Landscape Partnership Bid

Moor than meets the eye –
Dartmoor Landscape Partnership Scheme

The 'Moor than meets the eye' Project is being developed as a partnership to help local residents, businesses, farmers, visitors and agencies to work together to share, understand and appreciate the unique historic landscape of south east Dartmoor and to contribute to its future.  Those who live and work in the area are critical to the success of the this Landscape Partnership, and their involvement will help make a real difference to the way that the Project goes forward.

The Project is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund

On the announcement of the earmarked first round pass from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Bill Hitchins – Chairman of Dartmoor National Park Authority said:

'On behalf of the Partnership we are delighted that the HLF has given us this support. We believe it will provide a real boost for Dartmoor and make a real difference in our ability to understand and look after the fantastic heritage we have on Dartmoor. We hope that our local communities and visitors to the National Park will be as enthused as we are about this exciting opportunity.'

Moor than meets the eye – full application to HLF (PDF Help 332 kb)

Development Phase timetable for delivery of stage 2 bid. (PDF Help 18 kb)

What is Moor than meets the eye?

Moor than meets the eye is a  new project  which has been funded by the Heritage lottery Fund under its Landscape Partnership Programme.

The project has 5 aims:

• to conserve the unique historic landscape and its natural habitats which tell the story of human influence over thousands of years
• to significantly enhance physical and intellectual access to the heritage landscape for everyone to enjoy.To develop new ways to  increase community involvement and understanding of the historic and natural landscape and  improve. the ability of local people to share, celebrate and enjoy their local landscape
• to sustain a living and working landscape by encouraging and facilitating  business opportunities that capture the value of the landscape
• to develop. a well trained and co-ordinated volunteer workforce for the area  to help conserve and interpret the area’s heritage  both now and in future years
  

The HLF Landscape Partnership Programme requires any successful project to achieve outcomes under the following four headings:

• conserving or restoring the built and natural features that create the historic landscape character
• increasing community participation in local heritage
• increasing access to and learning about the landscape area and its heritage
• increasing training opportunities in local heritage skills
  

The Dartmoor scheme has been developed by a partnership comprising the following bodies: Dartmoor Farmers Association, Dartmoor Partnership, Dartmoor Preservation Association, Devon County Council, Duchy of Cornwall, English Heritage, Forestry Commission, Natural England, South West Lakes Trust and the Woodland Trust

What is Moor than meets the eye all about?

The scheme is about the influence of people on this landscape over 4,000 years. Anyone who lives or visits Dartmoor will know that the  evidence of past human activity is all around us and the nationally and internationally recognised landscape and habitats that  that we see today are a result of that activity.

But for many people who visit or travel across Dartmoor they do not know or understand what lies beneath the surface. What is the story of the ancient clapper bridge, the stone rows, crosses or piles of stones that we see? What is the story of the Dartmoor pony and the hardy breeds of cows and sheep that graze the commons of Dartmoor?

Through the Moor than meets the eye scheme we hope to find out more about the history of the area, we hope to work more closely with local communities to find out what is special in their area; we want to  restore or conserve the archaeology, habitats and species that are currently under threat and we hope to inspire local people and visitors to learn more about this special place. There will be a programme of events and  volunteering activities to help people do this as well as a range of heritage trails to explore the area.

What area does it cover?

The Moor than meets the eye project  covers an area of 280sq km on the south east side of Dartmoor.  It was not possible to include the whole of the National Park in the scheme because the HLF has guidance on the size of the area and suggests a maximum area of 200 sq km.
Map of the area (PDF Help 1.4 Mb)

Who manages the Scheme?

Dartmoor National Park Authority is the lead body for the Dartmoor Landscape Partnership scheme but the Project is steered by a Project Board comprising the key  delivery and funding partners. These are: Dartmoor Farmers Association, Dartmoor Partnership, Dartmoor Preservation Association, Devon County Council, Duchy of Cornwall, English Heritage, Forestry Commission, Natural England, South West Lakes Trust and the Woodland Trust.

Over the next  few  months a project manager will be recruited and it will be their role to help ensure that the next round of funding is secured as well as providing community involvement and support to the scheme.

How is the scheme funded?

The  proposed scheme has a  value of £4m to be spent over a  6 year period. The HLF has earmarked £2m  for Dartmoor but this is a two phased application process. At this stage HLF have confirmed funding of £100,000  to be spent over 18 months to help the Partnership  develop a detailed plan  for submission to the HLF to release the remaining funds. The balance of funding will come  through the partners of the project and in-kind work

What sort of Projects will be delivered, including development and delivery phase?

How can I learn more and get involved?

Over 18 months between July 2012 and January 2014, there will be a number of events and activities to promote the scheme and engage local people. There are also likely to be a number of opportunities to get involved in  practical volunteering activities. These will be advertised on this website.

If you would like to be involved in the decision making process for this bid, the Partnership will be recruiting approximately 12  people to represent the views of  local communities. This process is likely to start in the autumn. Three of these people  will have a place on the partnership board and will be able to influence decisions  about the development of the phase 2 bid.

The Woodland Trust have organised a series of spring walks for visitors to discover the history and wildlife of the Bovey. The walks will provide an opportunity to find out more about the long term management proposals for the site and to offer a view on the forthcoming "Moor than Meets the Eye Project".