AONB

AONB

AONB

AONB

TRA

IN LIN

E

TRAIN LINE

CANAL

CANAL

St RUF

RUFhampton

RUFley

GREEN BELT

GREEN BELT

GREEN BELT

GR

EEN B

ELT

CANAL

SAC

SAC

RUFsty

URF

DIST

RICT

COU

NCIL

RUF

DIST

RICT

COU

NCIL

URF DISTRICT COUNCIL

RUF DISTRICT COUNCIL

URF

DIST

RICT

CO

UNCI

L

RUF

DIST

RICT

CO

UNCI

L

RUFOPOLY

c B

irming

ham C

ity U

nivers

ity.

GO

Loca

l res

iden

ts a

re s

eeki

ng y

our s

uppo

rt fo

r a c

omm

unity

hal

l with

ca

r par

k fo

r mee

tings

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

pur

suits

incl

udin

g a

smal

l spo

rts h

all a

nd 2

sta

rt-up

uni

ts fo

r loc

al b

usin

esse

s. T

he

pres

ent i

nhab

itant

s do

not

hav

e an

y co

mm

unity

faci

litie

s ne

arby

ap

art f

rom

acc

ess

to a

room

in a

loca

l sch

ool,

outs

ide

scho

ol h

ours

, se

atin

g 30

. How

ever

som

e re

side

nts

are

conc

erne

d th

at th

e bu

ildin

g w

ill ta

ke u

p va

luab

le g

reen

spa

ce in

the

squa

re. W

hat i

s yo

ur o

pini

on o

n th

e m

erits

of t

he d

evel

opm

ent?

2You are walking within this area and notice that a few residents are on site creating a flower display and they have placed a small wooden bench on a grass verge. The grass verge has also been dug up. You ask them why they are doing this on Council owned land. The residents explain that they are a community gardening group who wish to cultivate the under-used grass verges and green space in the area, due to the impossibility of securing allotment spaces managed by the local authority. What is your response?

3A City Council Grant of £80,000 is available for a new community-initiated project. The conditions were: to provide something of social, economic and environmental benefit to the city; engage local citizens; and require to be low-cost maintenance for the Council. Which of the following four bids on the final short-list would you vote for and why?

a)Getting a community orchard and food-growing projects going across the city using 1/5 of space in existing council parks.

b)Establishing a car-boot sale pitch and community cafe in one of the socially disadvantaged suburbs of the city.

c)Creating a peri-urban woodland using predominantly native tree and shrub species on 4 acres of derelict Council Warehousing land on the city fringe.

d)Providing renewable energy through a single wind turbine which will be community owned.

14

This

are

a ha

s be

en id

entif

ied

as a

pot

entia

l site

for n

ew h

ousi

ng

deve

lopm

ent i

n th

e co

nsul

tatio

n dr

aft o

f the

loca

l pla

n. T

he fu

ture

in

habi

tant

s w

ill s

hare

ser

vice

s (s

choo

ls, r

etai

l, ch

urch

and

co

mm

unity

) with

exi

stin

g de

velo

pmen

ts e

ast o

f squ

are

3. A

t pre

sent

th

e si

te is

dis

conn

ecte

d fro

m th

ese

due

to th

e ba

rrie

r of t

he m

ain

road

. How

can

the

deve

lopm

ent b

e m

ade

mor

e vi

able

or a

re th

ere

alte

rnat

ive

bette

r loc

atio

ns?

5Th

e G

over

nmen

t has

rece

ntly

des

igna

ted

a S

peci

al A

rea

of

Con

serv

atio

n (S

AC

) in

this

are

a (g

reat

cre

sted

new

ts a

nd s

emi-

anci

ent n

atur

al o

ak w

oodl

and)

. Man

agem

ent s

olut

ions

to p

rote

ct th

e co

nser

vatio

n in

tere

st o

f the

site

are

requ

ired.

