Chalkscapes Outline brief for specialist advice to support

Chalkscapes North Chilterns Community Landscape Initiative

Outline brief for specialist advice to support the development of

Routeways and Waysides

Summary of Brief

Title and purpose of the work to be commissioned The successful consultant will undertake work which will inform the development of Chalkscapes, a Stage 2 (Delivery) bid to be submitted to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

This work will feed into the development of one of the five projects within Chalkscapes –

Routeways and Waysides – which will focus on promoting and enhancing historic routeways,

ecological corridors and key recreational routes linking the urban areas to the wider countryside.

Many of these routeways intersect Luton and Dunstable and are a natural focus for getting

urban communities involved with the project and the historic landscape around them.

Commissioning Organisation The Chilterns Conservation Board (CCB) is the commissioning organisation on behalf of the

Chalkscapes Partnership. The CCB is the lead for the development of Chalkscapes, which is a

partnership project. Some of the key project partners include Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and

Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, National Trust, Plantlife, Chiltern Society,

BNHS, Team Beds & Luton, The Culture Trust, Tokko Youth Space, Luton Borough Council,

Hertfordshire Borough Council, and Central Bedfordshire Council.

Brief description of specialist services

The consultant will provide specialist input to support the development of the Routeways and Waysides project. The final report will:

1. Provide an audit of the key historic routeways and ecological corridors in the Chalkscapes

Project Area (see map attached) in order to identify the priorities for practical

enhancement and conservation that can be implemented during delivery.

2. This includes an assessment of ecological condition and historic significance, as well as an

overview of known management needs and issues; constraints and opportunities for

enhancement, including potential practical work and associated costs.

3. Identify key adjoining habitats and destination sites to undertake enhanced levels of

conservation management and provide recommendations on priorities for enhancement

works. Using existing criteria, identify opportunities for designating routes as Roadside

Nature Reserves (RNRs) and/or District or County Wildlife Sites (DWS, CWS respectively) -

where potential for such a designation exists.

4. Identify the key routes and wayside verges, identify key opportunity areas for habitat

management and creation alongside the routes and provide a report on the priority

locations and management proposals for habitat improvements to increase the value of


the corridors.

The consultant(s) awarded the contract will work closely with the Development Team and partners; carrying out much of the work, but also overseeing and guiding others contributing to deliverables. The contract may be awarded to one company, but the work may divided across different specialisms if required; therefore, your tender submission must state if any part of the proposal requires the use of sub-contractors.

Estimated value of tender: £10,000, to include disbursements and travel expenses

Estimated duration of tender: The contract is expected to begin in February 2022, to be completed by May 2022.

Name of lead contact: Inga Garriock, Chalkscapes Development Manager, Chilterns Conservation Board

Deadline for response: January 7th 2022, 5.30pm


Main content of Brief

1. Overview

The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a nationally protected landscape

comprising a ridge of chalk hills stretching from Goring on Thames in South Oxfordshire to Hitchin in

Hertfordshire, covering an area of 833km2.

The Chilterns Conservation Board (CCB) is an independent statutory body established by Parliamentary Order in 2004. It has two statutory purposes:

i. To conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

(AONB); ii. To increase the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the AONB.

In fulfilling these purposes, the Board also has a duty to seek to foster the economic and social wellbeing of local communities within the AONB.

The Chilterns Conservation Board website is www.chilternsaonb.org

The Commissioning Organisation will be the Chilterns Conservation Board, on behalf of the

Chalkscapes project partnership.

The contract for this work will be with the Chilterns Conservation Board. The person overseeing this

contract will be the Chalkscapes Development Manager. The Consultancy should identify a single

contact to maintain regular contact with the Development Manager.

Project background

Chalkscapes is a 5-year community landscape initiative led by the Chilterns Conservation Board.

Chalkscapes will focus on the northern section of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

and the fast-expanding urban conurbations of Luton and Dunstable which surround it.

The North Chilterns boasts a rich cultural, historic, and biodiverse ecological heritage, yet it is a

landscape under intense pressure. Relentless development, changes in land management

practices, and environmental threats are triggering alarming declines in wildlife.

Our initiative explores connections between town and countryside, past and present, engaging in

collaboration at landscape-scale. By linking cultural histories and natural heritage, Chalkscapes is a

last best hope for rapidly vanishing wildlife habitats and species.

http://www.chilternsaonb.org/


2. The aims and objectives of this Commission

The North Chilterns are criss-crossed by routeways – from the network of local and national roads to

current footpaths, ancient and even prehistoric routes. These vital connections have long provided

both a livelihood and a link between people and the surrounding landscape.

The Icknield Way and Thede Way, Watling Street; the many medieval tracks and green lanes such as

Dallow Lane, Old Bedford Route and Hexton Highway, historic turnpikes (New Bedford/Barton Rd)

and even modern- day routes, for instance the former railway (now the Luton and Dunstable

busway) and Drovers Road, Sustrans routes and the River Lea corridor; all provide tangible, practical

and richly varied connections between urban conurbations, villages, communities and our natural

heritage.

When cared for and recognised they provide a wonderful network of green corridors for wildlife and

opportunities for people to escape the urban areas in search of tranquility, recreation and exercise,

and connect with the natural world.

However, like all heritage, the paths and routeways are fragile, and depend on our understanding

and appreciation of them. Neglect, unfamiliarity, lack of management and poor information can

combine to remove both the physical presence of these routeways as well as diminish into obscurity

the community consciousness of this incredibly valuable resource. They can quickly become unused,

unloved and harder to access and ultimately forgotten as they decline in visibility and accessibility,

denying people a link with their local history and heritage.

