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CHURNET VALLEY CONSERVATION SOCIETY

                       protecting and conserving this natural area of outstanding beauty  

                                                        

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Churnet Valley Conservation Society


 Churnet Valley Conservation Society dates back to the early 1980s and is a recognised stakeholder by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. 

 We are concerned with the whole of the Churnet Valley and wish to represent the interests of the local inhabitants, human and wildlife.

 Join our growing membership so that our collective voice is made even louder.

 Please help us in "keeping an eye on the valley" to protect it from undesirable development. 


FREE MEMBERSHIP  - to join us please click here 

 

           Churnet Valley 

      Conservation Society                        Committee 

  • John Steele        Chair 
  • Gill Smallwood   Treasurer
  • John Higgins      Conservation Expert      
  • Dave Walters  )    Joint Secretaries
  • John Williams )
  • Peter Cowie
  • Dave Cooper
  • Diana Gardiner   

Our Aim

 

The Churnet Valley Conservation Society (CVC Society) aims to protect and conserve this natural area of outstanding beauty for the benefit of local residents and visitors who come from all over the country.  The area's unique landscape includes wooded hillsides, rocky outcrops and deeply incised valleys.

 

The Churnet Valley Conservation Society believes that it is vital that local people have a voice significantly large enough to influence decisions made by the District Council.  It aims to give the valley's communities the opportunity to put forward alternatives to the Masterplan.  The society has produced detailed alternative proposals for the valley following full consultation with our members, residents and other stakeholders. 

  • OUR OBJECTIVES:

     

    · protect and nurture the living environment of local residents and visitors

     

    · protect and enhance the biodiversity of the valley

     

    · encourage and support a vibrant and sustainable economy with a local focus

     

    · develop ideas, plans and mechanisms that will help us achieve our aim

     

    · support development proposals which are in harmony with or encourage appreciation of our vision and aims for the area

     

    · co-operate with other organizations seeking to protect and preserve the beauty of the Churnet Valley.

CONSTITUTION FOR THE CHURNET VALLEY CONSERVATION SOCIETY:  7th MARCH 2018
 
1. NAME: THE ORGANISATION WILL BE CALLED THE CHURNET VALLEY CONSERVATION SOCIETY.
 
2. OUR AIM: TO CONSERVE AND ENHANCE THE ATTRACTIVE NATURE OF THE CHURNET VALLEY.
 
3. OUR OBJECTIVES:
A) TO CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT AND NURTURE THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS AND VISITORS.
B) TO CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE VALLEY.
C) TO ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT A VIBRANT AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY WITH A LOCAL FOCUS.
E) TO DEVELOP IDEAS, PLANS AND MECHANISMS THAT WILL HELP US ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.
F) TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WHICH ARE IN HARMONY WITH OR ENCOURAGE APPRECIATION OF OUR VISION AND AIMS FOR THE AREA.
G) TO CO-OPERATE WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS SEEKING TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE BEAUTY OF THE CHURNET VALLEY.
 
4. MANAGEMENT: THE AFFAIRS OF THE SOCIETY SHALL BE MANAGED BY A COMMITTEE CONSISTING OF THE OFFICERS THESE BEING CHAIRPERSON, SECRETARY AND TREASURER WITH OTHER COMMITEE MEMBERS TO MAKE A TOTAL OF SEVEN. IN THE EVENT OF RESIGNATIONS/RETIREMENTS, THE COMMITEE HAS THE POWER TO CO-OPT REPLACEMENT MEMBERS.
 THE COMMITTEE ALSO HAS THE POWER TO CO-OPT ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES AND TOO COVER LONG PERIODS OF ABSENCE OF OTHER EXISTING COMMITTEE MEMBERS, OR TO OTHERWISE INCREASE THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE COMMITTEE.
 
5. MEMBERSHIP: SHALL BE OPEN.
 
6. SUBSCRIPTIONS: FREE FROM OCTOBER 2014
 
7. AGM: AN AGM SHALL BE HELD DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.
 
8. EGM.
A) AN EGM SHALL BE CALLED BY THE SECRETARY ON RECEIPT OF A REQUEST SIGNED BY NOT LESS THAN 12 MEMBERS.
B) THE COMMITEE HAS THE POWER TO CALL AN EGM.
 
9. ELECTIONS:  OFFICERS AND THE OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO RESIGN ANNUALLY AT THE AGM BUT MAY STAND FOR RE-ELECTION.
 
10. MEETING ATTENDANCE AND QUORUM: MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ALL MEETINGS. WHEN AGENDA ITEMS REQUIRE TO BE VOTED UPON, THERE MUST BE A MINIMUM OF 4 COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT ONE OF WHOM MUST BE AN OFFICER. ALL PRESENT MAY VOTE.
 
