CONSERVATION BOARD

2011/2012A N N U A L R E V I E W

O F T H E

Chilterns Conservation Board

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Caring for the Chilterns

CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD

THE CHILTERNS - AN AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY

he Chilterns was designated as an Area of Outstanding

Natural Beauty in 1965, in recognition of its beautiful Tlandscape which is amongst the finest in the country.

The Chilterns AONB covers 833 sq kms and stretches

from Goring in south Oxfordshire through

Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire to Hitchin in

Hertfordshire. It has a population of 80,000.

The primary duties of the Chilterns

Conservation Board are to

conserve and enhance the

natural beauty of the AONB

and, in so doing, to increase

the understanding and

enjoyment by the public of its

special qualities and to foster the

economic and social well-being of

local communities.

GORING

WALLINGFORD

BENSON

WATLINGTON

CHINNOR

PRINCESRISBOROUGH

AYLESBURY

WENDOVER

TRING

DUNSTABLE

LUTON

BARTON-LE-CLAY

BERKHAMSTED

CHESHAM

MARLOW

HENLEY-ON-THAMES

READING

PRESTWOOD

HITCHIN

River Thames

Grand Union Canal

Chess

Misbourne

Gade

Bulbourne

HambledenBrook Wye

HughendenStream

Ver

HEMELHEMPSTEAD

M40

M40

M1

M1

HIGHWYCOMBE

AMERSHAM

CHORLEYWOOD

M25

M25

M4

M4

HARPENDEN

Hexton

Lilley

Whipsnade

Aldbury

Markyate

Gaddesden

Gt. Missenden

STOKENCHURCH

0 5 10 Kilometeres

Colne

BEACONSFIELD

t has been another very full year for Conservation

Board members and staff, with the looming threat of Ithe proposed High Speed 2 (HS2) railway inevitably

dominating much of the workload. The Board is taking a

leading role in exposing the weakness of the case for HS2

and in providing evidence of the huge and irreversible

impacts it would have on the Chilterns AONB. We have

great concerns about the validity of the Environmental

Impact Assessment for the railway which is being squeezed

into a very short timescale by HS2 Ltd. Engagement by

Government and HS2 Ltd with local communities along the

route in the Chilterns has not always been

effective and the Board, along with many

others, has doubts about how seriously

local concerns will be taken. The route

changes announced in January,

incorporating a longer tunnel through the

AONB, were an improvement but shallower

cuttings to the north of the tunnel will

make the route noisier and more visible.

On a more positive note, the popularity of

the Chilterns Cycleway increased even

more in its second year. There has been

good feedback from users and businesses

along the route and it is clear that one of

the aims of the Cycleway project, to

increase visitor spending in the AONB, is

being achieved. Developing the Cycleway has also enabled

the Board to work more closely with many tourism

businesses which we welcome.

As for all in the public sector, the financial climate is

challenging but the Board is, so far, coping well. We are

grateful for the continuing support of the local authorities

in this area, which are of course suffering their own cuts.

We are also delighted that over 25 parish and town councils

have given financial support to the Board.

Our partnership with The Chiltern Society

continues to be vital and a stimulus for

much constructive work to care for the

Chilterns. At Government level the light

touch arrangements with DEFRA are working

well and are a sign of confidence that the,

still relatively new, Conservation Board is

well established and being managed

efficiently.

T

0 6 Miles

N

River Thames

Mike Fox, Chairman

ISSUES AND TRENDSFollowing two long and cold winters when the demand for

wood fuel rocketed, the milder winter this year resulted in

much lower demand. It is probably fair to assume that this

was a blip and that the long term trend is definitely to use

more wood fuel and, as more high tech wood burning

systems are installed, that demand is likely to keep growing

and to be more predictable. This should help bring more

small woods into management as the economics stack up

better than for many years.