The present is as important to this story as the past. Our modern roads, verges and waysides also

play an important role in the conservation of wildlife. A recent survey identified that 809 species of

vascular plant – 51% of the national total – occurs on verges across Britain. The chalk substrate of

the North Chilterns develops a particularly rich vegetation that includes dramatic displays of orchids

alongside many other classic downland plants - forming corridors of invertebrate-friendly vegetation

that can provide important flyways for many mobile animal species, including butterflies, linking

otherwise fragmented and isolated areas of value to nature conservation.

Routeways and Waysides is a project which will provide a strong connecting thread linking all the

parts of the Chalkscapes project together.

The key objectives for this work are as follows:

a. To identify, assess and prioritise the historic routeways, ecological corridors and key

recreational routes linking the urban areas to the wider countryside and key sites. This

will require a desk study using the Historic Environment Record and Tithe Map of 1841,

historic and Definitive Maps (Rights of Way), Priority Habitat and Species Data and site

visits to create a detailed proposals. The project team will provide the existing Historic

Environment Records (HER) data gathered on Central Bedfordshire and Luton areas


but other data will need to be sourced by the appointed consultant where required.

b. To plan and cost practical enhancements at priority locations along routeways (e.g.

management of adjoining habitats or making improvements to access)

c. To develop an inventory of wayside verges, ranking their value to wildlife from poor to good. Enabling recommendations to be made for sites that could be formally designated as RNR’s (Roadside Nature Reserve) or other designation. If an area just falls short of designation standard, then please make recommendations on what might be done to bring it up to designation criteria if that could be achieved with some realistic intervention, e.g. scrub removal or enriching the botanical species assemblage?

d. To provide costed recommendations for improving management of habitats on key routes and waysides with a view to improving habitat connectivity across the landscape. For example, should a verge be kept as grassland or planted up with a hedgerow or trees? Should a derelict hedgerow be coppiced, laid or replanted?

3. Outputs and deliverables

Reports and maps summarising:

a. Key routes - with rationale, methodology and details of consultation(s). The report should

include a summary of existing designations – an overview of criteria applied within DWS,

RNR and CWS and recommendations for potential future designations within the subsequent

Delivery Phase element of this project.

b. Identification of key opportunity areas - based on habitat enhancement and protection.

These should include fully costed workplans, identification of constraints and key contacts

for each area.

c. Key adjoining habitats and destination sites to undertake enhanced levels of conservation

management; these should include fully costed workplans, identification of constraints and

key contacts for locations as agreed with the Chalkscapes Development Officer.

d. These outputs and results must be presented in a comprehensive report which will form an

important component of the Stage 2 (Delivery) bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The report should include key findings from the research. An easy-to-read ‘digest’ version

should also be provided, as companion to the fully comprehensive data-based document.

Archival deliverables:

In addition to the reports required above, all materials and data gathered or derived during the research phase of the work will be submitted to the Chilterns Conservation Board at the end of the contract. This may include, but not be limited to:

• Research, reports, survey analysis;

• Data held in Microsoft Word or Excel documents;

• All original data gathered from research undertaken as part of this contract

(materials/surveys/notes);


• Any presentations given (ppt/pdf); and

• Any photographs taken during research to be used to support the Stage 2 National Lottery

Heritage Fund bid (ensuring permission to photograph is secured).

The data collected, outputs and any derivatives will be the sole intellectual property of the Chilterns

Conservation Board and may be used by any partners or organisations associated with Chalkscapes.

The outputs will be the intellectual property of the Chilterns Conservation Board and may be used by

any partners or organisations associated with Chalkscapes.

4. Contract management

Chalkscapes is led by the Chilterns AONB Conservation Board, and the consultancy work outlined

here will be managed as a contract supervised by the Chalkscapes Development Manager who will

maintain frequent liaison with the Consultant to facilitate and monitor delivery of the contract.

Please include in your proposal:

• A fully justified, costed and timetabled method statement setting out how you will carry out

the contract;

• State if any part of the proposal requires the use of sub-contractors;

• A clear statement of how you will present your findings, detailing methods/tools/models

you will use for analysis;

• Brief CVs and contact details for all personnel working on this project;

• A portfolio of previous relevant work undertaken (this may be links to online sources);

• Detailed costings for deliverables identified above and half day/ full day/ hourly rates for

all personnel (please also complete the accompanying quotation form);

• The point of contact for the duration of the contract;

• Outline schedule including completion dates, milestones and payment dates; and

• Details of professional and public liability insurance cover.

5. Award Criteria

The successful consultant will have demonstrable experience in GIS mapping and data analysis, as

well as expertise in ecological and historic environment assessment and competence with project

design and development.

The following criteria will be used to assess all quotes:

• Innovative approach, methods and techniques;

• The range of techniques employed to gather information;

• Demonstrable experience from previous commissions;

• Quality of reports from previous commissions; and

• Cost and value for money.

The quote will be assessed on both quality and price as indicated below:


• 40% Demonstrable experience in delivery of similar work and a clear protocol for delivery;

• 30% Innovative methodologies employed to gather information; and

• 30% Overall price, including number of days, day rate and other expenses.


6. Procurement Process

Proposal return deadline 7th January, 5.30pm

Clarification meeting w/c 17th January Commission begins w/c 24th January

Commission complete 23rd May 2022

Final report submitted to Chalkscapes Development Manager

6th June 2022

Please send proposals, in .pdf format by email, to Luke Burgess, [email protected] by 7th January 2022, 5.30pm.

All applications will be acknowledged by email.

This schedule is subject to alteration.

mailto:[email protected]


Appendix 1 Project Maps




Documents

Chalkscapes Outline brief for specialist advice to support