I have campaigned for years for expansion of our beautiful Surrey Hills AONB and so I read the latest report published last week on the proposed areas with great interest.
Reviewing the 1,518 responses to the proposed additional 'candidate' areas I am pleased to see between 80-95% of respondents agreed these areas should be designated as AONB.
In Godalming and Ash the major candidate areas for inclusion are:
- Hogsback and Wanborough:
Following work from local people a new area for inclusion is proposed (section A1 marked yellow on the plan) so the boundary now abuts the Hogsback Brewery itself. This candidate area received the most responses for desirability for inclusion (220 responses!). I know local people pushed hard for inclusion of these lower slopes of the Hogsback, so it's great to see Natural England listened to local feedback. Although it's not exactly what Hogsback Brewery MD Rupert Thompson and Surrey County Councillor Matt Furniss petitioned for this is definitely an improvement on the initial proposed boundary lines.
- The Binscombe Hills, Farley Hill and Wey Valley.
- Cranleigh Waters - this areas will join up the western and eastern end of the Surrey Hills AONB and now deservedly encompassing the entirety of Chilworth, Wonersh and Shamley Green.
- Dunsfold Low Weald - stunning Dunsfold village now included.
Thank you to everyone who took part in this consultation. Next, we have a 12-week statutory consultation from September (on the additional areas only). Depending on how this progresses we may have a further round and a possible public enquiry if any issues remain unresolved.
The last phase of the process is for Natural England to submit the final increased Surrey Hills AONB to the Secretary of State for final confirmation. If it had National Park status, the Surrey Hills would be a planning authority in its own right and we would have access to even more funding to protect the space and biodiversity.
It's a painfully long process but it is great to see we are moving closer to expanding our stunning AONB. If you would like to see any of the reports or maps please click on the link:
Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Boundary Variation Project - Defra - Citizen Space
Do make sure to also sign my Surrey AONB petition below!