The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is one of England's finest landscapes. It was one of the first areas in England to be designated an AONB back in 1958. This designation recognises the beauty of the landscape and ensures that it is properly conserved and managed for future generations to enjoy.
View the Surrey Hills website (this page opens in a new window).
The nationally protected landscape of rolling chalk downs, flower rich grasslands, acid heaths and ancient woodlands also provides some of the best walking in southern England.
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are countryside areas recognised to be of national importance. In addition, a local landscape designation is also currently in place called an Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV). The majority of the AONB and AGLV covers the same geographical area.
The Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act places a 'duty of regard' on public bodies to take account of the need to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of AONB landscapes and to produce an AONB management plan. We do this in partnership with the Surrey Hills AONB Unit which is responsible for overseeing the governance of the AONB, including the preparation and coordinated implementation of the management plan, and who work from a National Trust base.
The Surrey Hills is governed by the Surrey Hills Board and was established in 2008 as a Joint Management Committee to develop policies and programmes to:
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Protect and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the Surrey Hills,
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Enhance public understanding and enjoyment of the area,
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Promote the social and economic well being of the area, particularly in regard to enterprises that achieve the above two objectives.
The Core (funding) Members of the Surrey Hills Board are: Guildford Borough Council, Mole Valley District Council, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, Tandridge District Council, Surrey County Council, Waverley Borough Council, Natural England, The National Trust.
The Advisory (non funding) Members are: National Farmers Union, Country Land and Business Association, Surrey Wildlife Trust, CPRE Surrey.
The Surrey Hills Partnership is an advisory forum that supports and scrutinizes the work of the Board.
Guiding change within the AONB
A member of the Environmental Projects Team is Guildford’s officer representative at the Surrey Hills Officer Working Group which meets quarterly to advise and direct the work of the AONB Officers. We also work in close partnership with Guildford’s Rural Tourism and Business Manager.
PPS7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas (CD6) (this page opens in a new window) sets out the government’s policies in relation to the countryside, including the urban fringe, country towns and villages. Among other things it seeks to raise the quality of life and environment in rural areas through protecting the countryside for the benefit of all.
The Local Plan [PDF] (1.8mb) has AONB and AGLV policies which states the requirements and regard that development proposals will have within or near to the nationally important Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
In addition, Guildford’s Landscape Character Assessment and guidance provides information and guidance for built development and land management in relation to protecting, conserving and enhancing landscape character.
Farmers and growers can use this to provide the base information on local landscape character and key characteristics of that landscape when applying for Farm Environment Plans (FEP’s) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) schemes. More information sources on landscape character assessment and the FEP process can be found in the links section at the bottom of this page.
The Surrey Hills AONB Management Plan 2009-2014 is now approved. The Management Plan is a statutory document that local authorities are required to review and adopt at intervals of no less than 5 years. The role of the Surrey Hills Board is to prepare the Plan but it is for each of the local authorities to adopt. You can view the Management Plan by visiting the Surrey Hills AONB website (this page opens in a new window).
A review of the Surrey Hills AGLV [PDF] (690k) was carried out in 2007 on behalf of the Surrey Planning Officers Association (SPOA) including the assessment of landscape character and quality and comparisons with landscape characteristics in the AONB and outside the AGLV, with recommendations made to deal with the future of the AGLV. The primary finding was that there are a number of areas where similar character is present and to suggest that a review of the AONB boundary is required to include AGLV land. The Surrey Hills Board is presently pressing for this review with Natural England.
Projects that we are currently working in partnership with the AONB Office include:
Mid Surrey Downs Landscape project
This 940ha project covers the North Downs between Guildford and Dorking, and is one of the largest Higher Level Stewardship schemes in the region. The project partners include the National Trust, the Wotton Estate and Laurence Matthews.
It includes restoring the views off the A25 at Albury Downs and to reintroduce grazing to the part of the common. The project was coordinated by the AONB Director and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) was given an Sustainable Development Fund grant to prepare the Farm Environment Plan and the application. The board may consider it appropriate to establish a Working Group involving Natural England, Surrey Wildlife Trust, the Community Landowners Association and National Farmers Union to lead on coordinating further landscape scale targeting.
Landscape enhancement of country lanes.
In 2008/09, the Surrey Hills received funding for the manufacture and installation of 6 Surrey Hills 'gateway signs', with the logo and the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty wording, for A roads and village gateway signs for Albury and Peaslake. The signs were installed in May and the overall feedback has been very positive with requests for more village gateways and even to extend the boundary signs.
Hogs’ Back café
Options are being considered to improve the existing site and café facility in order to secure the better management of the site in the longer term.
Undergrounding of Electricity Supplies
Ofgem has given EDF Energy Networks an allowance to improve the environment in which they operate and they are currently working to remove pylons and overhead power lines where they have an adverse visual impact upon sensitive landscapes.
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Phase 1: Polesden Lacey 11kV - completed March 2009.
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Phase 2: The following sites however have been identified as potential projects with EDF and the County Landscape Officer: Pewley Down, Tyting/ St Martha’s.
Funding for projects
There are a wide variety of grant schemes on offer to help fund projects that will assist in conserving and enhancing the AONB now and for the future.
Links
The Surrey Hills AONB Unit can be contacted at the following address;
Rob Fairbanks AONB Director
Surrey Hills AONB Office
Warren Farm Barns
Headley Lane
Mickleham
Surrey
RH5 6DG
Tel: 01372 220653
Email: rob.fairbanks@surreyhills.org
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Natural England (this page opens in a new window) is the Government's statutory advisor on landscape, with specific responsibilities for National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Heritage Coasts. Their landscape work contributes to conserving and enhancing our landscapes and their local distinctiveness. It includes influencing policy makers to consider the different types of landscape character of rural, urban and coastal landscapes, when taking decisions.
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Environmental Projects
Planning Services
Millmead House
Millmead
Guildford
GU2 4BB
Tel: 01483 444668
Email: envprojects@guildford.gov.uk