The Chilterns Cycleway has passed its first anniversary and

early indications are showing its popularity with good

feedback from accommodation providers and a billing on

the BBC website as one of the top ten cycle routes in the

UK. We hope it is no blip either as recreational cycling

continues to grow in popularity and the reputation of the

Chilterns Cycleway goes further afield.

The uncertainty of the impact of the Government's draft

planning policies was eventually lifted. The revised version

was a great deal clearer and more robust than the early

draft. The intent to safeguard AONBs from inappropriate

development seems to be intact – perhaps the greater

concern is to ensure that development visible from the

Chilterns is also appropriate. The massive, and highly

visible, new factory being built near Aston Clinton suggests

we need to remain vigilant.

1Ancient woodland at Sibleys Coppice near South Heath which will be partly destroyed by HS2

ne of the purposes of an annual review is to pick

out those changes which are notable and may be Opart of a longer trend which we need to identify

and react to. Teasing those out from the short term blips is

tricky but part of the art.

The past year was once again dominated by the proposed

high speed railway and, again, we were left with the

impression that the importance of the environment was

being played down and the notional gains to the economy

exaggerated. This was all despite the Secretary of State for

the Environment commending the newly launched National

Ecosystem Assessment (NEA), one purpose of which is to

ensure that the value of the environment is given full

weight whenever considering any development. It seems

that the application of the NEA to HS2 is a test of whether

the Government intends to take it seriously or not.

We were also alarmed recently to read that the Secretary

of State for Transport thought we could mitigate the loss of

ancient woodland by replanting it. Once again it was a

wake up call as to how poorly we protect our ancient

woodland - less than 20% of it is designated as an SSSI. In

fact, we know that the national inventory prepared in 1991

is not accurate. We have spent the last two years re-

surveying all ancient woodland and have identified another

1,200 hectares, bringing the total to over 11,000 hectares -

an astonishing 13% of the AONB.

Steve Rodrick, Chief Officer

une 2011 saw the publication of the Government's much-heralded White Paper on the natural environment: 'The

Natural Choice: securing the value of nature'. The first environment white paper for over 20 years, building on the JLawton Review, cemented a raft of new terms in our lexicon including Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity Offsetting and

Green Infrastructure. Already a range of initiatives and pilot projects have emerged and the Conservation Board is engaged

with four new Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) which, in future, will represent the collective voice of environmental

organisations at a county level.

While for some, the white paper was seen as a 'rearranging of the deck chairs', the Conservation Board welcomes the

recognition of the value of our designated landscapes and conservation initiatives at a landscape scale.

Conservation and Land Use

Launch of the Chilterns Commons Project at Totternhoe Knolls2

The Board's bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a four

year Chilterns Commons Project was successful, with

£400,000 awarded in June 2011, which secured another

£100,000 from other partners. Project Officer Rachel

Sanderson was appointed in August, and the Project

launched in September at Totternhoe Knolls with over 80

people in attendance.

Chilterns Commons Network activity – four e-bulletins,

site visits and support for practical works - continued

alongside the new Project.

150 people attended the 'Our Common History' seminar in

January, enjoying a number of very interesting

presentations on the rich history of commonland in the

Chilterns.

Field Farm, Lewknor, hosted the Chilterns Farmers'

Forum in February where 30 gathered to hear Chiltern

farmers update on their farming sectors, enjoy a light

hearted quiz and tasty local produce.

In November the Board published the third State of the

Chilterns Environment report to inform its own work and

to influence wider decision making.

Over 50 people attended the Chalk Grassland Managers'

Day in June at Dancersend and Aldbury Nowers nature

reserves near Tring. Topics included the benefits and

management of scrub for butterfly populations, ant hills,

scrape creation and sward enhancement.

The Board contributed to the management of over 50 ha

of chalk grassland this year across eight sites including

Oakley Hill, Prestwood LNR, Houghton Regis chalk pit and

Millfield Bank.

