators

of rural advantage/disadvantage;

•• Examine the case for designation of rural

renewal fund counterpart to Neighbourhood

Renewal Fund;

•• Support a programme of research to address

specified needs.

Rural Renaissance Actions and RES Themes

The Rural Renaissance actions outlined in section 7.5

are designed to overcome the barriers to rural

development identified in earlier sections of the report.

The actions can also be viewed in the context of the

themes that underpin the Regional Economic Strategy.

Table 7.1 provides a full cross-referencing of the

interactions.

rural renaissance42

48 EG voluntary sector organisations, churches and congregations

rural renaissance 43

Actions Business People & Infrastructure Image && Ideas Communities Environment

SO1 - Broadening the Economic Baseof Rural Areas

Provisions of rural business/support developmentadvice and/or intermediaries; •

Develop rural enterprise support network comprisingrural development officers with network managers; •

Coordinate rural ICT strategy to incorporateinfrastructure, training and e-commerce; • •

Continue support for ICT related investment inrural areas; • •

Target opportunities for IT training both for membersof the farming community and those who are being • •forced to leave it due to economic restructuring;

Continue reviewing emerging broadband technologycapability and opportunities for rural connectivity; • •

Attract inward investment, of appropriate scale,focussing on rural potential in the area ofenvironmental technology, remediation and related • •

knowledge based industry sectors;

Facilitate rural business finance scheme; •

Examine integrated transport options and promotionof the transport needs of rural communities within • •the Regional Transport Strategy;

Build upon recent workspace and new premisesstudies to promote relocation, inward investment • •and new starts;

Support a woodland rural development programme; • •

Build upon market towns programmes as a focusfor services, culture and jobs; • •

Facilitate regional HEI Rural DevelopmentFocus group; •

Table 7.1: Rural Renaissance Actions and RES Themes

rural renaissance44

Actions Business People & Infrastructure Image && Ideas Communities Environment

SO2 – Renew and Strengthen SustainableRecreation and Tourism

Coordinate action between partners to strengthenthe regions competitive position as a leisure and • •business tourist destination and counter seasonality;

Overseas marketing programme to restore imageand renew overseas activity levels post FMD; • •

Examine rural tourism product ‘branding’, promotion/re-launch opportunities/requirements post FMDand strengthen existing marketing partnerships/ • •

consortia;

Design and development of ICT support structurefor promotion of farm-based tourism and recreationalopportunities and interfacing with emerging • •

national ICT systems;

Promote explicit inclusion of sustainability principlesacross all recreation and tourism projects; •

Support high quality wildlife habitats to improve thelandscape and tourism product and the raise the • •profile of eco-tourism;

Extend sustainable tourism related to cultural andheritage assets, wildlife, forestry, regional parks and • •woodland and countryside sports;

Support arts events/venues to encourage culturaltourism potential; • •

Develop improved intelligence capabilities to identifyemerging and changing customer needs andpreferences and new market opportunities •

in rural areas;

Harness development and implementation ofregional and sub-regional e-tourism strategies to •maximise benefit to the rural economy;

Reduce operator fragmentation through developmentof more extensive operator networks; •

Promote continuous product improvement initiativesto enhance quality and skill standards of operators; • •

Plan and coordinate for opportunities raised throughthe 2000 Countryside and Rights of Way Act and • •the emergence of Local Access Forums.

Ensuring rural ‘gain’ from the Commonwealth Games • •

Table 7.1: Rural Renaissance Actions and RES Themes (cont.)

rural renaissance 45

Actions Business People & Infrastructure Image && Ideas Communities Environment

SO3 – Assisting the Restructuring of Agriculture

Provision of environmentally friendly diversificationbusiness support/development advice and/or • •intermediaries;

Within agriculture diversification programme: • •

Beyond agriculture diversification programme: • • •

Assistance to identify and secure diversificationpotential through targeted woodland creation and • •management programme

Diversification training needs assessment and delivery; • •

Training to support access to off-farmincome opportunities; •

Promoting more effective interface betweenagricultural colleges/research and experimentation • •groups and farming community;

Targeting the special needs of upland farmers; • •

Development of the Planning Facilitation Service topromote proactive use of the planning system to • •deliver good quality and sustainable development;

SO4 – Enhancing the Competitiveness andCapability of Primary Agriculture

Provision of agricultural business support/development advice and/or intermediaries; • •

Establish best practice/benchmarking networks toensure transfer of R&D findings and technology •developments;

Support for cooperatives/collaboration to reducecosts and improve sales efficiency; •

Facilitation advice/guidance to ensure access to,and enhance take-up of, available funding support; •

Develop ICT based infrastructures to assistpurchasing and sales efficiency; • • •

IT training and delivery; • •

Promotion of farming practices/solutions that promoteeconomically and environmentally sustainable • •systems of farming;

Table 7.1: Rural Renaissance Actions and RES Themes (cont.)

rural renaissance46

Actions Business People & Infrastructure Image && Ideas Communities Environment

SO5 – Rural Skills Development

Integrate training and ‘new-start’ initiatives to ensuresufficient new entrants for maintenance of farmingsystems essential to the future management of • • •

landscapes and habitats;

Support skills upgrading/diversification in small ruralbusinesses alongside expansion of managementdevelopment, business mentoring and self • •

employment programmes;

Targeting opportunities for IT training for members ofthe farming community and those who may be • •orced to leave it due to economic restructuring

Examine need for flexible learning centres anddevelop mobile learning facilities; • •

Targeted training to support tourism sector; smallheritage, arts, crafts and culture businesses; • •environmental enhancement and environment sector;

SO6 – Development and Promotion ofCountryside Products

Support for local farmers markets; •

Support economic collaboration amongst farmers,especially smaller producers, to form and •develop cooperatives;

Support community agricultural and‘food futures’ programmes; • •

Build upon existing food and non-food marketingstructures to promote products both within andbeyond the region; and strengthen links with market • • •

towns/urban areas

Implementing the regional food strategy • •

Promote the procurement of local food products,within the preview of any prevailing competition •requirements, by public and private organisations;

Support non-food product development • •

Providing marketing training within the local farmingand food processing communities; • •

Table 7.1: Rural Renaissance Actions and RES Themes (cont.)

rural renaissance 47

44 EG voluntary sector organisations, churches and congregations

Actions Business People & Infrastructure Image && Ideas Communities Environment

SO7 – Sustaining the Rural Environmental

Encourage adoption of farming practices/solutionsthat promote economically and environmentally • •sustainable systems of farming;

Dedicated whole farm business planning support; • •

Support Woodland Rural Development Programme; • •

Support environmental conservation work whichgenerates economic activity in its own right; • •

Improve integration of rural environmental andcommunity objectives building upon best practice • •within the region;

Improve information and advice infrastructure topromote best practice in the design of economic • • •development proposals;

Develop Integrated Land Management Servicebuilding upon existing best practice within the regionto secure land-use policies that land-use policies • •that safeguard and enhance, landscape,habitats and biodiversity;

Review of countryside stewardship/ESA schemesto investigate effectiveness and encourage take-up; •

Increase awareness of sustainable building practices • • •

Support environmental and accessenhancement programmes; • •

SO8 - Delivering Social and CommunityRegeneration

Retention of rural services infrastructure: • • •

Overcoming financial and property/housing exclusion: • • •

Rural Support Networks; •

Support community and social enterprises • •

Strengthen rural healthcare support infrastructure •

Support development of rural credit unions •

Table 7.1: Rural Renaissance Actions and RES Themes (cont.)