Wha

t wou

ld b

e yo

ur

favo

ured

stra

tegy

?

a)Fe

nce

the

area

off

and

have

pub

lic a

cces

s re

stric

ted

by

perm

it b)

Iden

tify

and

build

one

pat

h th

roug

h th

e re

serv

e w

hich

allo

ws

rest

ricte

d ac

cess

onl

y c)

Hav

e fre

e ac

cess

but

use

loca

l com

mun

ity v

olun

teer

s to

m

anag

e th

e re

serv

e an

d ac

cess

d)

Allo

w u

nres

trict

ed p

ublic

acc

ess

e)O

ther

opt

ion

(ple

ase

expl

ain)

6A planning application for 400 houses has been subm

itted as phase 3 of a developm

ent on the outskirts of RU

Fhampton (currently

brownfield land). The area is zoned for housing developm

ent. Given

the close proximity of the S

pecial Area of C

onservation (SA

C)

please indicate on your map how

do you think this development

should proceed whilst m

inimizing the im

pact on the SA

C. R

efusing the application is not an option as it conform

s to all relevant local and national policies.

7The pressures for development in this area are very high. In your opinion are there any key features that you would conserve?

A local landowner is seeking your views on the development of a former quarry, which is currently restored to a lake. What option would you favour and why?

a)Develop the recreation potential of the lakeb)Develop the lake for conservation uses c)Create a small holiday village development around the laked)Develop luxury executive housing around the lake

e) Other option (please explain)

8A

new

indu

stria

l est

ate

20he

ctar

es fo

r lig

ht in

dust

rial u

se in

gre

en

belt

land

is s

uppo

rted

by R

UFh

ampt

on C

ounc

il w

ithin

the

UR

F D

istri

ct C

ounc

il's a

rea.

The

pro

posa

l is

driv

en b

y th

e w

ider

ec

onom

ic n

eeds

of t

he c

ity re

gion

and

lack

of l

arge

alte

rnat

ive

brow

nfie

ld s

ites.

Whi

ch o

ptio

n w

ould

you

sup

port

and

why

?

a)R

ejec

t pro

posa

l: su

gges

t dev

elop

ing

2-3

smal

ler i

ndus

trial

es

tate

s in

sur

roun

ding

vill

ages

b)

Pro

ceed

with

pro

posa

l but

mak

e it

a lo

w-c

arbo

n fla

gshi

p pr

ojec

t of n

atio

nal i

mpo

rtanc

e w

ith a

car

bon

neut

ral g

oal

inco

rpor

atin

g a

dist

rict h

eatin

g sc

hem

e, g

reen

roof

s an

d hi

gh

qual

ity g

reen

spa

ce

c)A

ccep

t pro

posa

l but

redu

ce s

cale

of d

evel

opm

ent b

y 50

%d)

Rej

ect t

he p

ropo

sal o

utrig

ht: i

t is

vita

l to

reta

inin

g th

e in

tegr

ity

of th

e gr

een

belt

and

not p

erm

it an

y in

dust

rial e

ncro

achm

ent

e)O

ther

opt

ion

(ple

ase

expl

ain)9

10A disused quarry has been left to nature but is currently subjected to illegal fly tipping. The landowner is hoping to develop this area into coniferous woodland for timber production but the local Wildlife Trust argues that more benefits for conservation will accrue from a deciduous and coniferous mix with opportunities for timber production. In your view what is the best option and why?

A local farmer wishes to turn less productive fields into intensive horticulture involving polytunnels. The nearby St Ruf provides a ready-made local market (there is already a thriving farmers' market) and the business case is good as he has the necessary capital. However, there is concern about the landscape impact of the polytunnels and the local group “Save our RUF landscape” has asked you to support their campaign and protect the current farming landscape. What is your response and why?