Over 70 professionals and enthusiastic volunteers

attended the annual Chilterns' scrub bash, hosted this

year by the National Trust at Dunstable Downs.

A number of Chiltern farms opened to the public for

Open Farm Sunday on 12th June – five of these events

were supported by the Board and the events proved

popular.

Woodlands

he Chilterns is one of the most heavily wooded areas in the UK with 21% woodland cover. A full re-survey of

ancient woodland was completed in early 2012. This work was jointly commissioned by the Conservation Board, TNatural England and Forestry Commission. The survey was also extended to cover all of Chiltern District, Dacorum

Borough, Wycombe District and South Bucks District. The Board has been campaigning to stop the loss of ancient woodland

which will occur if the high speed railway is built.

The survey identified that the total area of ancient

woodland in the Chilterns AONB is 11,058 ha, up from

9,827 ha – an increase of over 12%.

Over 45 delegates attended the Woodland Forum

organised jointly with the Chiltern Woodlands Project.

Displays of timber processing equipment were featured

at the Chilterns Countryside Festival, attended by nearly

6,000 visitors.

The Board's primary means of promoting woodland

management was by providing office accommodation and

financial support to the Chiltern Woodlands Project. With

this support the Project:

Gave advice to 53 woodland owners covering 572.5 ha of

woodland.

Arranged four walks attended by over 110 people and

gave nine talks to about 350.

Held two training days on woodland archaeology attended

by 18 trainees.

Organised four workshops and visits on managing

woodland for timber production for 40 woodland owners,

funded by LEADER. Two information sheets were

published on the AONB website.

Published one edition of News of the Woods and e-news

updates.

Bailey Wood, an ancient woodland near Chalfont St Giles

Historic Environmenthe full report on the Historic Landscape Characterisation of the Chilterns was made available on the new AONB

website, along with the full colour summary document The Making of the Chilterns Landscape.TThe Walk Back in Time programme included a total of 84

history-themed events.

2,000 leaflets promoting People and Places of the

Chiltern Hills were distributed and there were 11,109

visits to the People and History pages on the AONB

website.

150 people attended a seminar on the history of

commons organised by the Chilterns Commons Project in

January.

The Board distributed two editions of Chilternsaetna, a

newsletter about the historic environment of the

Chilterns.

Grants from the Chilterns AONB Sustainable Development

Fund supported a publication on the history of local

chalk industries and a leaflet on suffragettes in

Buckinghamshire.

The Board provided support to the Chiltern Woodlands

Project which ran two training days on woodland

archaeology.

3

Nuffield Place in South Oxfordshire – home to car manufacturer William Morris – opened to the public by the National Trust in 2012

n 2011-12, another dry year increased the pressure on the Chilterns’ already stressed rivers. Groundwater levels,

below normal at the start of the year, declined throughout spring and summer causing many rivers to dry up in their Iheadwater reaches by June. Winter proved to be one of the driest on record with just 12% of average recharge to the

aquifer occurring. In February the Chilterns were officially in drought and by March 2012 groundwater levels had fallen to

their lowest ever recorded levels and all the area's chalk streams were suffering significant environmental stress.

In October, working in partnership with the

Environment Agency, the Wild Trout Trust and

volunteers from Revive the Wye, the Project completed

a habitat enhancement scheme on the River Wye at

Kings Mead in Loudwater near High Wycombe.

40 delegates attended the 14th Annual Forum of the

Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, which was held in

Chalfont St. Peter in the Misbourne Valley in June.

14 visits were made to sites along six of the Chilterns'

rivers to give advice on river and riparian management

and to assist with the development of enhancement

schemes. A new advisory leaflet for landowners along

the River Wye was also produced.

The Project created a Drought Watch page on the AONB

website, gave a series of talks to local groups and took

part in a number of interviews for radio and television

to raise awareness of the developing drought situation.

The Trout in the Classroom project continued at two

schools in the Chess Valley.