Introduction

This section contains an indicative funding and impact

assessment of Action Plan proposals.

Cost and Funding Gap

It is estimated that implementation of the Plan will cost

some £389m, broken down across strategy

objectives as outlined in Table 8.1. Partner

contributions have been assessed in the light of

emerging county plans and discussion with partners.

Table 8.2 details the assumed contribution from

partners towards Rural Renaissance. With the

emergence of the Single Financial Framework for

NWDA resources, contributions through the RDP,

SRB and other budgets have been subsumed under

the NWDA banner.

The decision of NWDA to allocate additional resources

equivalent to £77m above and beyond existing

commitments in the rural arena means that partner

contributions can broadly secure the estimated total

resource required for delivery of the Plan. The

allocation of contributions across strategy objectives in

line with partner priorities, on the other hand, indicates

a degree of mismatch between required and available

funding. NWDA will review potential for adjusting its

expenditure profile across SOs in the light of this

outcome49.

The potential economic impact of the plan, as a whole

and across each strategy objective, has been formally

examined using an economic impact model. This

takes into account the nature of activity supported, the

amount of resource available and standard benchmark

data to estimate gross additional GVA and

employment. Gross figures are adjusted to a net

basis through a further assessment of deadweight,

displacement and multiplier analysis . The illustrative

employment and GVA impacts that are modelled to

arise from implementing the Strategy are summarised

in Table 8.3.

rural renaissance48

8. Costs, Funding and Impact

Strategic Objective Projected Estimated FundingCost Available Gap(£m) Resource (£m)

(£m)

SO1 – Broadening the Economic Base 48 63 (15)

SO2 – Renew and Strengthening Tourism 48 53 (5)

SO3 – Assisting Restructuring of Agriculture 113 80 33

SO4 – Enhancing Primary Agriculture 15 16 (1)

SO5 – Skills Development 12 14 (2)

SO6 – Countryside Products 27 42 (15)

SO7 –Supporting Rural Environment 116 113 3

SO8 – Social and Community Regeneration 10 9 2

Total 389 390 (1)

Table 8.1: Projected Costs and Funding Gap

49 Capacity to direct spending into certain SOs may be constrained by State Aids rules and regulations.

49rural renaissance

TABLE SO1 SO2 SO3 SO4 SO5 SO6 SO7 SO8 Total

ERDP/DEFRA50 5.0 4.3 7.1 2.4 1.1 5.2 96.0 1.5 122.6

Countryside Agency 5.5 8.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 2.8 5.0 21.7

Forestry Commission 7.3 0.0 3.6 1.2 0.0 0.0 3.6 0.0 15.7

County/District Authorities 0.6 5.4 1.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.6 8.4

LSCs 2.0 3.0 12.0 3.0 7.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 31

NWDA 34.4 10.4 18.3 2.9 2.2 22.2 8.8 0.9 100.1

English Nature 0.0 0.0 4.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 0.0 5.5

Objective 2 0.8 3.4 0.0 2.5 0.0 2.0 0.0 0.5 9.2

Objective 3 0.0 2.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 5.2

Leader+ 1.3 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 5.9 0.0 0.0 8.8

Private Sector 3.5 10.4 33.1 0.2 1.3 2.0 0.0 0.0 50.5

SBS 3.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5

Other 0.0 4.3 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.0 0.0 6.4

Total 63.4 52.5 79.9 15.9 14.4 42.2 113.1 8.7 390.1

Table 8.2: Indicative Partner Funding Profile (£m)

Table 8.3: Projected Strategy Impacts

Strategic Objective Total Safeguarded NewJobs Jobs Jobs

SO1 – Broadening the Economic Base 4710 2310 2400

SO2 – Renew and Strengthen Tourism 2764 1398 1366

SO3 – Assisting Restructuring of Agriculture 3880 1995 1885

SO4 – Enhancing Primary Agriculture 958 511 447

SO5 – Skills Development 989 784 205

SO6 – Countryside Products 1126 835 291

SO7 – Sustaining Rural Inheritance 871 578 293

SO8 – Social and Community Regeneration 390 234 156

Total 15688 8645 7043

It is projected that implementation will result in creating/safeguarding 15,686 jobs. Tables 8.4 to 8.11 provide an overallsummary of the Plan objectives with relevant cost, funding and impact outcomes, time profiles and determination oflocal/regional responsibility.

50 The ERDP represents the estimated full complement of ERDP resource over the horizon of the Plan. Much of this resource is demand-led and will require a 100% take-up to achieve

spend levels.

This table does not cover every available funding stream and it is anticipated that other funding will be utilised for RuralRenaissance by partners wherever possiible.

50 rural renaissance

Action Proposed Time LocalProfile Region

Provision of rural business support/development advice and/or intermediaries S,M, L

Develop of rural enterprise support network - rural development officers with networkmanagers M,L L

Coordinate rural ICT strategy to incorporate infrastructure, training and e-commerce M,L R

Continue support for ICT related investment in rural areas M,L L

Target opportunities for IT training both for members of the farming community and thosewho arebeing forced to leave it due to economic restructuring; S,M L

Continue reviewing emerging broadband technology capability and opportunities forrural connectivity S R

Attract inward investment, of appropriate scale, focusing on environmental technology,remediation and KBI S,M R

Facilitate rural business finance scheme M,L R

Examine integrated transport and promotion of the transport needs of rural communitieswithin the Regional Transport Strategy; M,L R

Build upon recent workspace and new premises studies to promote relocation, inwardinvestment and new starts S,M L/R

Support woodland rural development programme M,L L

Build upon market towns programme as a focus for services, culture and jobs M L/R

Facilitate regional HEI Rural Development Focus group S R

Primary Partners:DEFRA, Forestry Commission, County Councils, District Councils, LSCs, FEFC, NWDA, Private Sector, SBS

Projected Costs (£m): £48m

Accessible Resource (£m): £63m

Funding Gap (£m): £-15m

Indicative Impact:

• 4,710 Jobs Created/Safeguarded

• 2,400 Jobs Created

• 2,310 Jobs Safeguarded

• £166m Total Additional GVA

• £85m New GVA

• £81m Safeguarded GVA

Long-term Intervention Outcomes: Securing a rural economy that is vibrant and diversified, that encourages enterprise andentrepreneurship and that offers long-term security for rural communities.

Table 8.4: SO1 - Broadening the Economic Base of Rural Areas

51rural renaissance

Action Proposed Time LocalProfile Region

Coordinated action to strengthen the regions competitive position as a leisure and businesstourist destination and counter seasonality S,M R

Overseas marketing programme to restore image/ renew overseas activity levels post FMD S L/R

Examine rural tourism product ‘branding’, promotion/re-launch opportunities/requirementspost FMD and strengthen existing marketing partnerships/consortia S L

ICT support structure for rural tourism

Promotion and development of farm-based tourism S,M L

Promote inclusion of sustainability principles across all recreation and tourism projects S R

Support high quality wildlife habitats to improve the tourism product and the raisethe profile of eco-tourism; M,L L

Extend sustainable tourism related to cultural and heritage assets, wildlife, forestry,regional parks and woodland and countryside sports M,L L

Support arts events/venues to develop cultural tourism potential of arts projects S,M R/L

Develop improved intelligence capabilities to identify emerging customer needs andpreferences and new market opportunities in rural areas M,L R

Harness development and implementation of regional and sub-regional e-tourismstrategies to maximise benefit to the rural economy M,L R/L

Reduce operator fragmentation through development of more extensive operator networks M,L L

Promote continuous product improvement initiatives to enhance quality and skill standardsof operators S,M L

