Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales

There are five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in Wales, known from November 2023 as National Landscapes (Welsh: Tirwedd Cenedlaethol). AONBs are areas of countryside that have been designated for statutory protection, due to their significant landscape value, by initially the Government of the United Kingdom and later Welsh devolved bodies. Of the current five areas designated, four are wholly in Wales, with another spanning the Wales-England border, and in total AONBs account for 4% of Wales' land area.
The responsibility of designating areas in recognition of their national importance is devolved to Wales and performed by Natural Resources Wales (formerly the Countryside Council for Wales), on behalf of the Welsh Government. The designation is also used in England, and Northern Ireland. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty enjoy levels of protection from development similar to those of Welsh national parks, but unlike national parks, the responsible AONB bodies do not have their own planning powers, instead are performed by local authorities. They also differ from national parks in their more limited opportunities for extensive outdoor recreation. The Welsh Government had proposed that the designation be renamed to National Landscapes of Wales, however, they did not follow through with the proposals. In November 2023, all AONBs across England and Wales were to be renamed "National Landscapes".
Of the five, the Gower AONB was the first area to be designated in Wales in 1956, and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB is the most recent, designated as the Clwydian Range AONB in 1985, and expanded to the Dee Valley in 2011.
The Hobhouse Report by Sir Arthur Hobhouse, published in July 1947 to the Ministry of Town and Country Planning, proposed 52 conservation areas in England and Wales, of which under the term "Western", eleven are wholly in Wales, and a further three are situated around the Wales-England border. These areas were selected for their "outstanding landscape beauty" and home to "great scientific interest", which was deemed worthy of protection and management through statutory designation. The Hobhouse Report alongside the 1945 Report to the Government on National Parks in England and Wales by John Gordon Dower, would contribute to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 which created the National Parks and set up the designation later to become "Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty".
Conservation areas proposed in the 1947 Hobhouse Report; with their proposed size; likely to be wholly in Wales:
Conservation areas proposed in the 1947 Hobhouse Report; with their proposed size; but extent into Wales unknown, may be only in England or extend into Wales:
May be wholly in Wales or extend further through the Clun Forest into England.
AONBs were first designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, and prior to devolution, were designated on behalf of the UK Government.
The first AONB to be designated with the status in Wales was the Gower AONB in 1956, designated for its classic limestone coast and local natural habitats, it was also the first AONB designated in the UK. This was followed by parts of the Llŷn Peninsula to be designated an AONB in 1957, with 55 miles (89 km) of the AONB's coastline also designated as a Heritage coast. The coasts of Anglesey were designated as an AONB in 1966, with its status confirmed the following year, the status was awarded to the Anglesey Coast to protect its aesthetic appeal and the various landscapes and habitats from inappropriate development. The Wye Valley, spanning parts of both Wales and England, was designated in 1971, to protect the AONBs various features including: limestone gorges, native woodlands, hillforts, castles and the first Cistercian Abbey in Wales. The Clwydian Range was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1985 by the Secretary of State for Wales Nicholas Edwards MP; with proposals to extend it to the Dee Valley by the Countryside Council for Wales and local councils announced in 2010, and approved in November 2011 expanding the AONB to become the current Clwydian Range and Dee Valley.
In 2014, Carl Sargeant AM, then Minister for Natural Resources, commissioned for a Review of the Designated Landscapes in Wales, to "ensure that [Wales'] designated landscapes are best equipped to meet current and future challenges while building upon their internationally recognised status".
In July 2015, the Welsh Government commissioned review paper, produced by an independent panel chaired by Professor Terry Marsden of Cardiff University ("Marsden review") was published, providing 69 recommendations
The initial report called for grouping the AONBs with National Parks as "The National Designated Landscapes of Wales", but opposed any plans to make AONBs and National Parks a single designation, and instead, both designations are "the equivalent designations" with identical Statutory Purposes and Duties, with a further initial recommendation for renaming AONBs to "National Landscapes".
The review detailed three "statutory purposes":
and recommended a reclarified Statutory Duty, replacing the current "have regard to" duty in existing public bodies, to be replaced with a "single and clear duty" — "To contribute to the delivery of the three Purposes of the National Designated Landscapes". The Sandford Principle was also recommended to be retained in the review, which confirms the primacy of conservation in the AONBs should conflict with other duties arise.