11A landow

ner within the G

reen Belt w

ishes to convert his fields into a public park including B

MX

/skateboard facilities and outdoor gym

areas. There is currently no public access to his land. Should this

be permitted?

a)N

o, it is development in the G

reen Belt and changes the

nature of the RU

Fb)

No, it has com

promised the openness of the G

reen Belt

c)Yes, although it is developm

ent it has not comprom

ised the openness of the G

reen Belt

d)Yes, it rem

ains Green B

elt with a m

uch improved land

use/surface of value to societye)

Other conclusion (please explain)

1213

You regularly walk the land in this green belt square as part of a wider recreational route alongside the RUF canal. This stretch of the canal has recently been restored by the Canals and Rivers Trust and local volunteers. Given the potential increase in recreation (seasonal boating traffic and public access alongside the canal and link into the regional trail) what other opportunities would you support?

A comm

unity forum has collected 2000 signatures from

residents of this square w

ho are complaining to U

RF D

istrict Council about the

lack of recreational facilities. The quarry to the north east has reached the end of its w

orking life and a condition of its restoration is for it to be usable as a com

munity resource. B

earing in mind

there is a lack of recreational resources in the area what type of

facility would you like to see provided?

a)S

ports pitches for rugby and football as well as a skate ram

pb)

A nature reserve which is accessible to the public

c)A council ow

ned leisure centre with a sw

imm

ing pool, tennis courts and squash courts

d)A com

munity w

oodlande) O

ther (please explain your answer)

1415

The lake in this former quarry workings is currently used as a recreational resource involving quiet water sports, angling and walking. It is also frequented by wildfowl including geese and herons but has no conservation designation. Does the lake in this setting have any value to you?

There is a proposal to create a "hill " from construction and

household waste of about 300 m

etres in height. This will help urban

regeneration of RU

Fhampton and w

ill take 10 years to complete. O

n com

pletion it will be covered in decontam

inated topsoil (also from

urban regeneration) and landscaped. How

would you treat this

proposal in the best interests of the RU

F?

a)W

elcome it for its positive im

pact on urban regeneration and negotiate a tipping levy to benefit w

ider RU

F comm

unity projects.

b)M

aximise the benefits of this m

ountain through negotiating a long term

tourism and recreation m

anagement plan

c)C

reate a range of natural habitats to increase biodiversity and provide new

(upland) wildlife areas to com

pensate for the im

pact of global warm

ingd)

Press for a scaled dow

n hillock to better integrate with the

RU

F landscape character whilst achieving som

e of the above benefits in a shorter tim

e scalee)

Reject the proposal as inappropriate intrusive in the rural

landscape, and unworkable

f)O

ther (please explain your answer)

18A

maj

or e

mpl

oyer

in th

is a

rea

has

rece

ntly

clo

sed

with

the

loss

of

2,50

0 jo

bs. T

he b

uild

ings

sta

nd e

mpt

y. T

his

has

had

a de

vast

atin

g ef

fect

on

the

loca

l com

mun

ity. F

our o

ptio

ns a

re p

ropo

sed

on th

e fo

llow

ing

them

es.

Whi

ch o

ne d

o yo

u su

ppor

t and

why

.

a)Te

chno

logy

Par

k in

con

junc

tion

with

the

adjo

inin

g Te

chno

logy

C

olle

ge

b)E

nviro

nmen

tal R

esea

rch

Cen

tre li

nked

to re

new

able

ene

rgy

c)

Inte

nsiv

e ur

ban

agric

ultu

re

d)U

rban

wild

erne

ss a

llow

ing

natu

re to

recl

aim

the

site

e)O

ther

(pl

ease

exp

lain

you

r ans

wer

)

20Under the forthcoming neighborhood plan proposals a local landowner with majority community support wants to develop more houses. However, these are within the green belt and close to an AONB. As there is an identified need for housing within a recent housing survey, what would be your response?

a) Agree and select best area within or adjoining 'square' 19 on your plan

b)Disagree as no new housing should be built in the green belt

c)Look to increase the number of houses in your favoured area

d)Look to decrease the number of houses in your favoured area.

e)Other (please explain your answer)

17 Th

ere

are

prop

osal

s to

sec

ure

and

impr

ove

publ

ic a

cces

s in

the

form

of a

regi

onal

trai

l for

hor

ses,

cyc

lists

and

wal

kers

alo

ngsi

de th

e ca

nal r

unni

ng th

roug

h th

e R

UF.