Plan/ coordinate opportunities through Countryside Act and Local Access Forums S,M L

Ensuring rural ‘gain’ from the Commonwealth Games S R

Primary Partners:DEFRA, Countryside Agency, County Councils, District Councils, FEFC, NWDA,Private Sector, Tourist Boards

Projected Costs (£m): £48m

Accessible Resource (£m): £53m

Funding Gap (£m): £-5m

Indicative Impact:

• 2,764 Jobs Created/Safeguarded

• 1,366 Jobs Created

• 1,398 Jobs Safeguarded

• £48m Total Additional GVA

• £24m New GVA

• £24m Safeguarded GVA

Long-term Intervention Outcomes: Development of a quality, balanced, sustainable and ‘intelligent’ recreation, leisure andtourism sector that contributes to rural opportunity and prosperity while protecting valued landscapes and biodiversity

Table 8.5: SO2 - Renew & Strengthen Tourism Product Offer

52 rural renaissance

Action Proposed Time LocalProfile Region

Provision of environmentally friendly diversification business support/development advisors and/orintermediaries S,M L

Within agriculture diversification programme M,L R

Beyond the farm gate agriculture diversification programme: M,L R/L

Assistance to identify/secure diversification potential through targeted woodland creation/management S,M L

Diversification training needs assessment and delivery; S,M L

Training to support access to off-farm income opportunities; S,M L

Promoting more effective interface between agricultural colleges/research and experimentationgroups and farming community; M,L L

Targeting the needs of upland farmers S,M L

Development of the Planning Facilitation Service S,M R

Primary Partners:DEFRA, Forestry Commission, County Councils, District Councils, LSCs, FEFC, NWDA,English Nature, Private Sector, SBS

Projected Costs (£m): £113m

Accessible Resource (£m): £80m

Funding Gap (£m): £33m

Indicative Impact:

• 3,879 Jobs Created/Safeguarded

• 1,885 Jobs Created

• 1,995 Jobs Safeguarded

• £130m Total Additional GVA

• £63m New GVA

• £67m Safeguarded GVA

Long-term Intervention Outcomes: Establishment of a broader-based, multifunctional and diversified agricultural sector thatis economically sustainable, dynamic and adaptable

Table 8.6: SO3 - Assisting the Restructuring of Agriculture

rural renaissance 53

Action Proposed Time LocalProfile Region

Provision of agricultural business support/development advice and/or intermediaries; S,M L

Establish best practice/benchmarking networks to ensure transfer of R&D findings andtechnology developments; S,M R

Support for cooperatives/collaboration to reduce costs and improve sales efficiency; S,M L

Facilitation advice/guidance to ensure access to, and enhance take-up of, availablefunding support; S L

Develop ICT based infrastructures to assist purchasing and sales efficiency; M,L L

IT training and delivery; S,M L

Promotion of farming practices/solutions that promote economically and environmentallysustainable systems of farming; M,L R

Primary Partners:DEFRA, Forestry Commission, LSCs, FEFC, NWDA, Private Sector, SBS

Projected Costs (£m): £15m

Accessible Resource (£m): £16m

Funding Gap (£m): £-1m

Indicative Impact:

• 958 Jobs Created/Safeguarded

• 447 Jobs Created

• 511 Jobs Safeguarded

• £39m Total Additional GVA

• £18m New GVA

• £21m Safeguarded GVA

Long-term Intervention Outcomes: Delivery of an efficient, technologically competitive primary producer base with anetwork support infrastructure that encourages and facilitates adaptation to change and enables effective maintenanceof rural landscape and habitats

Table 8.7: SO4: Enhancing the Competitiveness and Capability of Primary Agriculture

rural renaissance54

Action Proposed Time LocalProfile Region

Maintain and enhance farming related skills to ensure retention/attraction of key staff and developprimary agriculture efficiency; S,M,L L

Integrate training and ‘new-start’ initiatives to ensure sufficient new entrants for maintenance of arming systems essential to the future management of landscapes and habitats S,M,L L

Support skills upgrading/diversification in small rural businesses alongside expansion ofmanagement development, business mentoring and self employment programmes S,M, L

Targeting opportunities for IT training for members of the farming community and those who maybe forced to leave it due to economic restructuring S,M L

Examine need for flexible learning centres and develop mobile learning facilities M R

Targeted training to support tourism sector; small heritage, arts, crafts and culture businesses;environmental enhancement and environment sector S,M L

Primary Partners:DEFRA, LSCs, FEFC, NWDA, Private Sector, Business Link

Projected Costs (£m): £12m

Accessible Resource (£m): £14m

Funding Gap (£m): £-2m

Indicative Impact:

• 989 Jobs Created/Safeguarded

• 205 Jobs Created

• 784 Jobs Safeguarded

• £26m Total Additional GVA

• £5m New GVA

• £6m Safeguarded GVA

Long-term Intervention Outcomes: Ensuring that rural communities have the capacity to support the process of structuralchange as well as access and benefit form emerging opportunities

Table 8.8: SO5 - Rural Skills Development

55rural renaissance

Action Proposed Time LocalProfile Region

Support for local farmers markets M,l R

Support economic collaboration amongst farmers, especially smaller producers, to form anddevelop cooperatives M,L R

Support community agricultural and ‘food futures’ programmes; S,M L

Building upon existing food and non-food marketing structures to promote produce both withinand beyond the region S,M R

Implement the regional food strategy M,L R

Provide marketing training within the local farming and food processing communities S,M L

Promote the procurement of local food products, within the preview of any prevailing competitionrequirements, by public and private organisations S R

Support the development of non-food products S,M L

Primary Partners:DEFRA, Countryside Agency, LSCs, FEFC, NWDA, Private Sector, SBS

Projected Costs (£m): £27m

Accessible Resource (£m): £42m

Funding Gap (£m): £-15m

Indicative Impact:

• 1,126 Jobs Created/Safeguarded

• 291 Jobs Created

• 835 Jobs Safeguarded

• £42m Total Additional GVA

• £11m New GVA

• £31m Safeguarded GVA

Long-term Intervention Outcomes: Development of a thriving countryside product sector with recognised and valuedregional/sub-regional brands that contribute to rural integration and prosperity

Table 8.9: SO6 - Development and Promotion of Countryside Products

56 rural renaissance

Action Proposed Time LocalProfile Region

Encourage adoption of farming practices that promote economically and environmentallysustainable systems of farming S,M R

Whole farm business planning support M,L L

Support woodland rural development programme L L

Support environmental conservation work which generates economic activity in its own right S,M L

Improve information and advice infrastructure to promote best practice in the design of economicdevelopment proposals S,M R/L

Support the development of Integrated Land Management Services M,L R/L

Review of countryside stewardship/ESA schemes to encourage take-up S,M R

Increase awareness of sustainable building practices S,M R

Support environmental and access enhancement programmes M,L R

Primary Partners:DEFRA, Countryside Agency, Forestry Commission, County Councils, District Councils, NWDA,English Nature, Business Link

Projected Costs (£m): £116m

Accessible Resource (£m): £113m

Funding Gap (£m): £3m

Indicative Impact:

• 871 Jobs Created/Safeguarded

• 293 Jobs Created

• 578 Jobs Safeguarded

• £22m Total Additional GVA

• £8m New GVA

• £15m Safeguarded GVA

Long-term Intervention Outcomes: Ensure that the values of diversity and distinctiveness of the countryside, landscape andhabitats are recognised as a resource of intrinsic and exceptional value, and are to be safeguarded, preserved andprotected for the benefit of future generations

