What is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)?
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an outstanding landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so important that it is protected in law in the national interest. How is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty protected? An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is designated and protected under the 1949 National Parks and Access to Countryside Act. Its protection was further enhanced by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, 2000 (CRoW2000). How many areas of AONB are there in England and Wales? 38 Does land in an AONB have permitted development rights? Permitted development rights are reduced, but not wholly removed in AONBs. It is always worth seeking out professional knowledge and support when applying for development within an AONB. |
AONB Name & Size |
Location |
County/Counties |
Arnside and Silverdale 29 sq miles |
Cumbria, Lancashire |
|
Blackdown Hills 140 sq miles |
Devon, Somerset |
|
Cannock Chase 26 sq miles |
Staffordshire |
|
Chichester Harbour 14 sq miles |
Hampshire, West Sussex |
|
Chiltern Hills 322 sq miles |
Buckinghamshire, Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire |
|
Cornwall 370 sq miles |
Cornwall |
|
Cotswolds 787 sq miles |
Bath and North East Somerset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire |
|
Cranborne Chase and the West Wiltshire Downs 380 sq miles |
Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, Wiltshire |
|
Essex, Suffolk |
||
Dorset 436 sq miles 436 sq miles |
Dorset |
|
East Devon 103 sq miles 103 sq miles |
Devon |
|
Forest of Bowland 103 sq miles |
Lancashire, North Yorkshirere |
|
High Weald 560 sq miles |
East Sussex, Kent, Surrey, West Sussexx |
|
Howardian Hills 79 sq miles |
North Yorkshire |
|
Isle of Wight 73 sq miles |
Isle of Wight |
|
Isles of Scilly 6.2 sq miles |
Isle of Scilly |
|
Greater London, Kent |
||
Lincolnshire |
||
Gloucestershire, Hereford, Worcestershiree |
||
Somerset |
||
North Yorkshire |
||
Norfolk |
||
Devon |
||
County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire |
||
Northumberland Coast 53 sq miles |
Northumberland |
|
North Wessex Downs 670 sq miles |
Hamspshire, Oxfordshire, Swindon, West Berkshire, Wiltshire |
|
Quantock Hills 38 sq miles |
Somerset |
|
Shropshire Hills 310 sq miles |
Shropshire |
|
Solway Coast 44 sq miles |
Cumbria |
|
South Devon 130 sq miles |
Devon |
|
Suffolk |
||
Surrey Hills 163 sq miles |
Surrey |
|
Tamar Valley 73 sq miles |
Cornwall, Devon |
|
Wye Valley 126 sq miles |
Gloucestershire , Herefordshire |
Disclaimer: Information correct at Feb 2022. It is advised not to make any purchases based on information on this page.