Darent Valley Landscape Partnership - 01634 242826

A £3.6m project with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to protect, improve and help people enjoy the special landscape of the Darent Valley.

Hidden on the outskirts of London and just outside the M25 is a landscape of remarkable beauty. Within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), it was a favourite location of the famous Romantic artist, Samuel Palmer. Palmer lived in Shoreham for many years and produced arguably some of his greatest works featuring visions of the valley. Today, whilst the valley retains much of its beauty, its landscape rich in heritage is under pressure from many sides. The Darent Valley Landscape Partnership has been formed to help address these issues.

The Landscape Partnership is formed from a diverse range of organisations including parish, district and county councils, heritage and wildlife conservation organisations, the private sector and most importantly the local community. It is led by the Kent Downs AONB, and has already been allocated a grant of £2.3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund to invest in the landscape of the Darent Valley.

This page has been created to enable those with an interest to shape the objectives and projects that will be part of the scheme as we make our second round submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund. It will also keep you informed of progress.

The general aims are of the Darent Valley Landscape Partnership are:

- Re-acquaint and connect local people with Samuel Palmer, his work and love of the valley. Look to restore the landscape qualities of tranquility, iconic views and the rural idyll.

- Protecting and managing the natural heritage of the valley including the chalk grassland, historic parks, woodland, river, hedgerows.

- Restore, conserve and improve understanding of the important heritage buildings and structures within the valley.

- Researching and understanding the Roman occupation of the Darent Valley.

- Protect the distinctive and special identity of villages in the valley.

- Involve local people in exploring, understanding and conserving all of the elements that make up the landscape heritage of the Darent Valley.

- Address the issues that have a negative impact on the landscape (including motorways, flytipping, highways signage, visitor pressure and urban fringe impact from adjacent towns and the London suburbs).

- Provide improved and new access opportunities by foot, bike and horse with sustainable transport links to the Darent Valley line. Aim to reduce pressure at hotspots, allow exploration of new areas and enable a better understanding of the Darent Valley landscape.

- Provide local people with the tools and skills to have a greater say in the future of their valley to enable greater local influence of planning decisions that affect the valley.

- Provide a greater connection to the Darent Valley landscape for young people through a 'natural childhood' approach.

The Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme is currently preparing the detail for its final submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund in October 2016. It's staff are currently based in the Kent Downs AONB office at Snodland but will transfer to the Darent Valley when delivery starts in 2017.

Tags: Environmental Conservation Organization,Community Organization,Non-Profit Organization