It also proposed that AONBs should become statutory consultees on planning applications that are considered to have an impact on the "special qualities" of the AONBs. The authors of the report recommended that the management bodies of the AONBs and national parks should maintain their purposes, in conserving the landscape, promoting physical well-being, and promoting sustainable economic and community development. But the report states that the bodies have to improve their understanding of the local economy, in particular the tourism sector.
Lesley Griffiths AM, then Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, would describe the crux of the report to be the promotion of the authorities' duty to consider the socio-economic well-being of the AONBs.
The Marsden review also recommended that the Welsh Government empower AONBs and national parks to become centres of innovation and a catalyst for development for regions of rural Wales, but within the designated landscapes' "environmental limits", and to set performance targets for the managing bodies of the designated landscapes.
Other recommendations in the report include: extending AONB boundaries to cover adjacent sea areas, reducing the regulatory burden of audit, creation of bodies (including a National Landscape Committee, National Partnership Board and Local Partnerships), the introduction of a Partnership Plan for each area, remove the political balance requirement on AONB boards (revised to have local authority, national and “local” appointees allocated proportionally), and finally provide a core grant from Welsh Government for all designated landscape areas (whilst increasing scrutiny and diversity of their overall revenue budget through pan-Wales strategy using indicators and targets).
A final report of the Review of Designated Landscapes in Wales was published in November 2015. The report's new recommendations include; no change of name (as mentioned below) or legal status of AONBs or national parks in Wales, strengthening the supporting and delivery role of other bodies, and creating a National Landscape Committee.
In March 2018, Hannah Blythyn AM, then Minister for Environment, stated no changes were to be made on how AONBs operate in Wales, including the proposed name change.
The initial Marsden review proposed that Wales' five AONBs be renamed to the "National Landscapes of Wales".
The proposals met criticism from AMs, MPs, volunteer groups, and tourist trade organisations, with South Wales West AM Peter Black describing the move to be "misguided" and "should be ignored". Black also questioned how redesignating would work on the Wye Valley AONB, shared with England where renaming may not be applied. With opposition from Gower (home to Wales' first AONB) being increasingly vocal in their opposition. Critics describe the re-branding to be a potential turn off for tourism to the areas, and describe the AONB naming to have years of brand integrity. A Welsh Government spokesperson said that any renaming of the areas would be subject to a full public consultation. Supporters of renaming describe the term "AONB" to be "unusual" due to it being overly descriptive and emotive. Other supporters support the rename to include "Wales" in the title to provide some distinction to Wales' areas over AONBs remaining in England and Northern Ireland. The renaming was also proposed for AONBs elsewhere in the United Kingdom, and followed through by the Cotswolds AONB which rebranded itself to the Cotswolds National Landscape in 2020. In November 2023, all AONBs across England and Wales were to be renamed "National Landscapes".
A later published finalised review by Marsden removed the recommendation for renaming AONBs, recommending instead that "The Welsh Government should retain the names of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) as the key designations of the National Landscapes of Wales". With the existing designations being within a consistent and resilient nomenclature, coined in the report to potentially be "The National Landscapes of Wales", reaffirming as initially recommended, that both AONBs and National Parks be "The Equivalent Designations" within this one group.
In 2015, Carl Sargeant AM, then Minister for Natural Resources, set up a Future Landscape Working Group, chaired by Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, and aimed to explore the recommendations from the Marsden review and report findings in 2016. The group included representatives from the AONBs, National Parks, various environmental groups, and business and government officials.
The "Future Landscapes" review was published in May 2017. It set out a new plan for AONBs and National Parks, advocating that they should go beyond their current duties for improving conservation and amenities, by becoming "drivers" of sustainable natural resource management (as set out in Welsh legislation), provide a benefit for the wider public and private within and beyond their designated areas, realising the economic potential of local communities, promote green growth and ecosystem resilience. For governance of the areas, the review recommended that bodies and partnerships of the AONBs work across their boundaries together with Natural Resources Wales and local partnerships to promote the social, cultural, and economic value of the areas, and improve sustainable usage of the areas. Following publication, Lesley Griffiths, then Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, thanked the group for their work, and stated that "the next step is to deliver against the ambition, not in isolation, but together as part of the collaborative approach".