The River Misbourne at Chalfont Mill in May 2011 and April 2012, showing the effect of a dry year

Chalk Streams

A water vole survey along the River Chess was completed

in September by BBOWT and the Chilterns Chalk Streams

Project. The survey revealed that the population had

recovered to the size recorded in 2001, prior to the 97%

crash in numbers as a result of predation by North

American mink.

The Project, working in partnership with the

Environment Agency, began work on two water meadow

restoration projects on the Rivers Chess and Misbourne.

Contractors began work in March on the Misbourne

scheme near Little Missenden to restore the river and

create wetland habitat.

The Project provided advice and funding to support tree

work along the River Ver at Riverside Road Watercress

Beds Nature Reserve in St. Albans and the River

Misbourne at Higher Denham. It also supported access

improvement work along the Chess Valley Walk in

Chesham by Chesham Town Council.

Working in partnership with the Thames River

Restoration Trust, a successful bid for £38,000 was made

to the Rivers Trust's River Restoration Fund to carry out a

weir removal scheme on the River Chess at Sarratt

Bottom.

4

5

Information and Interpretation

Walkers on The Ridgeway National Trail near Ivinghoe Beacon

he AONB website was completely re-built to make it more effective and up-to-date. A new interactive map

greatly improved the provision of visitor information and the Board's social media sites such as Twitter and YouTube Twere fully integrated. The website is completely managed by the Board's staff, enabling frequent updating and the

provision of time-limited information.

The new website was launched in September with

improved visitor information, integration of social media

and a new online shop. There were 178,974 visits to the

AONB website during the year, an average of 14,915 per

month. Over 35,000 leaflets and other publications were

downloaded.

The AONB Twitter and Facebook pages continued to grow

steadily in popularity.

2,000 leaflets promoting the People and Places section

of the AONB website were distributed and two talks

given.

13,000 each of two editions of the Board's magazine

Chalk and Trees were distributed.

89 delegates representing 38 organisations attended the

Chilterns Annual Forum in November 2011 at Amersham

Rugby Club.

Over 50,000 walking, cycling and general information

leaflets were distributed via libraries, information

centres, visitor attractions and at events.

The Board had a stand at six major local shows during

the summer.

26 press releases and eight letters were sent to the local

media, generating at least 100 press articles and

mentions, 19 radio interviews and nine TV interviews.

Four articles written by the Board were published in local

and national media.

Five electronic Board newsletters were circulated. Four

editions of the Commons Network Newsletter and two

editions of the Chilternsaetna newsletter on the historic

environment were distributed.

The South East Protected Landscapes Sustainable Tourism

Project, titled Our Land, was launched by Kate Humble in

October. By March 15 Chilterns businesses had joined with

plans in place for major recruitment during summer 2012.

The Board was awarded a Gold by the Green Tourism

Business Scheme.

124 copies of The Chilterns AONB Management Plan 2008-

2013 were downloaded from the AONB website.

The Board continued to support the National Association

of AONBs and contributed articles for its Outstanding

magazine.

6

n July the Government published for consultation a draft of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This

set out to replace a significant number of Planning Policy Statements and Planning Policy Guidance Notes. Along Iwith many national bodies and other organisations, the Board formally responded to the consultation with strong

objections. The NPPF was approved in March and many changes had been made which ensured that the final version was

much better than the draft, though still considered not to be as good as the advice which it had replaced.

The Board was consulted on over 170 planning

applications; detailed comments were submitted on 36,

of which over 70% were determined in line with the

Board's comments.

The Board was directly involved in the provision of

training for local authorities, professional and

educational bodies attended by over 100 delegates, and

contributed to other events attended by over 550

people.

The ninth annual Chilterns Planning Conference was held

in Berkhamsted in Dacorum Borough and attended by 45

delegates. The theme was 'Renewable energy and

protected landscapes – a conflict of interests?' The

afternoon field trip to the HG Matthews Brickyard at

Bellingdon proved an inspiration to many delegates.

