We do not believe that the 2009 version of the Management Plan (MP) differs very much from the original plan presented in 2006. Plans have merely been re-arranged - and obscured.

In all this seems to be a very selective and limited management plan, concentrating on establishing a Goat Pen in the Gully with the 2006 proposals for goats, then tentative, now a firm objective. At the south end of the area, there are proposals to clear trees and scrub from Observatory Hill. In the long term, and from both of these plans, we fear the loss of many large trees. In recent years the Council's record for replanting felled trees on the Downs is very poor, they remove trees at every opportunity presented by apparent disease and for being "a dangerous tree". In particular a number of trees have been removed from Saville Road, and have not yet been replaced; tree replacement needs to be an on-going process, with replacement as a high a priority as felling. See Our Facebook photos of Downs tree stumps. However see "Bleeding disaster", and, in particular note the comment by Pauline Buchanan Black, director general of the charity the Tree Council.

The SAC and SSSI
On the Bristol Downs side of the Avon Gorge, the Special Area of Concervation (SAC) is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), both are bounded by the Portway from just beyond Black Rocks, Bridge Valley Road, then Circular Road around the Downs. On the other side of Bridge Valley Road the boundaries encompass the Portway, some of the cliffs below and beyond the Suspension Bridge, and comes up by Jack's Hole and along the Promenade to the top of Bridge Valley Road. The only boundary difference between the SSSI and the SAC is that the SAC omits Observatory Hill
Links to maps for these are respectively, the SAC. and the SSSI. On the latter map note that regions numbered 11-16 are all classified (as of 2001 mostly), "unfavourable recovering", only region 17 beside the Suspension Bridge is classified as in "favourable condition".
Species records for the site can be found via the NBN Gateway}.

We have translated some of this information into a Google Earth map. The red line shows, as accurately as is possible from the 2009 Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project redrafted document Management proposals for the Bristol side of the Avon Gorge, the northern part of the area destined for the five years of "management". The MP area keeps to the trees, omiting most of the few areas of genuine grassland on the Bristol side of the Avon Gorge.

The Goat Pen is shown by the green line. The plan does not show the position of any entrances for the public, although these are promised, neither are fenced areas within the goat pen (to keep the goats from eating the valuable whitebeams) shown.

The magenta line shows the boundary of the Iron Age Fort, Scheduled Monument. The precise details of any tree and scrub clearance have not been specified.

It is unclear what Natural England intend to do with the rest of the area, namely units: the rest of 13, and 14, 15 (the rock face below the Peregrine Watch), and 16.
In summary, we believe that the Council and Natural England still propose eventually to clear large areas of woodland on the Bristol side of the Gorge, in keeping with the 50-year vision outlined in the previous 2006 management plan. This would see compartments (units) 12 and 13 becoming open grassland. Our map has a latitude/longitude position finder, you can use this to zoom in so that very specific regions and objects can be recognised - and you can question the intentions of Natural England and the Bristol County Council about very specific places!