11. NOTICE OF MEETING
A) MEMBERS SHALL RECEIVE AT LEAST 7 DAYS NOICE OF AN EGM WITH AGENDA, GIVING FULL PURPOSE OF THE MEETING.
B) MEMBERS SHALL RECEIVE AT LEAST 7 DAYS NOTICE OF AN AGM.
 
12. CONSTITUTION: SUGGESTED ALTERATIONS, AND ADDITIONS MUST BE GIVEN IN WRITING AT LEAST 21 DAYS BEFORE AN AGM, OR BY REFERENCE TO AN EGM:
A SIMPLE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERSHIP PRESENT IS REQUIRED TO CARRY AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION.
 
13. FINANCE: THE ORGANISATION SHALL HAVE A CURRENT ACCOUNT AT THE CO-OP BANK. CHEQUES SHALL BE DRAWN ON THE SIGNATURES OF TWO OF THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS: CHAIRPERSON, SECRETARY OR TREASURER.

B) THE COMMITTEE WILL HAVE THE POWER TO CALL FOR ADDITIONAL OPERATING FUNDS FOR THE SOCIETY BY BRINGING TO EITHER AN AGM, EGM OR OPEN MEETING, A RESOLUTION TO BE VOTED ON BY ALL MEMBERS THERE PRESENT. SUCH ADDITONAL FUNDS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED AND ESTIMATED FOR BY THE COMMITTEE TO BE NECESSARY FOR THE SOCIETY TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH TERMS OF ITS CONSTITUTION. 21 DAYS NOTICE OF SUCH A FUND-RAISING RESOLUTION WILL BE GIVEN TO THE MEMBERSHIP.

C) THE NATURE OF ANY FUND-RAISING ACTIVITIES WILL NOT BE RESTRICTED TO ANY PARTICULAR TYPE, OR TYPES. THE EXACT NATURE OF ANY SUCH ACTIVITIES WILL BE PART OF ANY FUND-RAISING RESOLUTION TO BE VOTED ON.

 
14. DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS UPON THE WINDING UP OF THE CHURNET VALLEY CONSERVATION SOCIETY:
 
UPON THE PASSING OF A WINDING UP RESOLUTION ANY MONETARY BALANCES AVAILABLE TO THE SOCIETY MUST BE DONATED TO ONE, OR MORE, APPROPRIATE CONSERVATION OR WILDLIFE ORGANISATIONS WITHIN STAFFORDSHIRE OR OTHER APPROPRIATE ORGANISATIONS SHARING THE AIMS OF THE CHURNET VALLEY CONSERVATION SOCIETY.

 

The Churnet Valley Conservation Society have prepared a detailed and comprehensive report about the issues facing the Churnet Valley which also makes a serties of recommendations concerning the main sites in this beautiful part of the country.

 

The Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, depite some of their ambitions for development in the valley, and Staffordshire County Council both actively support our bid for recognition as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Status for the Valley

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CVC is concerned by the ambiguity shown by SMDC in promoting developments which are inconsistent with AONB status.  Moreover, current proposed developments at Moneystone Quarry, the reintroduction of a rail line to Alton, and the continued development of Alton Towers and associated traffic problems are cause for great concern.  The report challenges the inconsistency of the SMDC who wish to attract more visitors ofthe type who go to the Peak District and the notion of a Tourism Corridor built around Alton Towers and the proposed Moneystone Quarry development.

The report advocates tourism development in the valley aimed at “countrysiders” rather than “thrill seekers”. The Churnet Valley should be protected from large scale, unsuitable development and the interests of the residents of the valley should be prioritised as they are permanent whilst, by definition, tourists are temporary visitors. For example 93% of visitors to Alton Towers spend the day there and have little, or no, knowledge of, or interest in, the countryside through which they travel to get there.  

 

It is our view that there should be a clear definition of who is targeted by the proposed Tourism developments. Our recommendations are: 

  • That the Tourism developments seeks to attract visitors who respect the countryside, are interested in the countryside and want to enjoy and protect its natural beauty.

  • In addition it should aim to attract people who, as well as the above, have an interest in the biodiversity of the valley and/or the unique combination of natural beauty and industrial heritage

 

The Churnet Valley has recovered from the despoliation of the industrial age of factories and quarries; it should not be subjected to new forms of damage that industrial scale tourism brings including visual damage, damage to the wildlife, litter, noise and, most of all, traffic related pollution and other road problems. 

 

The encouragement of such large numbers of cars is most certainly not amenable to a lowering of the area’s carbon footprint.  The effects of traffic and noise are all too obvious and other pressures are now being placed upon the fragile environment of the valley.

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