Partnership

The Partnership Approach

The Partnership approach brings great strength and flexibility to what we do. By combining the talent, knowledge, enthusiasm and financial resources of more than twenty partners we are able to achieve far more than we ever could if we all worked on our own.

This way of working makes the expenditure of public funds within the AONB highly efficient in terms of what can be done with the money at our disposal. We carry the partnership approach on to all that we do; involving a diverse range of people and resources in everything from small community projects to landscape-scale land management initiatives.

The AONB designation

The primary purpose of the AONB designation is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area, now and for future generations. The designation gives a formal recognition to an area's landscape importance and allows for the development of communities and economic activity. However development is only permitted in ways that enhance the landscape character of the AONB.

The enabling legislation for AONBs was the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949 which came about shortly after the Second World War and in response to the increasing pressure of 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.