The

re is

talk

of a

pro

pose

d bi

d to

th

e H

erita

ge L

otte

ry F

und

with

mat

ched

fund

ing

from

the

coun

cil,

Brit

ish

Wat

erw

ays

and

Nat

ural

Eng

land

. Thi

s w

ill li

nk th

e ur

ban

area

to

the

AO

NB

. Wha

t is

your

resp

onse

to th

is p

ropo

sal?

a)C

reat

e a

partn

ersh

ip w

ith a

ll gr

oups

invo

lved

so

issu

es c

an

be w

orke

d th

roug

h an

d a

unifi

ed v

oice

cre

ated

b)E

ncou

rage

indi

vidu

al in

tere

st g

roup

s to

form

who

will

feed

in

to a

stra

tegy

from

diff

eren

t per

spec

tives

c)E

ncou

rage

indi

vidu

al in

tere

st g

roup

s to

form

, tho

se w

ith th

e lo

udes

t voi

ce w

ill in

fluen

ce th

e ou

tcom

ed)

Do

noth

ing

as th

e pr

opos

al d

oes

not i

nter

est y

ou

23This village is at the gatew

ay for the AO

NB

and residents are very concerned at the huge increase in visitors each year w

hich clearly exceeds current road and parking capacity, resulting in traffic delays, congestion and off- street parking. A recent m

eeting has identified the follow

ing options:

a)B

uild a major new

car park outside the villageb)

Put double yellow

lines through the village preventing street parking

c)E

stablish a free park and ride scheme from

St R

uf d)

Expand the current railw

ay station car park from 30 spaces

to 300e)

Actively de-m

arket the area and promote other visitor

destinations

24A

new

ser

vice

sta

tion

is p

ropo

sed

alon

g th

e m

otor

way

whi

ch w

ould

be

vis

ible

from

Ruf

sty.

Vill

ager

s ar

e ge

nera

lly a

gain

st th

e pr

opos

al

but t

he H

ighw

ay A

genc

y an

d U

RF

Cou

ncil

see

it as

a w

ay o

f cr

eatin

g ne

w jo

bs a

nd re

venu

e. W

hich

of t

he fo

llow

ing

optio

ns

wou

ld y

ou s

uppo

rt?

a)R

ejec

t the

pro

posa

l (ex

istin

g se

rvic

e st

atio

ns a

re 2

0 m

iles

sout

h, a

nd 1

5 m

iles

north

)b)

Acc

ept t

he p

ropo

sal b

ut e

nsur

e sh

ield

ed li

ghtin

g an

d cl

osur

e be

twee

n 22

:30

and

06:3

0c)

Acc

ept t

he p

ropo

sal o

f a 2

4hr s

ervi

ce s

tatio

nd)

Oth

er o

ptio

n (p

leas

e ex

plai

n yo

ur a

nsw

er)

27St Ruf has been regularly flooding particularly during autumn and spring from increased water flow from the uplands in the AONB. What options for management of heavy rain might you consider to reduce flood risk?

a) Increase flood defences in St Ruf outside the upland areab) Consider for the creation of lowland flood storage areas,

such as flood meadowsc) Consider upland management approaches such as tree

planting to reduce peak flowsd) Consider creating a multipurpose reservoir for flood

protection ( Other option (please explain)

The two landowners of the fields here decided to farm this land ecologically, with support from the local Wildlife Trust group and RSPB. The central area is undulating/hilly and there are some patches of heather remnants. What option would you recommend as an additional priority in the coming year to further improve environmental benefits and why?

a) Set up a network of local landowners/farmers to encourage environmentally sensitive land management and ultimately extend the areal extent of the trust.

b) Apply for planning permission to establish a small farm shop and sell produce from a range of local farms/food producers; use excess profit for trust land.