A total of 30 attendees attended the two Planning Forum

events.

Planning and Development

There were joint overall winners of the Chilterns Buildings

Design Awards, offered together with The Chiltern

Society. These were the extension and refurbishment of a

house at Speen and the reconstruction and restoration of

a Victorian farm complex to accommodate a modern

business at Chorleywood. A highly commended award was

given for the restoration of a market office and its

conversion to a museum at Tring, and a special project

award was given for the extension and refurbishment of a

sailing clubhouse at Weston Turville.

Formal comments were submitted on 20 development

plans and other documents ranging from national policy

consultations to local development plan documents,

including proposals by both the owners and operators of

Luton Airport.

With pressures from development outside the AONB

mounting, the Board prepared and adopted a position

statement entitled 'Development affecting the setting of

the Chilterns AONB'.

inancial pressures meant that it was more important than ever that our public events and educational activities

paid for themselves and generated an income for the Board. Through a combination of charging the public to Fattend events, requesting donations, selling merchandise and contracting out our services to other education

projects, this area of our work generated an income of over £10,700.

The Activities and Learning Officer took on the provision

of public events at Natural England's Aston Rowant

National Nature Reserve and also school visits to the

Reserve in conjunction with visits to Field Farm,

Lewknor. 11 school sessions were delivered and an

evening Lantern Walk in October attracted over 200

visitors, bringing in income of over £500.

Education activities were also delivered at whole-day

school events at Englefield Estate near Reading (two

days) and Ewelme Park Estate near Henley (one day).

£1,025 was generated through education consultancy

work for Natural England-funded projects that were

delivered by third parties.

In partnership with Buckinghamshire County Council's

School Improvement Service, a Key Stage 2 history and

geography Chilterns-wide resource pack for local

schools, Understanding the Chilterns in Place and Time,

was launched. Free copies were distributed to all state

schools within and on the boundary of the AONB.

Activities and Learning

The Board supported higher and further education with

field trips organised for Oxford Brookes University and

Reading University, plus one Bucks Adult Learning

session.

The fifth Chilterns Countryside Festival at the Ashridge

Estate, jointly organised by the Board and the National

Trust, had over 100 stands promoting locally produced

food and crafts and local environmental organisations.

Nearly 6,000 visitors attended, and a net income of over

£4,600 was generated.

More than 500 people attended over 30 red kite talks

given to local organisations.

23 'Wildlife on the Move' events were held in conjunction

with Hobbs of Henley Ltd, Field Farm Lewknor and

Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway. Over 500

people attended these trips.

The sales of red kite-themed merchandise generated a

net income of over £2,100 which was invested in wildlife

awareness-raising work.

18 active volunteers helped with walks, talks and events.

Recreation and Accessnumber of National Trust countryside sites in the Chilterns developed new facilities and activities to cater for

different audiences, ranging from outdoor play facilities for children to bike hire and new family cycle trails. AThe Chilterns Cycleway has been very popular. A Visitor Survey showed high levels of repeat use by local cyclists

and high levels of visitor spend from staying visitors using the Cycleway for short breaks.

Access for all improvements took place at a number of locations in the Chilterns, with new easy-access routes at the

Ashridge Estate, Ivinghoe Beacon and Coombe Hill. Several new stile-free routes were also developed.

Disabled Ramblers walk at Dunstable Downs 7

The Chilterns Cycleway was very well-used and a

number of improvements and activities took place

including:

two additional day rides were developed and added to

the Chilterns Cycleway website, one starting from

West Wycombe and one from Wendover.

Cycleway signage was improved at 16 different

locations along the route.

two cream-tea bike rides were held, attracting 18

cyclists.

The annual Chilterns Access Conference was held in

March 2012 at Bellingdon Village Hall near Chesham,

attracting 70 delegates from 36 different organisations.