Table 8.10: SO7 – Sustaining the Rural Environment

57rural renaissance

Action Proposed Time LocalProfile Region

Working with local authorities and other bodies to maintain an appropriate service infrastructure inrural areas S,M R

Pilot Community & Asset Reinvestment Trust (CART) scheme S,M L

Support and strengthen existing counselling services post FMD S L

Voluntary sector support, development and integration to promote community empowerment S,M L

Capacity building M L

Leadership and facilitation skills development M L

Support for community/social enterprises S,M L

Support the development of rural credit unions S,M R/L

Strengthen rural healthcare support infrastructure S,M L

Primary Partners:DEFRA, Countryside Agency, County Councils, District Councils, NWDA, Business Link

Projected Costs (£m): £10m

Accessible Resource (£m): £9m

Funding Gap (£m): £1m

Indicative Impact:

• 390 Jobs Created/Safeguarded

• 234 Jobs Created

• 156 Jobs Safeguarded

• £7m Total Additional GVA

• £3m New GVA

• £4m Safeguarded GVA

Long-term Intervention Outcomes: Development of an infrastructure that supports and sustains rural communities,overcomes exclusion and underpins the economic regeneration of rural areas.

Table 8.11: SO8 – Delivering Social and Community Regeneration

Introduction

The strategy outlined in earlier sections represents the

framework within which NWDA and partners will seek

to instigate recovery of the rural economy. This

section focuses on envisaged arrangements for

delivery and implementation of the Plan over the

course of the five-year period and covers organisation

and delivery, outputs, and monitoring and evaluation.

Organisation and Delivery Arrangements

The Rural Renaissance Plan is set in a rural policy

arena characterised by a patchwork of agencies and

policies with differing remits, aims, spatial focus and

funding structures. This results in constrained

integration and coordination, network fragmentation,

overlap and ‘partnership creep’. It is intended that the

Plan should not fall prey to similar difficulties but should

act as a catalyst to improve rural regeneration policy in

its entirety through a series of key delivery objectives,

namely:

• Operating to add value through improved

cooperation, coordination and integration of existing

agencies and partnerships/programmes as well as

influencing future development of policy;

• Merging significant additional resources with

existing activities to promote greater coherence

and synergy;

• Avoiding duplication and replication;

• Observing the principles of flexibility and subsidiarity

enshrined in the strategy;

• Showing commitment to the existing obligations

and commitments of partner agencies; and

• Introducing a new ‘dynamic’ into the organisation

and delivery of rural regeneration within the region.

Alongside these objectives, it is evident that a range of

impending factors - change to CAP and expansion of

the EU - have the potential to significantly alter the

basis of agricultural support in rural areas. In this

context, it is imperative to develop delivery structures

that:

• Review the relevance, enhance actions and/or

modify the ambitions and direction of the original

strategy in the light of changing circumstances;

• Ensure appropriate and efficient communication of

strategy direction and performance both vertically

and horizontally at all levels of the partnership;

• Engage and inform existing and ‘new’ funding

partners with regards to strategy progress and

performance;

• Assess and seek to improve the efficiency and

effectiveness of delivery arrangements; and

• Monitor progress of the Action Plan against targets.

Finally, delivery structures must, at an everyday level:

• Allow effective operating relationships between

agencies operating at spatial different levels –

national, regional, county, local;

• Accommodate differing operational models sub-

regionally (eg the Cumbria RAZ);

• Engage with existing rural policy infrastructure,

administration and partnership arrangements;

• Deliver effective management and accountability.

On the basis on these considerations, a desire to

retain simplicity and respect for the principle of

subsidiarity, the preferred delivery option for the Plan is

rural renaissance58

9. Delivery and ImplementationArrangements

that outlined in figure 9.1.

The basis of the delivery infrastructure is the

introduction of a Strategy Body to oversee

implementation of the plan with delegation of delivery

responsibility to county-based bodies.

The Strategy Body

The Strategy Body should:

• Champion and oversee delivery of Rural

Renaissance;

• Be composed of all key bodies/agencies that

operate to deliver rural policy or policies

complementary to rural development in and

representatives from each of the county areas that

are operating to regenerate local rural economies;

• Meet a minimum of three times per annum;

• Have neither executive powers nor a resource

allocation role;

• Oversee delivery of the Plan through an agreed

monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework;

• Act as an advisory body in:

•• Matters of Plan delivery/M&E that may

consequently impact on resource allocation

decisions taken by funding partners;

•• Reviewing the relevance, enhancing actions

and/or modifying the ambitions and direction of

the original strategy in the light of changing

circumstances; and

•• Responding to wider proposed

activities/policies that may influence rural

development prospects within the region;

• Endorse the strategic direction of county plans;

and

• Aim to become the primary mechanism for

promoting future coordination and integration of

rural regeneration activities;

County Bodies

The County Bodies (at this point defined as the

Cheshire Task Force, Cumbria Strategic Partnership

and Lancashire Rural Partnership) should, at county

level:

• Provide an overarching framework for economic

regeneration of rural areas;

• Pursue ‘on-the-ground’ integration of all rural

regeneration activities consistent with and

complementary to the Plan;

• Take strategic responsibility for the activities and

actions that will deliver the ambitions of the Plan;

introduce structures to ensure that community

representatives have agreed consultative

mechanisms for advocacy and policy

direction;perform a scrutiny role through

assessment and monitoring of sub-regional delivery

plan activities, progress and outcomes;

• Act to ensure that delivery vehicle structures:

assume objectives/aims & powers consistent with

the delivery of the Rural Renaissance programme;

adopt constitutions and responsibilities in line with

the nature of proposed actions and consistent with

any relevant and prevailing legislative

requirements;implement operating standards that

are efficient, transparent and secure probity in the

development progression of project activity; act to

ensure efficient and effective regeneration activity

through development of a 5Yr overarching plan

rural renaissance 59

detailing proposed delivery structures, actions and

their fit with both the Rural Renaissance Plan, other

initiatives, funding partners priorities, outputs and

M&E arrangementsprovide progress/M&E reports

along with an annual report to the SB; andreview

the relevance, enhance actions and/or modify the

ambitions and direction of the sub-regional strategy

in the light of changing circumstances.

• County Delivery Vehicles

The County Delivery Vehicles should:

• assume responsibility for coordination, direction

and funding of activity to secure overall delivery of

their recovery programme;

• establish and implement procedures to ensure the

effective coordination of such activity with other

rural initiatives;

• influence and advise public and private sector

agencies/organisations on policies and

programmes in so far as they impact on rural

regeneration;

• provide clear facilitation and signposting functions

to ensure and secure access to resources

available for rural regeneration;

• provide innovation and leadership in the

identification, design and development of projects;

• implement effective and robust monitoring

mechanisms that comply with the M&E

requirements of the County and Strategic Bodies;

• assist development of delivery structures to

address issues/areas of need/opportunity for

which existing infrastructure is weak;

• act to ensure efficient and effective regeneration

activity through:1Yr/3Yr delivery plans consistent

with the sub-regional regeneration strategy;rolling

forward delivery plans on an annual basis

throughout the period of the Plan;

• preparation of an annual report setting out

performance against targets, outputs and

accounts; and preparation of an annual business

plan setting out priorities, expected commitments

and outcomes.

