This Management Plan

On this page you will find:

This AONB Management Plan

Local authorities with an AONB in their administrative area must produce and subsequently review an AONB Management Plan. The plan should “formulate their policy for the management of their Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and for the carrying out of their functions in relation to it.” 9 For the Isle of Wight AONB, this is undertaken by the National Landscape Partnership with a formal adoption of the plan by the Isle of Wight Council.  The National Landscape Partnership also oversees the delivery of the Plan over its five-year cycle. 

As well as being a legal requirement, the initial preparation and subsequent reviews of the AONB Management Plans represent an opportunity to draw together all interested parties to generate long-term visions for the area, set an agenda for change and manage such change effectively. It is also a useful educational tool, helping to change attitudes and behaviours.

The first statutory AONB Management Plan was produced in 2004 and this will be the fifth iteration of that statutory plan. 

Purpose of this AONB Management Plan

The overall aim of AONB Management Plans is to ensure continuity and consistency of management over time.  It places a focus on the primary purpose of the conservation and enhancement of natural beauty with social and economic issues covered in terms of how they relate to the primary purpose. 

The Isle of Wight AONB Management Plan:

  • Highlights the distinctive qualities of the designated landscape.
  • Identifies the changes and issues affecting the designated landscape.
  • Presents a vision for the future of the designated landscape as a whole, in light of other national, regional and local priorities.
  • Sets priorities incorporating specific objectives that will help to secure that vision.
  • Clarifies the role of partners and other stakeholders, identifying what needs to be done, by whom, and when, in order to achieve the Plan’s objectives.
  • Identifies how the objectives and actions will be measured and reviewed.
  • Raises the profile of the designated landscape and its purpose.

In terms of its legal status the Isle of Wight AONB Management Plan:

  • Is statutory, in that the Isle of Wight Council is required by law to produce and review an AONB Management Plan.
  • Formulates the policy of the Isle of Wight Council for the designated landscape and for Council functions that have an impact on it.
  • Demonstrates the commitment of public bodies, statutory undertakers and other stakeholders to the management of the designated landscape.
  • Does not override other statutory plans, strategies and land management schemes within the designated landscape, but seeks to support and influence them.

National and local policies already provide a considerable level of protection for the natural beauty of the Isle of Wight AONB.  In addition, many of the organisations in the National Landscape Partnership prepare strategies and plans that deal with other or specific issues that affect the area (such as land use planning, tourism, transport, biodiversity, geodiversity, estuary management etc).

This plan should be used to guide and inform plans and activities of other public bodies and those organisations such as statutory undertakers (e.g. utility companies) that have a duty to seek to further the primary purpose of the AONB.  It can also be used for information and as a guide for other individuals or organisations with an interest in the area.

National Planning Policy Framework 202410

It is important to recognise that the primary legislation in relation to AONB designation is from the CRoW Act as amended (2000) and originally from the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Policies for AONBs outside this Plan are now solely contained in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2024.Local Development Scheme (Island Planning Strategy [in prep 2024] see section 3.8.5) and Neighbourhood Plans.

The National Planning Policy Framework confirms the requirement in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 that applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The NPPF provides specific planning guidance for plan makers and decision takers in relation to AONBs and confirms that great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty. Furthermore, AONBs have the highest status of protection in relation to landscape and scenic beauty. Additionally, it is confirmed that the conservation of wildlife and cultural heritage are important considerations in these areas. AONBs and their Management Plans are material considerations in planning. The ‘great weight test’ is significant and one of the most stringent legal tests that can be applied under planning law. In specific relation to major development, the NPPF states that planning permission should be refused for major developments in AONBs except in exceptional circumstances and where it can be demonstrated that they are in the public interest and sets a series of 3 tests they are assessed against. Major development within a heritage coast is unlikely to be appropriate unless it is compatible with its special character.

Whether a proposal is a major development is a matter for the decision-maker, taking into account its nature, scale and setting, and whether it could have a significant adverse impact of the purposes for which the area has been designated. (NPPF 2023)

It should however be recognised that the “presumption in favour of sustainable development” does not apply within AONBs as confirmed by (para 11 footnote 6) of the NPPF, due to the other policies relating to AONBs elsewhere within the Framework.  Additionally, AONBs are defined within the EIA Regulations for specific consideration as a “sensitive area” and land within AONBs is recognised differently under the Town and Country Planning Act (2015) as Article 2(3) land (which for example restricts certain permitted development rights).

The NPPF also calls on local authorities to recognise that undeveloped land can perform a variety of functions and that consideration of the role it plays for wildlife, flood risk mitigation, cooling / shading, carbon storage and food production should all be considered in the planning process.

UK Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan11

Published in 2018, this Plan gives a wide-ranging view of the commitments of the Government over the next 25 years including planning, environmental protection, and the role of AONBs and National Parks. It aims to deliver cleaner air and water in our cities and rural landscapes, protect threatened species and provide richer wildlife habitats. It calls for an approach to agriculture, land use and fishing that puts the environment first.

