Landscape Protection
Introduction
Defra's overall aim is to improve everyone's quality of life, now and for the future. One of the activities supporting this goal is the creation and safeguarding of a high quality natural and built environment. Defra is committed to conserving and enhancing our landscapes, which reflect the interaction of man and nature over many centuries. In England and Wales, our finest landscapes have been conserved and enhanced through designation as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).
National Parks and AONBs have a high level of protection against inappropriate development through the planning system. Any major development has to be in the public interest. Considerations include whether the development is needed in national terms; the impact of permitting it or refusing it on the local economy; the potential for developing elsewhere, or meeting the need in some other way; and the extent to which any detrimental effect on the landscape might be moderated. For further details see the Communities and Local Government planning pages.
Countryside conservation outside these areas is also important. Natural England runs programmes designed to conserve the countryside and to help people enjoy it. Defra supports the techniques of countryside character appraisal and environmental capital, developed by Natural England in co-operation with other partners.
These help people appreciate what is important to them in the countryside and the priority which might be given to conserving particular features.
The Department runs a number of Agri-Environment schemes that encourage environmentally friendly farming by offering payments to farmers to manage their landscapes in ways that safeguard and enhance the rural environment. Full details are available on the Environmentally Sensitive Areas pages.
Topics:
- History of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- European Landscape Convention
- Duties on relevant authorities to have regard to the purposes of National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and the Broads
- Contacts
1. History of the National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
In 1945, at the request of the Government, the architect John Dower produced a report on how National Parks (first created in the USA) might be introduced in England and Wales.
This was followed in 1947 by a further report from a committee chaired by Sir Arthur Hobhouse, which proposed special legal status for those areas considered to be the finest landscapes in England and Wales, in order to preserve them for the nation's benefit.
This, in turn, led to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949, under which the National Parks and AONBs have been designated.
The 1949 Act established the National Parks Commission to designate areas as National Parks and advise on their running. The National Parks Commission became the Countryside Commission in 1968, combining the specific responsibilities of the National Parks Commission with responsibilities for the countryside as a whole.
In April 1999, the Countryside Commission merged with parts of the Rural Development Commission to create the Countryside Agency. Most recently, in October 2006, the Agency merged with Defra's Rural Development Service and English Nature to form Natural England.
Natural England is the statutory advisor to Defra on landscape issues, and is funded through the Department.
2. European Landscape Convention
The Convention is the product of a lengthy process of discussion and development which began in the early 1990s.
It aims to formally recognise the importance of landscape in a whole territory, rather than a special area. It is the first international agreement specifically addressing landscape issues and applies equally to urban, peri-urban and rural landscapes. The UK has taken an active role in the development of the Convention, mainly through the then Countryside Agency and English Heritage.
The Convention was opened for signature in October 2000. It came into force (for all those who had ratified it) on 1 March 2004 - three months after it had been ratified by ten Council of Europe Member States.
The UK signed the Convention on 21 February 2006 and ratified it on 21 November 2006. The Convention will become binding on the UK from 1 March 2007.
Signing the Convention commits the UK to honour the obligations set out in the text. However, the Council of Europe has no legal powers over the UK and could not apply any set of international sanctions if the UK failed to meet its obligations. Council of Europe Conventions depend for their effectiveness on the compliance of the member states and domestic scrutiny.
The UK Government spent some time considering the implications of ratification. A final Regulatory Impact Assessment was been produced to help in those deliberations. The Government has concluded that the UK already meets the Articles of the Convention so will not need to change existing policy or legislation. However, we will work with Natural England and other stakeholders to see how compliance might be strengthened during the normal course of review.
Natural England, in partnership with English Heritage, have compiled an implementation framework to help promote and develop the principles of the European Landscape Convention. This framework seeks to further strengthen the protection, management and planning of the landscape in England by providing a structure for Action Plans of partners and stakeholders.
- European Landscape Convention Implementation Framework
(75 KB) - Text of European Landscape Convention (on Council of Europe website)
- Regulatory Impact Assessment
(50 KB)
3. Duties on relevant authorities to have regard to the purposes of National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and the Broads
On 23 March 2005 we published a guidance note clarifying the duty on relevant authorities to have regard to the purposes of National Parks (Section 11A (2) of the 1949 Act) and the similar duties towards AONBs (Section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) and the Broads (Section 17A of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988). This includes an indicative list of those relevant authorities we consider subject to these duties.
Although not introducing any new requirements, we hope that the guidance will raise awareness and understanding of the duties with consequent improvements in compliance. As a result, we hope to foster a new climate of shared responsibility towards England 's protected landscapes.
- Duties on relevant authorities to have regard to the purposes of National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and the Broads : guidance note [69 KB]
4. Contacts
Sponsorship, Landscape & Recreation Division
Zone 1/03
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
Bristol BS1 6EB
Email: nationalparks.aonbs@defra.gsi.gov.uk
For general queries about the National Parks please contact:
Tel: 18002 0117 372 8234 (via typetalk)
or 0117 372 8033
For general queries about the AONBs please contact:
Tel: 0117 372 8106 or 0117 372 6265
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Page last modified:
30 November 2007
Page published: 5 February 2003