NWDA Role

NWDA may:

• operate, in conjunction with partners, to support

and champion Rural Renaissance both within and

without the region through mechanisms such as:

promoting and referencing of the Plan in public

debates/presentations concerned with rural policy

development; recognising and cross-referencing

the Plan in all relevant and appropriate corporate

literature and forums; embedding the Plan within

the regional and sub-regional strategies; and

promotion of the Plan as a model of best practice.

devolve/delegate responsibility for use of Agency

resource in the delivery of the Plan with the

exception of projects that are designated as

regional and which will be managed directly from

within the Agency; approve delegation only on the

basis of proposals from the county bodies that are

‘fit for purpose’ in terms of criteria established to

manage ‘single financial framework’ arrangements;

• determine sub-spatial allocations and allocate

resources directly to the body responsible for

delivery (to be determined as part of county

proposals);

• undertake independent interim and ex-post reviews

of Plan implementation and Progress; and

• seek the advice of the SB with regard to

•• matters of Plan delivery and M&E;

•• reviewing the relevance, actions and direction

of the original strategy as a matter of course

and in the light of changing circumstances; and

•• any proposed activities/policies that may

influence rural development prospects within

rural renaissance60

the region;

This broad structure secures the ‘best fit’ against

requirements specified earlier. It is relatively simple,

has clear lines of responsibility and accountability and

allows flexibility to ensure that lower level delivery

arrangements are appropriate to local areas.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Establishing an appropriate framework for the on-going

monitoring and interim/ex-post evaluations of the

Strategy will be essential to ensure that it remains

relevant, achieves its objectives and offers good value

for money. This section outlines an M&E framework

for the Plan that reflects:

• the range of actions supported;

• emerging RDA M&E requirements; and

• initial proposals for ‘single-pot’ project applications.

In designing the framework, consideration has been

given to ensuring that the process:

• reflects the nuances of the strategy with its focus

on revitalising rural economies and adding value

through co-ordination, co-operation and integration;

• uses relevant and robust indicators – M&E will only

be of value if indicators are relevant, timely,

comparable and verifiable;

• informs on progress through comparisons of

performance against expectations and against

targets; and

• is cost effective.

The M&E Framework

The framework for evaluation is outlined in Figure 9.251

with strategy objectives, defined on the basis of need,

determining the range of inputs required to support

actions and activities. The latter effect a series of

outputs and produce a range of results/impacts. The

framework contains a number of loops, which are

crucial to the evaluation process, namely:

• efficiency – indicated by how well the resources

(inputs) are turned into outputs or results through

the use of cost-effectiveness ratios;

• effectiveness – indicated by measures of how far

interventions contribute to achieving the specified

objectives;

• sustainability – indicated by the extent to which

benefits can be expected to last once the

programme ends.

The approach to be adopted seeks to examine the

profile of the Plan as outlined in the figure through a

combination of both bottom–up/micro analysis of

projects and top-down/macro analysis of secondary

indicators.

The bottom-up approach involves reviewing inputs,

outputs, results and impacts associated with individual

projects. It will be based upon detailed project-level

information and analyses. The top-down analysis will

consider changes in a limited number of strategic

indicators and assesses the extent to which changes

in these indicators can be attributed to the Plan. Both

will be carried-out by county bodies for actions over

which they have delegated responsibility and by

NWDA in the case of regional projects.

rural renaissance 61

51 Adapted from the MEANS framework of the European Commission.

One of the key elements of the evaluation framework

will be consideration of the additionality of the activities

supported through assessment of deadweight,

displacement, substitution and multiplier effects. All

sponsored projects should seek to examine gross and

net additional impacts both ex-ante and ex-post as

part of final evaluation considerations.

Implementing the M&E Framework

The Plan specifies a series of strategic objectives

based on an analysis of rural economy needs and a

range of actions designed to address such needs.

Effective management and delivery, along with the

evaluation framework, requires a coherent framework

of output and outcome indicators to be established at

the outset. Tables 9.1 to 9.8 outline a range of

baseline and monitoring indicators, for each strategy

objective, that will form the basis of the M&E

Framework. Each indicator is referenced to an

appropriate action and, where indicated, will also need

to be examined in terms of contribution to market town

regeneration. Assessment of the position of the rural

economy across these sets of indicators will be

examined through an independent baseline study

commissioned by NWDA.

Indicator Contribution Profiles

Rural Renaissance sits within the overall context of the

regional strategy. It is important therefore that links are

drawn between the two and that the contribution of

the latter to the former can be determined. Tables 9.9

to 9.16 take all of the M&E indicators within the Plan

and examine their role in terms of whether they:

• contribute to NWDA Targets:

•• Tier 1 (state of the region targets);

•• Tier 2 (outcome targets); and

•• Tier 3 (output targets).

• are additional targets set within the context of the

Plan and not formally an element of the NWDA

M&E framework; and

• are included primarily to assist monitoring and

evaluation.

rural renaissance62

63rural renaissance

SO1 - Broadening the Economic Base of Rural Areas

ActionsPotential Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

(* Market Towns to be identified)

Table 9.1: SO1 Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

A1.1 Provisions of rural business/support developmentadvice and/or intermediaries;

A1.2 Develop rural enterprise support network comprisingrural development officers with network managers;

A1.3 Coordinate rural ICT strategy to incorporateinfrastructure, training and e-commerce;

A1.4 Continue support for ICT related investment in ruralareas;

A1.5 Target opportunities for IT training both for membersof the farming community and those who are being forcedto leave it due to economic restructuring;

A1.6 Continue reviewing emerging broadband technologycapability and opportunities for rural connectivity;

A1.7 Attract inward investment, of appropriate scale,focussing on rural potential in the area of environmentaltechnology, remediation and related knowledge basedindustry sectors;

A1.8 Facilitate rural business finance scheme;

A1.9 Examine integrated transport options and promotionof the transport needs of rural communities within theRegional Transport Strategy;

A1.10 Build upon recent workspace and new premisesstudies to promote relocation, inward investment and newstarts;

A1.11 Support a woodland rural development programme;

A1.12 Build upon market towns programmes as a focusfor services, culture and jobs;

A1.13 Facilitate regional HEI Rural Development Focusgroup;

Number/proportion of VAT registered ag/non-agriculturalbusiness stock (1.1- 1.13)

VAT reg/deregistration rates for ag/non-agriculturalbusinesses (1.1- 1.13)

New agricultural/non-agricultural businesses starts(1.1- 1.13)*

Business survival rates for agricultural/non-agriculturalbusinesses (1.1- 1.13)

Employment base and employment growth in rural areas(1.1- 1.13)

Number of businesses advised on ICT (1.3,1.4)

Number of businesses trading electronically (1.3,1.4)

Number/growth of ICT related business (1.3, 1.4)

Number/growth of ICT related employment (1.3, 1.4)

ICT training beneficiaries &Number/level pf NVQqualifications(1.5)

Volume & value of relocation/inward investment (1.7)

Volume & value of inward investment in env technology,remediation and related KBIs (1.7)

Rural businesses accessing venture finance (1.8)

Accessibility levels of Rural Areas (1.9)

M2 of office/manufacturing/warehouse workspaceavailable (1.10)*

M2 of new/renovated office/manufacturing/warehouseworkspace (1.10)*

Additional Ha of woodland/forestry (1.11)

Number of Market town health checks/Action Plans (1.12)

Employment base and employment growth (1.12)*

VAT registration/deregistration rates for ag/non-agriculturalbusinesses in market towns (1.12)

New agricultural/non-agricultural businesses starts inmarket towns (1.12)

GVA created/safeguarded (1.1-1.13)*

Jobs created/safeguarded (1.1- 1.13)*

64 rural renaissance

SO2 – Renew and Strengthen Sustainable Recreation and Tourism

ActionsPotential Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

(* Market Towns to be identified)

