Issue - meetings

That the review of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Management Plan be adopted as the statutory AONB Management Plan for the Surrey Hills for the period 2014 to 2019.

Reasons for Decision:

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act (2000) places a statutory duty on local authorities to prepare a Management Plan for any Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty within their authority, and to review this every five years.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Environment and Transport Select Committee]

Under section 89 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW Act), the County Council along with the other local authorities administering the area of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) had a duty to produce an AONB Management Plan. 

Surrey County Council have delegated the duty of producing the Surrey Hills AONB Management to the Surrey Hills Partnership, known as the Surrey Hills AONB Board. The Surrey Hills AONB Management Plan for the period 2009-2014 was adopted by Surrey County Council on 17 February 2009. Under the CRoW Act there was a requirement to review the Management Plan every 5 years and the current plan had now been reviewed through the Board.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning drew attention to the Surrey Hills AONB Management Plan and also the Surrey Hills Family Delivery Plan, appended to the submitted report. He confirmed that the Boroughs and Districts were concurrently taking reports to their Members for adoption, following the satisfactory conclusion with the statutory ‘consultation bodies’ on Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment and said that the County Council was now being asked to adopt the reviewed plan for the period of 2014 – 2019.

He also confirmed that an Equalities Impact Assessment had been undertaken and was included as an attachment to the report. Finally, he thanked Mr Michael Sydney, who had previously been Chairman of Surrey Hills ANOB.

RESOLVED:

That the review of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Management Plan be adopted as the statutory AONB Management Plan for the Surrey Hills for the period 2014 to 2019.

Reasons for Decision:

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act (2000) places a statutory duty on local authorities to prepare a Management Plan for any Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty within their authority, and to review this every five years.