There were presentations on the access challenges on

Chilterns’ commons, a round-up of activities from The

Chiltern Society and the Ramblers' Association, an

update on the National Trails review and information on

Defra's 'Paths for Communities' grant scheme.

a seven mile walk in July 2011 organised by the Board,

with input from volunteers. The walk started from

Dunstable Downs and passed through Whipsnade.

A number of Chilterns Country Walks were updated and

reprinted, including the West Wycombe/Bradenham

Walk, the Galley Hill Walks from Streatley near Luton

and the Iron Age Fort walk from Cholesbury in Bucks.

The Conservation Board undertook an access audit for

the Woodland Trust at Penn Wood, to evaluate existing

access routes and facilities for visitors and to identify

improvements. The Board also worked with the Forestry

Commission to identify two new easy access trails at

Hodgemoor Woods.

Three new stile-free walks were devised in conjunction

with The Chiltern Society and the National Trust. The

walks start at Greys Court and Mapledurham in

Oxfordshire and can be downloaded from the Chilterns

AONB website.

Over 20 members of the Disabled Ramblers took part in

he Chilterns AONB Sustainable Development Fund supports projects which enhance the Chilterns and people's

enjoyment and understanding of the area. During 2011-12 it made grants totalling £35,503 to support 22 local Tprojects. The monies in the Fund are provided by Defra. The total value of the projects supported was over £186,000.

This report is based on the Financial Statement approved by the Board on 21st June 2012. The Audit Commission had not completed its audit at the time of publication of this Annual Review. A copy of the auditor's report will be available from the Board when it is published and will be posted on the Board's website.

Balance carried forward £ 75,370

To Restricted and Earmarked Reserves £ 75,370

To General Reserve -

Income

Defra £472,003Local Authorities (3) £105,085Defra -SDF (4) £ 31,842Other (5) £204,512

Total £813,442

£1,500 to Sunnyside Rural Trust for the purchase of

water tanks to store rainwater collected from

polytunnels at Hemel Food Garden.

Children meet young animals at the Tring Spring Fayre

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FUND

FINANCIAL STATEMENT 2011/2012

Examples of projects supported include:

£863 to Queensbury School in Dunstable to set up bee

hives in the school grounds so that pupils can learn

firsthand about the importance of these insects.

£500 to Colin Cartwright for the production of a booklet

celebrating the activities of

suffragettes in Buckinghamshire.

£3,000 to the Anne Carpmael

Charitable Trust for a new visitor

centre at the Withymead Nature

Reserve by the Thames near Goring.

£762 to Tring Together to support

Tring Spring Fayre, a two week

programme of events celebrating the

town and its surrounding

countryside.

£600 to the National Trust for a

natural play trail in woodland at

Dunstable Downs.

£390 to Chinnor and Princes

Risborough Railway for a bicycle

rack.

Expenditure

Countryside Management £268,780Recreation and Access £ 44,973Planning and Development £ 83,953Promotion and Awareness £155,511Governance(1) £ 40,241Management and Administration(2) £136,985Other costs £ 7,629

Total £738,072

Notes(1) Includes members' allowances, personnel and legal costs(2) Includes premises, office costs, IT and finance charges(3) Local authority contributions to core costs

(4) Grant aid from Defra for the Sustainable

(5) Includes local authority and others contributions to projects

The expenditure includes VAT which the Board is not able to reclaim.

8

Development Fund (SDF)

Appointed by the Secretary of State

Dr Heather Barrett-Mold Mr Mike Fox*Mrs Bettina Kirkham+ Mr Kevin Mayne*Dr Simon Mortimer Mr Ray Payne*Mrs Helen Tuffs Mr John Willson+

Elected by Parish Councils County

Mrs Mary Goldsmith BedfordshireMrs Shirley Judges* BuckinghamshireMrs Barbara Wallis+ BuckinghamshireMrs Margaret Jarrett+ HertfordshireMr John Griffin* OxfordshireMrs Julia Wells Oxfordshire

Executive CommitteeBoard members marked with an asterisk *

Planning CommitteeBoard members marked with a +

Mike Stubbs (National Trust) and Gill Gowing (Chiltern District Council) are co-opted.

