Director’s review of the year 2023

Director of the North Pennines National Landscape, Chris Woodley-Stewart, unravels some of the policy changes that have affected our National Landscapes this year, and at the rebranding from Areas Of Natural Beauty.

31 December 2023

It is now four years since the Landscapes (or Glover) Review panel presented its report on the future of AONBs and National Parks; the Government has finally (and quietly) issued its response, but it leaves several things to be desired, and leaves others unanswered.

One of the main mechanisms for bringing about the change sought by Glover has been the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. The big change has been a new duty on public bodies and statutory undertakers to ‘seek to further’ the purpose of designation in the discharging of their functions. This might not sound like much, but it’s a huge leap from simply needing to ‘have regard’ for the purpose.

There’s a new duty on local authorities to support management plan implementation as well as production, too. But crucially there was no new second purpose for National Landscapes, around public enjoyment and understanding, even though we are very much expected, as teams and as a designation, to do a huge amount of work on that. Similarly, there is no intention to make National Landscape bodies statutory consultees in the planning system. However, the new National Landscapes Partnership (between the National Landscapes Association, Natural England, the National Parks and National Trails) is the much more sensible manifestation of Glover’s proposal for a National Landscape Service.

And of course, in one huge respect, we are still in a situation where we are miles from what Glover recommended – an immediate doubling of AONB funding (immediate four years ago, that is). There will be some additional in-year funds next year (£5m between the 34 National Landscapes and £5m for the National Parks, on top of the £4.4m the latter received mid-2023).

All the 34 English National Landscapes together still receive Government funding amounting to the budget of one medium-sized secondary school. One National Park alone receives double the funding of all 34 AONBs together. National Landscapes don’t want the National Parks’ resources (or all their systems and structures) – we’d like to see a bigger cake – but finally there is a recent Government commitment to look at revising the funding formula for all Protected Landscapes.

I said last year that a renaming of AONBs alone is meaningless, but National Landscapes is much more than a new name. We now increasingly look and feel like what we are – a cohesive national body, outstandingly led by the National Landscapes Association, focused on helping to look after, and make more inclusive, our finest landscapes, these living, working places which should be at the heart of nature recovery. We are an increasingly investible proposition from the public and private sector. It has raised our profile in Government immensely.