Table 9.2: SO2 Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

A2.1 Coordinate action between partners to strengthen theregions competitive position as a leisure and businesstourist destination and counter seasonality;

A2.2 Overseas marketing programme to restore imageand renew overseas activity levels post FMD;

A2.3 Examine rural tourism product ‘branding’,promotion/re-launch opportunities/requirements post FMDand strengthen existing marketing partnerships/consortia;

A2.4 Design and development of ICT support structure forpromotion of farm-based tourism and recreationalopportunities and interfacing with emerging national ICTsystems;

A2.5 Promote explicit inclusion of sustainability principlesacross all recreation and tourism projects;

A2.6 Support high quality wildlife habitats to improve thelandscape and tourism product and the raise the profile ofeco-tourism;

A2.7 Extend sustainable tourism related to cultural andheritage assets, wildlife, forestry, regional parks andwoodland and countryside sports;

A2.8 Support arts events/venues to encourage culturaltourism potential;

A2.9 Develop improved intelligence capabilities to identifyemerging and changing customer needs and preferencesand new market opportunities in rural areas;

A2.10 Harness development and implementation ofregional and sub-regional e-tourism strategies to maximisebenefit to the rural economy;

A2.11 Reduce operator fragmentation throughdevelopment of more extensive operator networks;

A2.12 Promote continuous product improvement initiativesto enhance quality and skill standards of operators;

A2.13 Plan and coordinate for opportunities raised throughthe 2000 Countryside and Rights of Way Act and theemergence of Local Access Forums.

Volume/growth of domestic/overseas visitors/spend to/inrural areas (2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

Stock/growth of VAT registered tourism/leisure businesses(2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

VAT registration/deregistration rates for tourism/leisurebusinesses (2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

New tourism/leisure business starts* (2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

Volume/growth of tourism/leisure related employment (2.1,2.2, 2.3)

Membership of ICT linked farm-based tourism network(2.4)

Volume/growth in farm based tourism visitors (2.1, 2.4)

Number of farm business advised/assisted/started* (2.1,2.4)

Volume/growth in farm based tourism beds/bednights(2.1, 2.4)

Ha of quality habitats (2.5, 2.6, 2.7)

Additional Ha of quality habitats (2.5, 2.6, 2.7)

Visitor numbers/Ha of quality habitats (2.5, 2.6, 2.7)

Number of cultural/creative industry start-ups* (2.8)

Volume/growth in heritage attraction visitors/income (2.8)

Number/Attendance of/at arts/events & venues (2.8)

Size & membership of operator networks (2.11)

Number & proportion of quality assured provider network(2.12)

No of tourism/leisure businesses assisted (2.11)

No of tourism/leisure businesses assisted to use ICT inmarketing/promotion (2.9)

Proportion of tourism/leisure businesses linked tointegrated database/network (2.10)

GVA created/safeguarded (2.1-2.13)*

Jobs created/safeguarded (2.1-2.13)*

rural renaissance 65

SO3 – Assisting the Restructuring of Agriculture

ActionsPotential Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

(* Market Towns to be identified)

Table 9.3: SO3 Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

A3.1 Provision of environmentally friendly diversificationbusiness support/development advice and/orintermediaries;

A3.2 Within agriculture diversification programme:

A3.3 Beyond agriculture diversification programme:

A3.4 Assistance to identify and secure diversificationpotential through targeted woodland creation andmanagement programme

A3.5 Diversification training needs assessment and delivery;

A3.6 Training to support access to off-farm incomeopportunities;

A3.7 Promoting more effective interface betweenagricultural colleges/research and experimentation groupsand farming community;

A3.8 Targeting the special needs of upland farmers;

A3.9 Development of the Planning Facilitation Service topromote proactive use of the planning system to delivergood quality and sustainable development;

No of farm businesses assisted through diversificationsupport (3.1)

Number/proportion of farm businesses assisted pursuingdiversification activities within agriculture (3.2)

Number/proportion of farm businesses assisted pursuingdiversification activities outside agriculture (3.3)

Number of whole farm plans completed (3.1, 3.2, 3.3)

Number/value of renewable energy projects supported(3.2, 3.3)

Mw of renewable energy generated (3.2, 3.3)

Number/growth of organic farm registrations (3.1, 3.2)

Diversified income as a proportion of total farm householdincome (3.1, 3.2, 3.3)

% of income derived from non-farming sources(3.1, 3.2, 3.3)

% of income derived from off-farming sources(3.1, 3.2, 3.3)

% growth in supported farm turnover/incomes(3.1, 3.2, 3.3)

Additional Ha of woodland/forestry through diversificationsupport (3.4)

Number of diversification needs assessmentsundertaken (3.5)

Number of farm workers undertaking training for alternativecareers (3.6)

% of farm workers training for alternative careers gainingemployment (3.6)

No of upland farm businesses assisted (3.8)

Number/proportion of upland farm businesses assistedacting on advice

Number of cases supported via the Planning FacilitationService (3.9)

% of positive outcomes delivered via the PlanningFacilitation Service (3.9)

GVA created/safeguarded (3.1-3.9)

Jobs created/safeguarded (3.1-3.9)

rural renaissance66

SO4 – Enhancing the Competitiveness and Capability of Primary Agriculture

ActionsPotential Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

(* Market Towns to be identified)

Table 9.4: SO4 Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

A4.1 Provision of agricultural businesssupport/development advice and/or intermediaries;

A4.2 Establish best practice/benchmarking networks toensure transfer of R&D findings and technologydevelopments;

A4.3 Support for cooperatives/collaboration to reducecosts and improve sales efficiency;

A4.4 Facilitation advice/guidance to ensure access to, andenhance take-up of, available funding support;

A4.5 Develop ICT based infrastructures to assistpurchasing and sales efficiency;

A4.6 IT training and delivery;

A4.7 Promotion of farming practices/solutions thatpromote economically and environmentally sustainablesystems of farming;

GVA contribution of primary agriculture (4.1-4.7)

Net profitability of farming businesses (4.1 – 4.7)

No of farm operations assisted to develop primaryagriculture business (4.1)

Number/proportion of farm businesses assisted acting onadvice (4.1)

% growth in supported farm turnover/incomes (4.1)

Number and membership levels of bestpractice/benchmarking networks (4.2)

Number/size of cooperatives/collaborationssupported (4.3)

Volume/value of cooperative/collaboration activity (4.3)

Number of applicants assisted/facilitated to secure fundingsupport (4.4)

Establishment/participation levels of ICT purchasing/salesinfrastructure (4.5)

Number of applicants facilitated ro secure funding support(4.4)

Number of workers in primary agriculture undertaking ITtraining (4.6)

% of workers using IT in farm operations (4.6)

Number of demonstration farms foreconomic/environmentally sustainable farming (4.7)

Visitor levels at economic/environmentally sustainablefarms (4.7)

Establishment/membership of bestpractice/benchmarking networks foreconomic/environmentally sustainable farming (4.7)

GVA created/safeguarded (4.1-4.7)

Jobs created/safeguarded (4.1-4.7)*

rural renaissance 67

SO5 – Rural Skills Development

ActionsPotential Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

(* Market Towns to be identified)

Table 9.5: SO5 Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

A5.2 Support skills upgrading/diversification in small ruralbusinesses alongside expansion of managementdevelopment, business mentoring and self employmentprogrammes;

A5.3 Targeting opportunities for IT training for members ofthe farming community and those who may be forced toleave it due to economic restructuring

A5.4 Examine need for flexible learning centres anddevelop mobile learning facilities;

A5.5 Targeted training to support tourism sector; smallheritage, arts, crafts and culture businesses; environmentalenhancement and environment sector;

