This application is based on the considerable potential for landscape, amenity and conservation value of the farm. If successful it will enable us to maintain and enhance these qualities in the framework of a working and sustainable mixed organic holding.

This introduction gives an overview of the proposals with reference to specific parts of the application for more detail. As well as the required application we include a map showing Labour in Vain in the context of our whole farm, a sketch map summarising the proposals and a section "Clarification Notes" which expands on details of the application.

This farm is on the slope towards the Chesil beach 2 miles East of Abbotsbury. It is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the Dorset Heritage Coast. It is adjacent to the Chesil Beach SSSI and thus directly associated with the Fleet. If this land can be managed to enhance landscape and conservation it will complete a coastal strip to Burton Bradstock, 5 miles to the West which is alongside the Chesil Beach SSSI and is in sympathetic management. The land immediately to the West is Tamarisk Farm, our home farm which is already in Stewardship. It has SSSI wet grassland and Reed bed (this area is a Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserve), a large pond (created with Stewardship support) at the edge of the nature reserve to offer permanent water, SNCI calcareous grassland, valuable areas of scrub and species rich coastal grassland, some old and some newly established. There are new and restored hedgerows which are of the same character as those on Labour in Vain. Further West, there is Swyre Mere, an SSSI which floods regularly, from which there is a strip of land in Stewardship arable reversion which connects to the National Trust owned Burton Mere, another area of reed bed and flooding coastal grassland. Here, however, the sympathetic management runs further inland to include Cogden, very successful arable reversion to species rich grassland, which we rent from the National Trust. This is followed by cliff tops owned by the National Trust as far as Freshwater. Sensitively managed the existing wildlife can be significantly enhanced and the farm will be able to offer a great deal to the public in terms of improved access and landscape value.

The farm has already significant public access. The main coastal footpath runs along the seaward boundary and the inland route of the coast path runs along the North Eastern boundary. The National Trust have already established two permissive footpaths, one along the track and one from the beach to the yard. The 40 acre scrub and grass at the top of the farm,Tulk's Hill, is open to the public by permission of the NT.

The previous Stewardship agreement included a path at the Western boundary, running from the beach to Tulk's Hill. This would be reinstated.

An additional footpath is proposed which will make the connection from the village of West Bexington via the main Labour in Vain track to the eastern boundary of the farm where a footpath from the beach swings up towards Tulk's Hill. This would allow walkers to contour between Bexington and Abbotsbury enjoying good views without quite the hard work of walking to the top of LImekiln Hill, Tulk's Hill and Abbotsbury Castle. It is proposed that this path should run above the buildings (rather than actually through the yard) in order to reduce the nuisance to walkers, residents and farm tenants.

The whole network creates opportunities for a variety of shorter circular walks from the village.

Other possibilities for access are still under consideration with the landlord and are referred to in the "notes of clarification" and in the Orchard management plan.

Newly established coastal grassland.

In all fields bordering the beach, we would aim to establish species rich grassland. The techniques used to do this will need further detailed consideration with the field officer. We have experience of successfully establishing conservation grassland both from seed and by careful grazing and topping management of naturally regenerating vegetation.

Existing neutral grassland.

All existing species rich grassland would be maintained (notably Tulks Hill and part of Back Meadow). Experience elsewhere has shown that there will be a considerable reservoir of native species in the residual edges and hedge bottoms and that with appropriate management these may gradually recolonise the broad field margins we propose to establish. The fields adjacent on Tamarisk Farm are all species rich permanent grassland from which seed can spread.

Scrub is a significant landscape feature on this part of the coast, with the steepest parts of the slope dominated by a dense hawthorn and blackthorn cover and the streams often running in deep scrub covered gullies.

Proposals for the management of the existing scrub and adding more of a comparable woody habitat are in Part 5

The characteristic field boundaries on this slope towards the sea are walls and hedges.

The dry-stone walls are built of the forest marble limestone which litters the fields.Unfortunately there are only two walls left which have enough stone to allow rebuilding. These are shown on the map. Cultivation will yield stone and it will be necessary to use this on the proposed rebuilding of the wall on the Eastern edge of Middle Pines. It might also be possible to use it either in renovation of the buildings (though little stone will be needed) or in building a new wall in a place where it will offer the best effect.

Typical hedges are really broad scrub bands dominated by blackthorn and shaped by the salt winds. As part of the previous agreement, hedges were plashed. Unfortunately they were treated rather vigorously and then sheep grazing was allowed, so some hedges need almost complete replanting over some of their length and all of them need attention. It is proposed that the existing hedges as well as the necessary replanting be protected by double fences. The plashing or coppicing of the standing hedges should be left until later in the agreement period to give time for the recovery of the damaged hedges, thus maintaining some of this important habitat and landscape feature throughout. Where laying is necessary and the hedges are suitable, this could be done on the plan we have used very successfully on Tamarisk Farm. Here we have laid the seaward edge of the broad hedge to form a stock proof boundary but left the scrub on the leeward side standing to offer protection to stock from the elements, to maintain a substantial semi natural habitat as a corridor and source of food for wildlife and to act as a "beetle bank" to benefit the growing crops. In the long term it would be advantageous to landscape, biodiversity and agriculture if the larger fields (The Brow, Upper and Middle Labour in Vain) could be divided into two with hedges. Species planted in any new hedges would match those found locally.

All the fields in arable rotation would have generous headlands left. The precise management and aims for these would be a matter for detailed discussion with the field officer, but at this stage, we feel that a permanent sward would be more valuable than a margin cultivated for the sake of arable weeds. Arable on organic farms supports a pleasant variety of the less invasive and smaller arable weeds as a matter of course! In the table I have given R3, (6m arable margin) and R6 (6m wildlife strip in intensive grassland ) as alternatives, expecting to claim one in the arable years of the rotation and the other in the grassland years of the rotation.

We intend to each winter maintain a part of the arable uncultivated as standing stubble to encourage overwintering birds. We are particularly aware of the posibility of attracting Cirl Bunting which are along the coast in Devon. We are seeking advice on this.

It is proposed that in the long term the drains down the middle of Middle Labour in Vain and The Brow should be transformed from "beetle banks" into hedges.

The farm has several ponds which are a valuable rescourcebothagriculturaly and for wildlife. In particular they have between them a varied aquatic flora and house great crested newt and several species of dragonfly. They are well established and as far as we can judge were part of a careful drainage and stock watering system, probably from about 1800. They still function fairly well, though all except two dried up last Summer. We plan various actions to enhance the ponds, detailed in the capital works schedule and described in the management plan (Part 5)

There is an orchard beside the farm buildings.It is proposed that this be renovated (see Part 5. Management plans)

The buildings on the farm are, with the exception of one concrete and asbestos barn, of significant historical and landscape interest. We would like in the long term to consider bringing the buildings into the Stewardship agreement.

Main farm buildings.

The main farmyard consists of two large stone buildings, one an open corn barn with a hay loft over it and the other divided into smaller spaces which were used for dairying in the 1940s and a cart shed. Around the yard are other smaller stone built sheds It is enclosed by a stonewall in good repair and bounded on the East by a pair of cottages. The buildings would originally have been thatched but now the cottages are slated and the barns roofed with asbestos sheeting.

There is a stone built barn in Tulk’s Hill for wintering cattle.It has a hayloft over it and a manger with access from the loft. This is a particularly attractive example of the vernacular architecture but has no function in the present system.

There are Second World War buildings near the beach and further up the slope.(see "Clarification notes")