Key plans approved by Wiltshire Council that will help protect Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Wednesday, 11 June 2025 06:00

Wiltshire Council has endorsed and adopted two management plans for the nationally important and protected landscapes, Cranborne Chase and the Cotswolds, which are in place to conserve, protect and enhance them.

As per legal requirements, if any National Landscape (legally referred to as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) fall wholly or partially within its area, a local authority must prepare and publish a management plan. As a result, the relevant National Landscape Boards have prepared a plan on behalf of the relevant local authorities for both Cranborne Chase and the Cotswolds. At yesterday's Cabinet meeting (June 10th), Wiltshire Council approved both plans.

The plans ensure both areas will be equipped to address and adapt to changes in the natural environment due to climate change and that their populations of wild species can thrive. The plans will also play an important role when any relevant planning decisions are being considered.

The respective National Landscapes carried out engagement with key stakeholders and local communities as the plans were being developed to ensure they meet all the requirements as set out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – which expects plans to address four primary criteria of ‘Nature, Climate, People and Place’

The vision for the Cotswolds National Landscape Management Plan is aligned to three interlinked key issues: the climate emergency, nature’s decline and the ecological crisis, and health and societal changes. The themes for the Cranborne Chase National Landscape Plan are Conserving and Enhancing, Outstanding Landscapes, Living and Working Landscapes, and Special Landscapes to Enjoy.

Cllr Adrian Foster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development Management and Housing, said: “We are privileged to have such beautiful landscapes on our doorstep but this also means we have a vital responsibility as a county to play our part and ensure they are protected and enhanced for generations to come.

“We are pleased to have formally signed off on these plans, which reaffirm our collective duty to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the National Landscape.

“We have worked to ensure these plans align and complement existing strategies in place, including the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which is in the process of being finalised. We maintain a close working relationship with the National Landscape Boards and we thank them for the work they have put in to develop these thorough plans.”