Skills/qualifications of rural area/market town residents(5.1 – 5.5)*

Qualification performance and achievements (5.1 – 5.5)*

FE/HE access rates (5.1 – 5.5)*

Working age persons receiving job-related training(5.1-5.5)*

Number of beneficiaries receiving reskilling/upskillingsupport, & number of training weeks, to enhancesustainability of primary agriculture businesses (5.1)*

Number of beneficiaries receiving reskilling/upskillingsupport & number of training weeks to enhancelandscape/habitat management skills (5.1)*

Number of primary agriculture ‘new start’ entrants from theNorth West (5.1)

Number of training beneficiaries from, & number of trainingweeks to, small rural businesses (5.2)*

Number of SMEs supported through managementdevelopment/ mentor schemes (5.2)*

Numbers assisted to pursue self-employment (5.2)*

Numbers accessing mobile-learning facilities (5.4)*

Heritage/arts/craft/culture beneficiaries/trainingweeks (5.5)*

ICT training beneficiaries/training weeks (cross-referenceSO1) (5.3, 5.5)*

Tourism/leisure training beneficiaries/training weeks (5.5)*

Woodland/habitat training beneficiaries/trainingweeks (5.5)*

Number of farm workers training for alternative careers(cross reference SO3) (5.5)*

% of farm workers training for alternative careers gainingemployment (cross reference SO3 (5.5)*

Number of workers in primary agriculture undertaking ITtraining (cross reference SO4) (5.3)*

GVA created/safeguarded (5.1-5.5)*

Jobs created/safeguarded (5.1-5.5)*

% of 16-19 year olds in full time education

% of working age people with NVQ 3 or above

% of working age people in job related training

number of farmers receiving training

new training facilities

rural renaissance68

SO6 – Development and Promotion of Countryside Products

ActionsPotential Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

(* Market Towns to be identified)

Table 9.6: Plan SO6 Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

A6.1 Support for local farmers markets;

A6.2 Support economic collaboration amongst farmers,especially smaller producers, to form and developcooperatives;

A6.3 Support community agricultural and ‘food futures’programmes;

A6.4 Build upon existing food and non-food marketingstructures to promote products both within and beyondthe region; and strengthen links with market towns/urban areas

A6.5 Implementing the regional food strategy

A6.6 Promote the procurement of local food products,within the preview of any prevailing competitionrequirements, by public and private organisations;

A6.7 Providing marketing training within the local farmingand food processing communities;

A6.8 Support development of non-food countrysideproducts

Volume/value of countryside product/produce (6.1-6.8)

% growth in volume/value of countryside product/produce(6.1-6.8)

Membership levels of branding networks (6.4, 6.8)

Number of local farmers markets supported (6.2)

Number/size of cooperatives/collaborations supported(cross reference SO4) (6.2)

Volume/value of cooperative/collaboration activity (crossreference SO4) (6.2)

Number of new retail farm/non-farm produce/productoutlets supported/established

Number of craft businesses advised/assisted/started (6.4)

Volume/value/growth of activity in supported retailoutlets/food futures activities (6.3)

Volume/value of new sales to public sector purchasers(eg NHS) (6.6)

Number of marketing/promoting beneficiaries trained (6.7)

GVA created/safeguarded (6.1-6.8)

Jobs created/safeguarded (6.1-6.8)

rural renaissance 69

SO7 – Sustaining the Environmental Inheritance

ActionsPotential Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

(* Market Towns to be identified)

Table 9.7: SO7 Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

A7.1 Encourage adoption of farming practices/solutionsthat promote economically and environmentally sustainablesystems of farming;

A7.2 Dedicated whole farm business planning support;

A7.3 Support Woodland Rural Development Programme;

A7.4 Support environmental conservation work whichgenerates economic activity in its own right;

A7.5 Improve integration of rural environmental andcommunity objectives building upon best practice withinthe region;

A7.6 Improve information and advice infrastructure topromote best practice in the design of economicdevelopment proposals;

A7.7 Develop Integrated Land Management Servicebuilding upon existing best practice within the region tosecure land-use policies that safeguard and enhance,landscape, habitats and biodiversity;

A7.8 Review of countryside stewardship/ESA schemes toinvestigate effectiveness and encourage take-up;

A7.9 Increase awareness of sustainable building practices

A7.10 Support environmental and access enhancementprogrammes;

Number of farms advised with regard toeconomically/sustainable farming options (7.1)

% of advised farms pursing actions (7.1)

Number of whole farm plans completed (cross referenceSO3) (7.2)

Additional Ha of woodland/forestry (cross referenceSO2) (7.3)

Additional Ha of broad habitats (7.4, 7.7)

Km of new/restored hedgerows (7.4, 7.5, 7.7)

Km of new/restored dry-stone walls (7.4, 7.5, 7.7)

Km of rights of way made accessible (7.4, 7.5, 7.7)

Km rights of way improved (7.4, 7.5, 7.7)

Km of cycleway added/improved (7.4, 7.5, 7.7)

% take-up of CS/ESA schemes (7.8)

Mw of renewable energy generated (7.1)

Establishment/membership of best practice/benchmarkingnetworks for sustainable building practices (7.9)

Number/%of planning applications supported by pre-submission advice on building (7.9)

GVA created/safeguarded (7.1-7.10)

Jobs created/safeguarded (7.1-7.10)*

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SO8 - Delivering Social and Community Regeneration

ActionsPotential Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

(* Market Towns to be identified)

Table 9.8: SO8 Baseline/Monitoring Indicators

A8.1 Retention of rural services infrastructure:

A8.2 Overcoming financial and property/housing exclusion:

A8.3 Rural Support Networks;

A8.4 Support community and social enterprises

A8.5 Strengthen rural healthcare support infrastructure

A8.6 Support development of rural credit unions

Access to Post Offices/Food Shops/Banks/PrimarySchools (8.1)

Public transport coverage (8.1)

Establishment/Number of Rural CART schemes (8.2)

Numbers of individuals/families supported through CARTschemes (8.2)

Number of rural credit unions established (8.2)

Membership of rural credit unions (8.2)

Capacity building training beneficiaries (8.3)

Leadership/facilitation skills training beneficiaries (8.3)

Number of social/community enterprises supported (8.4)

% growth in employment/turnover for social/communityenterprises (8.4)

New social/community enterprises starts (8.4)

Survival rates for social/community enterprises (8.4)

Access to GP/healthcare services (8.5)

GVA created/safeguarded (8.1-8.6)

Jobs created/safeguarded (8.1-8.6)*

rural renaissance 71

Table 9.9: SO1 Indicator Role (* Market Towns to be identified)

SO1 - Broadening the Economic Base of Rural Areas Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Additional M&E

Number/proportion of VAT registered agricultural/non-agriculturalbusiness stock X

VAT registration/deregistration rates for agricultural/non-agricultural businesses X

New agricultural/non-agricultural businesses starts* X X

Business survival rates for agricultural/non-agricultural businesses X

Number/growth of ICT related business X

Number/growth of ICT related employment X

Number of businesses advised on ICT X

Number of businesses trading electronically X

ICT training beneficiaries X

Number/level of NVQ qualifications gained in ICT X X

Volume & value of relocation/inward investment X

Volume & value of inward investment in env. Technology/remediation/ related KBI sectors X

Rural businesses accessing venture capital X

Accessibility levels of Rural Areas X

M2 of office/manufacturing/warehouse workspace available* X

M2 of new/renovated office/manufacturing/warehouseworkspace renovated* X

Ha of woodland/forestry X

Number of market town health checks/Action Plans X X

Employment base and employment growth in market towns X

VAT registration/deregistration rates for agricultural/non-agricultural businesses in market towns X

