Postcards from the Future
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Please note this campaign is now closed.
What do you think the Surrey Hills should be like at the end of this century?
Whether you are an avid bird watcher, hiker, horse rider, cyclist, or a lover of scenic views, National Landscapes are at the heart of creating a thriving place for nature and people.
2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 which was the foundation for our Protected Landscapes. National Parks and National Landscapes can do so much to help us deal with the impacts of climate change and support nature recovery.
In this initiative, the Surrey Hills Board needs your imaginative thoughts through a ‘Postcard from the Future’ on what the Surrey Hills could be like 75 years from now as a thriving National Landscape for nature and people.
Submit your Postcard from the Future below and become a part of shaping the next chapter for the Surrey Hills. Your ideas will help inspire the next Surrey Hills Management Plan, which is the blueprint for this cherished National Landscape for the next 5 years.
All are welcome to submit a Postcard from the Future, no matter if you are a frequent visitor or have never experienced the Surrey Hills before. Campaign closes on 31 July.
The Surrey Hills was one of the first landscapes in the country to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1958. The Surrey Hills stretches across rural Surrey, covering a quarter of the county.
The purpose of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designation is to conserve the natural beauty of the landscape. The vision for the Surrey Hills recognises that the landscape will change but it needs to ensure that it changes in a way that conserves and enhances its special qualities. In doing so, it also needs to maintain the social and economic viability of the Surrey Hills in a sustainable manner.
The Surrey Hills Management Plan is one of a national family of Plans. There are 34 National Landscapes (previously AONBs) in England, covering 15% of the land area, and a further 4 in Wales and 8 in Northern Ireland. National Landscapes are designated by Government for the purpose of ensuring that the special qualities of our finest landscapes are conserved and enhanced.
The Management Plan is the only document with a focus on the whole of the National Landscape and the only one that is primarily focused on the purpose of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designation (now referred to as National Landscapes), which is the conservation and enhancement of natural beauty.
2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, which was the foundation for our Protected Landscapes. The Surrey Hills National Landscape was the second Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England to be designated in 1958.
In celebrating 75 years of this seminal Act, we are developing a positive 75-year vision for the Surrey Hills as a thriving National Landscape. This will set the policy framework for the new Surrey Hills Management Plan (2025 – 2030). National Landscape management plans are a statutory document including policies that local authorities within the Surrey Hills will adopt and seek to “further the purpose” of. See our current management plan here.
As part of the development of the Management Plan, we will be launching a public campaign in April 2024 titled “Postcards from the Future” whereby the public and targeted communities will be invited to describe what a thriving National Landscape for nature and people will look and feel like in 75 years’ time; a 22nd Century vision. This reflects the fact that many of our activities like planting trees and hedgerows, protecting veteran trees and heritage buildings, restoring heathland and downland will often be about gaining long term benefits.
Postcards from the Future
Embark on a journey to the year 2100 and envision the Surrey Hills as a thriving place for nature and people. In this initiative, the Surrey Hills Board needs your imaginative thoughts through a ‘Postcard from the Future’ on what the Surrey Hills could be like 75 years from now. Picture the landscape, feel the ambience, and let your creativity flow in describing the Surrey Hills as a thriving 22nd century landscape for the nation’s nature and people.
How to contribute:
Submit your Postcard from the Future via the link and become a part of shaping the next chapter for the Surrey Hills. Your ideas will help inspire the next Surrey Hills Management Plan, which is the blueprint for this cherished National Landscape for the next 5 years
Click here to submit your Postcard from the Future
Alternative engagement – share your ideas
If you do not wish to submit a Postcard from the Future, you can use the simple form below to share any ideas you have regarding the development of the Surrey Hills Management Plan. Please note that this is a visioning exercise, it is not part of a formal consultation and will not receive a response.