What is a National Landscape?
National Landscapes are designated by the Government for the purpose of ensuring that the special qualities of the finest landscapes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are conserved and enhanced.
National Landscapes
National Landscapes (designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) are on par with the UKโs National Parks, each is an outstanding landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty is so precious that it is safeguarded in the national interest. With 46 National Landscapes covering just under 1/5th of the UK, they offer a wealth of opportunities for both people and wildlife to benefit from our countryside.
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a legal designation. Natural England determines which areas within England meet the requirements for designation.ย National Landscape is the new name for these areas. Each National Landscape has a small National Landscape team of staff, and their work is governed by a Joint Advisory Committee or Executive Board representing local authorities, parish councils, landowners and partner organisations.
The legislation that created Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty was the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949 which came about after the Second World War in response to increasing pressure for new development. The government of the day decided to formally recognise the fact that the countryside of England and Wales has a rich diversity of scenery, which is of great value and worthy of protection.
Over the past 40 years the pressures on the countryside have increased and in 2000 the Countryside Rights of Way Act, (CROW) addressed that challenge. The act confirmed that AONBs shared with National Parks have the highest status of protection in relation to landscape and scenic beauty.
The purpose of a National Landscape is to protect and enhance the natural beauty of the area. The natural beauty of these areas is the sum of its โsense of placeโ. It includes geology, climate, landform and species which together give rise to the industry, heritage, culture and language of a place. National Landscapes teams aim to help residents and visitors celebrate the local distinctiveness of these special places.
National Landscapes Partnerships own no land, so the day-to-day work of a National Landscape team involves coordinating work across the entirety of the area, working with many partners, including landowners on a landscape scale.
In 2022, the Government response to Glover set out the following vision for National Parks and National Landscapes:
โA coherent national network of beautiful, nature-rich spaces that all parts of society can easily access and enjoy. Protected landscapes will support thriving local communities and economies, improve our public health and wellbeing, drive forward nature recovery, and build our resilience to climate change.โ
Each National Landscape has a Management Plan which is a statutory document guiding how the landscape should:
โข Conserve and enhance the character and special qualities identified in the plan
โข Support the objectives, policies, and principles set out in the plan
โข Implement the actions and recommendations detailed within the plan
The National Landscapes Association is the non-profit membership organisation representing the UKโs National Landscapes. The team at the National Landscapes Association works to support collaboration between National Landscapes Partnerships, representing them at government level and coordinating delivery of national projects. The National Landscapes Association was previously known as the National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is also being renamed as part of the rebrand process.
Read the press release below from 2023 when all Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty were rebranded as National Landscapes.
The Surrey Hills National Landscape
The Surrey Hills National Landscape was one of the first to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1958.
Although the Surrey Hills is now one of the most wooded of the UKโs protected landscapes with 47% canopy cover, it is still an intriguingly diverse landscape characterised by hills and valleys, traditional mixed farming, a patchwork of chalk grassland and heathland, sunken lanes, picturesque villages and market towns. It has associations with many of the countryโs great artists, writers, musicians and designers. It is often regarded as the first real countryside south of London and is a rural retreat for many thousands of daily commuters.
The Surrey Hills stretch across the chalk North Downs which run from Farnham in the west, across to Guildford, Dorking, Reigate, and Oxted in the east. They contain a mosaic of woodland, scrub and open downland with combes, spring lines, chalk pits, quarries and striking cliffs. To the south are the Greensand Hills which include Black Down, the Devilโs Punch Bowl and Leith Hill, with ancient sunken lanes and geometric fields that have been enclosed from heaths and wooded commons. In between are the valleys of the Wey, Tillingbourne and Mole rivers, and the heaths of Frensham, Thursley and Blackheath. The Low Weald forms the southern fringe of the National Landscape with its extensive woodlands and small irregular fields, hedgerows and wooded shaws.
The Surrey Hills Statement of Significance, justifying designation as a National Landscape, is:
“A landscape mosaic of farmland, woodland, heaths, downs and commons has inspired some of the countryโs greatest artists, writers and architects over the centuries. The National Landscape includes internationally and nationally important priority habitats which support protected species. The Surrey Hills attract millions of visitors every year who contribute to the economy of the area. The Hills are protected as part of Londonโs Metropolitan Green Belt and provide an outstanding natural resource for London and Surrey residents to enjoy outdoor pursuits, taste local food and drink, and to explore market towns and picture-postcard villages.โ