New agricultural/non-agricultural businessesstarts in market towns X X

Jobs safeguarded* X X

Jobs created* X X

GVA safeguarded* X X

GVA created* X X

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Table 9.10: SO2 Indicator Role (* Market Towns to be identified)

SO2 – Renew and Strengthen SustainableRecreation and Tourism Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Additional M&E

Volume/growth of domestic/overseas visitors/spend torural areas X

Stock/growth of VAT registered tourism/leisure businesses X

VAT registration/deregistration rates for tourism/leisure businesses X

New tourism/leisure business starts* X X

Volume/growth of tourism/leisure related employment X

Volume/growth in farm based tourism visitors X

Membership of ICT linked farm-based tourism network X

Number of farm business advised/assisted/started X

Volume/growth in farm based tourism beds/bednights X

Ha of quality habitats X

Additional Ha of quality habitats X

Visitor numbers/Ha of quality habitats X

Number of cultural/creative industry start-ups* X X X

Volume/growth in heritage attraction visitors/income X

Number/Attendance of/at arts/events & venues X

Size & membership of operator networks X

Number & proportion of quality assured provider network X

Number of tourism/leisure businesses assisted X

Number of tourism/leisure businesses assisted to use ICTin marketing/promotion X

Proportion of tourism/leisure businesses linked to integrateddatabase network X

Jobs safeguarded* X X

Jobs created* X X

GVA safeguarded* X X

GVA created* X X

rural renaissance 73

Table 9.11: SO3 Indicator Role

SO3 – Assisting the Restructuring of Agriculture Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Additional M&E

No of farm businesses assisted through diversification support X

Number/proportion of farm businesses assisted pursuingdiversification activities within agriculture X

Number/proportion of farm businesses assisted pursuingdiversification activities outside agriculture X

Number of whole farm plans completed X

Number/growth of organic farm registrations X

Number/Value of renewable energy projects supported X

Mw of renewable energy generated X

Diversified income as a proportion of total farmhousehold income X

% of income derived from non-farming sources X

% of income derived from off-farming sources X

% growth in supported farm turnover/incomes X

Number of farm workers undertaking training foralternative careers X X X

Additional Ha of woodland/forestry throughdiversification support X

% of farm workers training for alternative careersgaining employment X

Number of diversification needs assessments undertaken X

No of upland farm businesses assisted X

Number/proportion of upland farm businesses assistedacting on advice X

Number of cases supported via the Planning Facilitation Service X

% of positive outcomes delivered via the PlanningFacilitation Service X

Jobs safeguarded X X

Jobs created X X

GVA safeguarded X X

GVA created X X

rural renaissance74

Table 9.12: SO4 Indicator Role

SO4 – Enhancing the Competitivenessand Capability of Primary Agriculture Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Additional M&E

GVA Contribution of Primary Agriculture X

Net Profitability of Farming businesses X

No of farm operations assisted to develop primaryagriculture business X

Number/proportion of farm businesses assistedacting on advice X

% growth in supported farm turnover/incomes X

Number and membership levels of best practice/benchmarking networks X

Number/size of cooperatives/collaborations supported X

Volume/value of cooperative/collaboration activity X

Establishment/participation levels of ICT purchasing/sales infrastructure X

Number of applicants assisted/facilitated to securefunding support X

Number of workers in primary agriculture undertaking IT training X X

% of workers using IT in farm operations X

Number of demonstration farms for economic/environmentallysustainable farming X

Visitor levels at economic/environmentally sustainable farming X

Establishment/membership of best practice/benchmarkingnetworks for economic/environmentally sustainable farming X

Jobs safeguarded X X

Jobs created X X

GVA safeguarded X X

GVA created X X

rural renaissance 75

Table 9.13: SO5 Indicator Role (* Market Towns to be identified)

SO5 – Rural Skills Development Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Additional M&E

Skills/qualifications of working age persons* X X

Qualification performance and achievements* X

FE Education Participation (16-19 Years)* X

FE/HE access rates* X

Working age persons receiving job-related training* X X X

Number of beneficiaries receiving reskilling/upskilling support toenhance sustainability of primary agriculture businesses X X

Number of beneficiaries receiving reskilling/upskilling support toenhance landscape/habitat management skills X X

Number of primary agriculture ‘new start’ entrants from theNorth West X

Number of training beneficiaries from small rural businesses* X X

Number of SMEs supported through managementdevelopment/business mentor schemes* X

Numbers assisted to pursue self-employment* X X

Numbers accessing mobile-learning facilities* X

Heritage/arts/craft/culture training beneficiaries* X X X

Training beneficiaries in ICT, Tourism/leisure, Woodland/habitat,alternative careers, Capacity building, Leadership/facilitation,marketing/promoting (cross-reference SO1, SO2, SO3,SO6, SO8)* X X

Jobs safeguarded* X X

Jobs created* X X

GVA safeguarded* X X

GVA created* X X

rural renaissance76

Table 9.14: SO6 Indicator Role

SO6 – Development and Promotionof Countryside Products Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Additional M&E

Volume/value of countryside product/produce X

% growth in volume/value of countryside product/produce X

Membership levels of branding networks X

Number of local farmers markets supported X

Number/size of cooperatives/collaborations supported(cross reference SO4) X

Volume/value of cooperative/collaboration activity(cross reference SO4) X

Number of new retail farm/non-farm produce/product outletssupported/established X

Number of craft businesses advised/assisted/started X X

Volume/value/growth of activity in supported retail outlets/foodfutures activities X

Number of marketing/promoting beneficiaries trained X X X

Volume/value of new sales to public sector purchasers(eg NHS) X

Jobs safeguarded X X

Jobs created X X

GVA safeguarded X X

GVA created X X

rural renaissance 77

Table 9.15: SO7 Indicator Role

SO7 – Sustaining the Environmental Inheritance Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Additional M&E

Number of farms advised with regard to economically/sustainable farming options X

% of advised farms pursing actions X

Number of whole farm plans completed (cross reference SO3) X

Additional Ha of woodland/forestry (cross reference SO1) X

Additional Ha of quality habitats (cross reference SO2) X X

Km of new/restored hedgerows X

Km of new/restored dry-stone walls X

Km of rights of way made accessible X

Km rights of way improved X

Km of cycleway added/improved X

Number/Value of renewable energy projects supported X

Mw of renewable energy generated (cross reference SO3) X

% take-up of CS/ESA schemes X

Establishment/membership of best practice/benchmarkingnetworks for sustainable building practices X

Number/%of planning applications supported bypre-submission advice on building X

Jobs safeguarded X X

Jobs created X X

GVA safeguarded X X

GVA created X X

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Table 9.16: SO8 Indicator Role

SO8 - Delivering Social and Community Regeneration Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Additional M&E

Access to Post Offices/Food Shops/Banks/Primary Schools(cross reference SO1) X

Public transport coverage X

Establishment/Number of Rural CART schemes X

Numbers of individuals/families supported throughCART schemes X

Capacity building training beneficiaries X

Number of rural credit unions established X

Membership of rural credit unions X

Leadership/facilitation skills training beneficiaries X X

Number of social/community enterprises supported X

% growth in employment/turnover for social/communityenterprises X

New social/community enterprises starts X

Survival rates for social/community enterprises X X X

Access to GP/healthcare services

Jobs safeguarded X X X

Jobs created X X X

GVA safeguarded X X

GVA created X X

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Telephone: 01925 400 100

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