The Plan seeks to embed an environmental net-gain principle for development, including housing and infrastructure; improve the way we manage and incentivise land management including designing and delivering a new environmental land management system and make greater use of natural flood management solutions to reduce the risk of harm from flooding.  

The Government will be working with National Landscape Partnerships to deliver environmental enhancement, including demonstrator projects, and engaging with communities through their statutory management plans

UK Government Environmental Improvement Plan12

Published in 2023, this represents the first revision of the original Environment Plan described above. The Plan describes ten goals including an ‘apex’ goal of ‘Thriving Nature’ and a specific goal of ‘Enhanced beauty, heritage, and engagement with the natural environment’. Further aims include:

  • Improving environmental quality
  • Improving our use of resources
  • Improving our mitigation of climate change
  • Improving our biosecurity

The targets and outcomes from this document will be detailed in the relevant chapters of the Management Plan

The Glover Review13

In May 2018 the UK Government launched its Review of Designated Landscapes (National Parks and AONBs) in England: ‘The Review aims not to diminish the character or independence of our designated landscapes, or to impose new burdens on them and the people who live and work in the areas they cover. Instead, its purpose is to ask what might be done better, what changes could assist them, and whether definitions and systems which, in many cases date back to their original creation, are still sufficient.’

The Review was published in 2019 and produced twenty-seven proposals including ‘AONBs strengthened with new purposes, powers and resources, renamed as National Landscapes’. As a result of the Review an uplift in funding was implemented and a rebranding exercise undertaken.

Environment Act 202114

The Environment Act allows for the provision of legally binding long-term (>15yrs) targets on air quality, water, biodiversity, and resource efficiency. To regulate and monitor these aims the Act sets up the Office for Environmental Protection and gives further detail on the mechanisms for nature recovery in England. These mechanisms include:

  • Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain in the UK Planning system
  • Production of statutory Local Nature Recovery Strategies by responsible authorities
  • Implementation of conservation covenants

Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain became a legal requirement in January 2024. The Isle of Wight Council was confirmed as a responsible authority to produce a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the Isle of Wight in June 2023.

Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 20236

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act included provisions to change the obligations of public bodies towards the designated landscape through powers to produce regulations. These regulations and other guidance are being produced during the writing of this Plan. Specifically, the LUR Act and subsequent regulations:

Requires a protected landscape management plan to contribute to meeting of any target set under Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Environment Act 2021,

  • set out how a management plan must further the purposes of the designation,
  • require and set outs how a relevant authority must contribute to the preparation, implementation, and review of a management plan,

In terms of substantive changes to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 public bodies (relevant authorities) must:

In exercising or performing any functions in relation to, or so as to affect, land in any Protected Landscape in England, a relevant authority other than a devolved Welsh authority must seek to further the specified purpose[s]. In practice the duty is an active duty, not passive, which means:

  • a relevant authority should take appropriate, reasonable, and proportionate steps to explore measures which further the statutory purposes of Protected Landscapes
  • as far as is reasonably practical, relevant authorities should seek to avoid harm and contribute to the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty, special qualities, and key characteristics of Protected Landscapes
  • a relevant authority should be able to demonstrate with proportionate, reasoned, and documented evidence the measures to which consideration has been given when seeking to further the statutory purposes of Protected Landscapes – for example, policies, strategies, operational procedures, estate management plans, investment plans, contracts, works instructions, assessments and reports which should be able to evidence the proper discharge of the duty by the relevant authority
  • for ongoing functions, a relevant authority may consider it appropriate to instigate a formal compliance monitoring and reporting system to ensure adherence to the duty
  • for development plan making and development management decisions affecting a Protected Landscape, a relevant authority should seek to further the purposes of the Protected Landscape – in so doing, the relevant authority should consider whether such measures can be embedded in the design of plans and proposals, where reasonably practical and operationally feasible
  • for the development and management of land, water and estates, relevant authorities should seek to further the purposes of the Protected Landscape when designing and undertaking these activities, where reasonably practical and operationally feasible
  • for day-to-day activities, relevant authorities should seek to further the purposes of the Protected Landscape when designing and undertaking these activities where reasonably practical and operationally feasible

Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework 202415

DEFRA has produced Targets and Outcomes Framework for Protected Landscapes (National Parks and National Landscapes) to require designated landscapes in England to meet their potential for nature, climate, people and place. These build on the provisions of the LUR Act and the Environmental Improvement Plan (see above) particularly:

Goal 3: Thriving plants and wildlife,

Goal 7: Mitigating and adapting to climate change,

Goal 10: Enhancing beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment.

National targets include restoration and creation of habitats; improving SSSI condition; improving condition of priority habitats; restoration of peat and creation of woodland to reduce carbon emissions and increase accessibility; and reduce heritage at risk. National Landscapes are due to be separated into individual allocations for each Protected Landscape (See Appendix A: Delivery Plan 2025-2030).

Back to top