Encyclopedia > Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England (AONB) is an area in England specially designated by the Countryside Agency. There are also AONBs in Wales and Northern Ireland
The rough equivalent for Scotland is the National Scenic Area designated by Scottish Natural Heritage. With the advent of devolved government for Scotland, policy and management of these areas may well differ from the situation in England.
AONBs may be compared to, but have a diminutive status to National parks. The latter have their own authorities, have special legal powers to prevent unsympathetic development, and are well known to many inhabitants of England and Wales. By contrast, there are very limited statutory duties imposed on local authorities within an AONB and there is evidence to indicate many residents in such areas may be unaware of the status.
However, the Whitehall Government has recently said that it accepts that AONBs and National Parks should have equal status when it comes to planning consent and other sensitive issues.
AONBs vary greatly in terms of size, type and use of land, whether they are partly or wholly open to the public. Some local councils have AONB officers and other dedicated staff, others do not.
There are 36 AONBs in England (and a 37th which is shared with Wales). The most recent one to be set up was the Tamar Valley AONB in 1994. The smallest AONB is the Isles of Scilly (1976), 16 sq. km. The largest AONB is the Cotswolds (1966), 2,038 kmē.
List of AONBs in England
See also
External links - AONBs (http://www.aonb.org.uk)
- Countryside Agency (http://www.countryside.gov.uk/aonb/)
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