Conservation and Landscape Officer Neil Jackson

Chalk Streams Officer Allen Beechey

Commons Project Officer Rachel Sanderson

Administration Officer Donna Hunter

H R Advisor Sally Charman

Clerk to the Board Deirdre Hansen

CONSERVATION BOARD MEMBERS FOR 2011/2012

Caring for the Chilterns

Board staff and Chairman Mike Fox on a Christmas walk in the Wormsley Valley near Stokenchurch

ChairmanCllr Mr Bill Storey* Vice Chairman

Appointed by Local Authorities

Cllr Mr Richard Pushman* Buckinghamshire C CCllr Mr Bill Storey+ Hertfordshire C CCllr Mr David Nimmo-Smith Oxfordshire C CCllr Mr Chris Richards+ Aylesbury Vale D CCllr Mr Jeremy Ryman* Chiltern D CCllr Mr Ian Reay Dacorum B CCllr Mr Dave Taylor Luton B CCllr Mr David Barnard+ North Herts D CCllr Mrs Marion Mustoe* Central Bedfordshire CCllr Mr Alan Walters* South Bucks D CCllr Mrs Anna Badcock South Oxfordshire D CCllr Mr Brian Norman+ Three Rivers D CCllr Mr Roger Emmett+ Wycombe D C

Mr Mike Fox*

Chief Officer Steve Rodrick

Finance Officer Chris Smith

Planning Officer Colin White

Countryside Officer Kath Daly

Activities and Learning Officer Cathy Rose

Information and Interpretation Officer Claire Forrest

Access Officer Annette Venters

CONSERVATION BOARD

OFFICERS

9

Chilterns Conservation Board office

The Lodge, 90 Station Road

Chinnor Oxon OX39 4HA

Tel: 01844 355500 Fax: 01844 355501

Email: office@chilternsaonb.org

Website: www.chilternsaonb.org

CONSERVATION BOARD

There are 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK and

they show huge diversity, from the Isles of Scilly to the extensive

moors of the North Pennines. The National Association for AONBs is

an independent body which promotes the family of AONBs in

England and Wales.

Download copies of this report from the website www.chilternsaonb.org

c

OXFORD

Abingdon

Aylesbury

Banbury

SLOUGHREADING

Newbury Bracknell

Basingstoke

Aldershot

Andover

Winchester

Woking

Guildford

BognorRegis

Worthing Eastbourne

Hastings

Folkstone

DOVER

Deal

Margate

Canterbury

AshfordRoyalTunbridge

Wells

Maidstone

Chatham

Sevenoaks

Crawley

Reigate

GREATERLONDON

Chilterns

Isle of Wight

ChichesterHarbour

High Weald

Kent Downs

Surrey Hills

NorthWessexDowns

Gravesend

MILTON KEYNES

Cotswolds

London and the South East Region

National Parks

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Main Urban Areas

0 50km

PORTSMOUTH

Chichester

BRIGHTON

Cranbourne Chaseand West WiltshireDowns

SouthamptonNew Forest

South Downs

Amersham

HighWycombe

This map is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of the

Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office Crown copyright. Unauthorised

reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil

proceedings.

The Countryside Agency 2003 Licence No. 100018881

©

©

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in South East England

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The Board’s office at The Lodge, Chinnor

The Board would like to thank all the volunteers that contributed

to its work during 2011/2012.

Acknowledgements

www.aonb.org.uk www.defra.gov.uk

Photos supplied by: Chilterns Conservation Board, John Morris, Chris Smith, Ian Rolfe and

Edwin Mitchell-Finch

Cover photos (front) - Cyclists in Turville, - View towards Ivinghoe Beacon, - Countryside Festival at Ashridge