Jonathan Lord MP is delighted to confirm that Natural England will conduct a review of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) boundary starting next year.
The news came in a letter from Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Minister for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, who said:
‘I can confirm that Natural England will take forward the development of a programme of designation priorities in the coming year and this will include the consideration of the Surrey Hills extension.’
(A copy of this letter is attached, for your information, below)
This announcement comes as particularly good news to Jonathan, who recently ran a campaign on this, supported by other Surrey MPs.
Jonathan Lord, Member of Parliament for Woking, said:
“I am absolutely delighted by this announcement from Defra and Natural England. The Surrey Hills offer some of England’s most beautiful and accessible countryside, and yet the area with full AONB protection, designated in 1958, is relatively small and vulnerable. The Surrey Hills AONB and, in particular, its important surrounding areas desperately need further protections in order to safeguard them for future generations. I very much look forward to Natural England conducting this boundary review and, hopefully, expanding the AONB boundary in a sensible and sustainable way.”