c) Focus on initial work, but communicate progress and highlights through social networking sites (web blog, Facebook, twitter).

d) Other (please specify)

22 21

PROPOSED INDUSTRIAL AREA

PROPOSED

POLYTUNNELS

LONDON 1:00 away

BIR

MIN

GH

AM

1:30 away

NEW

CA

STLE

1:3

0 aw

ay

26A small community group has purchased a smallholding of 20 acres here and has started building, without planning permission, some low impact houses to pursue their green lifestyle. However, despite its location and small scale, the local RUF Wildlife Trust argues that this will deliver more environmental benefits than contemporary farming. Should the development be granted retrospective planning permission?

28A farmer is proposing to develop a small scale food waste (anaerobic digestion) plant in his RUF farmland. Waste will be collected from homes in the nearby urban area by truck on a daily basis, producing electricity from the bio-gas and using the liquid and solid by-product as soil enhancers. Both electricity and soil enhancer could be sold locally. This would provide three local jobs in an area predominantly used for commuting. However, the local village opposes this on grounds of smell, traffic and noise. Should it be built?

1

2

3

4

5

67

8

9

10

11 12

13

14

15

16

17

18 19

20

21

22

23

24

2526

28

27

SEE YELLOW BOX TO START

SEE

RED

B

OX

TO

FIN

ISH

Spatial Planning and Ecosystem ServicesM

akin

g C

on

nec

tio

ns

in G

rey

-Gre

en-B

lue

Infr

astr

uct

ure

Pla

nn

ing

Values and Decision-MakingL

on

g-Term

ism - T

emp

oral P

erspectiv

es

You are conducting a survey on the desired future use of this area (square 25). A

ll players on the board must stop and you m

ust obtain their preferred option for this space. You then report on the m

ajority view

.

a)Intensive agricultural production including a state of the art 'm

ega dairy' for 1,000 cattleb)

A small B

1 (light industrial) estatec)

Creation of a shallow

scrape for wildlife

d)S

mall holiday village

e)Leave it as it is

RUFOPOLY

PROPOSED LAND

FILL SITE

25

c Birmingham City University.

You are about to enter RU

Fshire and make a journey into its

rural urban fringe. a) W

ith reference to your current work and residential

locations identify a similar area in R

UFS

HIR

E that provides the

best fit. b) U

se these locations as you journey through the board and answ

er questions.

AN

SWER

THIS Q

UESTIO

N TO

ENTER

THE G

AM

E

You have had a varied journey across the rural urban fringe. Please review your answer cards and create your overall vision for RUFshire. You can only use your previous answers and supporting justifications.

ANSWER THIS QUESTION TO GET OUT OF THE GAME16

This site is proposed for landfill with a projected 20 year capacity.

How

might you change your behavior and that of the residents of

RU

Fshire to reduce their dependency on the provision of such sites in the longer term

? Or are you happy w

ith the identification of new

sites for landfill in the future?

As you are walking along the side of the road in this area, you see a substantial amount of fly tipping. What is your response?

a)Clear up the rubbish yourself and dispose of it correctlyb)Walk on and do nothingc)Report it to the policed)Continually moan about the state of the area to anyone who

will listene)Other (please explain)

19

Rufopoly was co-designed by :

Ÿ

Alister Scott, Rachel Curzon,Claudia Carter, Nick Morton, Richard Coles: BCU

Ÿ

Paul Gibbs, Ben Stonyer: David Jarvis Associates

Ÿ

Karen Leach, Chris Crean: Localise West Midlands

Ÿ

Ruth Waters, Andrew Hearle: Natural England

Ÿ

David Collier: National Farmers Union

Ÿ

Nick Grayson: Birmingham Environment Partnership

Ÿ

Mark Middleton: West Midlands Regional Assembly

Ÿ

Bob Forster: West Midlands Rural Affairs Forum

Ÿ

Mark Reed University of Aberdeen

Ÿ

Miriam Kennet Green Economics Institute