Critics of the report state that, it fails to mention the "Sandford Principle" which was a key recommendation in the Marsden review. The principle means that whenever there is a conflict between recreation in designated landscapes and the authorities' duty for the conservation of the area, conservation takes priority over recreation. Some AMs have voiced their fears that the report can lead to legislation that removes the extra protections awarded to designated landscapes, and could allow developments, in particular, focused on green infrastructure such as wind farms, to be built within the protected areas. Which critics describe would "detract from the purpose" of the areas' designated status. The Snowdonia Society, stated the report lacked clarity and echoed the concerns that the report lacked an emphasis on the primacy of conservation, noting that the word "Conservation" was absent in the Future Landscapes document.
In 2017, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas' UK Assessment Panel, expressed concerns over the Future Landscapes report commissioned by the Welsh Government. The panel stated that the new report diluted the importance of conservation in the designated landscapes as recommended in the Marsden review, and stylises the landscapes as "catalysts for regional development in rural areas", rather than from an environmental point of view. The panel concluded, that if the report's recommendations are acted upon, it would be "impossible for the panel to continue to accord international recognition to Wales’s national parks and AONBs as protected areas", and that Wales' National Parks and AONBs would be less protected and weaker than those designated in the rest of the United Kingdom.
In March 2018, Minister for Environment Hannah Blythyn AM stated no changes were to be made on how AONBs operate in Wales.
On 22 November 2023, it was announced all AONBs in England and Wales would be renamed to "National Landscapes".
Powers for the designation and management of AONBs are devolved to Wales, under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW Act). Under Section 82 of the CRoW Act, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) holds the right to designate any area of Wales, that is deemed to be of "outstanding natural beauty" worthy of conservation and enhancement that is not within a National Park, to be an AONB, following approval from the Welsh Government. NRW advises the government on any areas it deems suitable for AONB status, awards partnership funding to AONBs, and advises planning and development that may have an impact on the AONB.
Each AONB has a dedicated AONB officer, other staff, and alongside other AONBs in the United Kingdom are collectively represented by the "National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty" (NAAONB).
AONBs are classified as a Category V landscape by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has overall responsibility for AONBs nationally in Wales but the AONBs are locally managed by local authorities with the support of Joint Advisory Committees (JAC), local communities and partnerships.
Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, local authorities are responsible for developing an AONB management plan. This plan is constructed in consultation with the advisory committees and an AONB partnership–which reports and advises the local authorities–in the development and completion of the AONB Management Plan. The management plan sets out the policies the local authorities want to enact for the management of the AONB and how these policies would be implemented and achieved, providing a framework of permitted activities in the AONB. The management plan is required to take into consideration various issues of the AONB and not be limited to only environmental priorities, but also to analyse and address social and economic issues in the AONB. The 2000 act mandates that management plans have to be revised no less than every five years, with Natural Resources Wales (formed from a merger including the Countryside Council for Wales in 2013) providing funding for AONB management to the local authorities, allocated based on the AONB's management plan's policies. Local authorities or joint committees are required to notify NRW when they are intending to publish their management plan. The same act places a duty on public bodies; including private utility companies to respect efforts made to conserve, protect, and enhance the AONB's natural beauty.
The AONB designation shares the same status in terms of planning with national parks, however, unlike national parks, AONB's cannot undertake their own planning operations. Instead, the powers are awarded to the relevant planning authorities of the local unitary authorities on behalf of the AONB.
The National Association of AONBs as part of their efforts to increase awareness of AONBs in local communities, successfully negotiated in 2014 to have the boundaries of AONBs in England shown on Google Maps. The Welsh Government, as of 2021, has not released data of AONB boundaries to be used by Google on Google Maps.
Five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) have been designated in Wales, one of which, the Wye Valley AONB, straddles the Anglo-Welsh border. The areas are:
In November 2021, a Which? review listed Gower as the top-rated AONB in Wales (10th in the UK); followed by Wye Valley (15th), Llŷn (20th), Clwydian Range and Dee Valley (21st), and Anglesey (26th).