Yorkshire Wolds Proposed Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Designation Project

Overview

Yorkshire Wolds Proposed Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Project - Public and Statutory Consultation

This consultation for the Yorkshire Wolds Proposed Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)* Designation Project is now closed.  All information and documents related to the project and this consultation can be found below.  Once completed, a consultation analysis report will be uploaded to this webpage, along with any updates to the project.

*AONBs were rebranded as National Landscapes in November 2023. Legally however, Natural England can only designate as an AONB. To avoid confusion, all documentation and consultation materials refer to AONB throughout. If the proposed area were to be designated as an AONB, it would become known as the Yorkshire Wolds National Landscape.

Background Information

Natural England is the public body responsible for conserving and enhancing the natural environment in England. One of Natural England’s responsibilities is to decide whether an area should be given special status and protection by designating it as a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The purpose of AONB designation is to conserve and enhance an area’s natural beauty. AONBs are designated by Natural England using statutory powers in the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000.

For many years there has been a local desire for a new Yorkshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to include areas covered by local landscape designations and areas of wider countryside. These proposals have been supported by the local authorities in the area and in 2013, following a period of discussions, a formal request was put to Natural England by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, based on work it had carried out to support the proposal. The proposal was placed on hold until other NE national landscape designation work was completed.

In May 2021 the Natural England Board approved the commencement of a new programme of landscape designation projects. In June 2021 a Written Ministerial statement by then Secretary of State, George Eustace (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)) announced that Natural England "will be taking forward the government's commitment to designate additional landscapes and is currently considering the designation of four new areas". This included the possible designation of a new Yorkshire Wolds AONB.

Subsequently Natural England established a project Management Advisory Group (MAG)  in order to include statutory local authorities in project governance and improve engagement. An Area of Search was defined collaboratively between Natural England and the MAG and used as a starting point for the assessment process. A consortium of specialist consultants was appointed to undertake the technical assessment and stakeholder engagement work.

An initial call for evidence ran from March to April 2022, followed by a period of analysis and commencement of natural beauty assessment. An extensive early stakeholder and public engagement exercise was held once a draft area considered likely to qualify for designation emerged. Around 700 people visited the project website, over 450 attended events and around 250 written responses were received from a range of local stakeholders and the public.

The results of this engagement were then taken into account as the technical assessments of the area progressed. Assessments to determine which landscapes meet the legal requirements for inclusion in an AONB have now been completed and proposals have been developed.  

The proposed new AONB includes two areas of the Wolds:

An inland area comprising: an arc of elevated chalk wolds and valleys extending from Goodmanham in the southwest round to Folkton in the northeast, and stretching from the Howardian Hills AONB, along the Derwent Gorge, to the valleys of Langtoft in the east.

A coastal area comprising: the striking peninsula of the Flamborough Headland and its immediate hinterland stretching from The Speeton Hills around Reighton in the north to the Sewerby Cliffs in the south.

Statutory and Public Consultation

These areas were identified as a result of detailed technical assessments commissioned by Natural England to investigate which areas meet the statutory requirements for inclusion in any new AONB.  The CRoW Act 2000 requires that Natural England carries out a statutory Local Authority consultation prior to reaching a final decision.  We decided that we would also like to give everybody with an interest in the proposed AONB the opportunity to express their views on whether these areas should be designated.  Therefore, a combined statutory and public consultation on the proposals to designate a new AONB in the Yorkshire Wolds was held.  It opened on 8th October 2024, and closed on 13th January 2025. 

The purpose of this consultation was to seek views on whether the areas identified have the qualities required for designation as an AONB, whether they should be designated and, if so, where the boundary should be.  A Consultation Pack providing information on the proposals and the designation process was available to view online, following the links that can be found at the bottom of this webpage. Hard copies could be requested by contacting us by telephone, email or post.

Further information was available within the technical documents listed below:

• Guidance on Assessing Landscapes for Designation as National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England, June 2021
• Yorkshire Wolds AONB Designation Project Natural Beauty Assessment
• Yorkshire Wolds AONB Designation Project Desirability Assessment
• Yorkshire Wolds AONB Designation Project Boundary Assessment
• Yorkshire Wolds AONB Designation Project Boundary Maps

Hard copies of these documents were available to view throughout the consultation period in the following locations:

• Natural England Office, York
• East Riding Council Customer Service Centre, Beverley
• North Yorkshire Council Office, Malton
• Howardian Hills National Landscape office, Helmsley
• Filey Library, Filey
• Flamborough Library, Flamborough
• Malton Library, Malton
• Markey Weighton Wicstun Centre and library, Markey Weighton

The documents can also be viewed online, using the links found at the bottom of this webpage.

A number of online webinars were held during the consultation.  The webinars provided information about the proposals, and how to participate in the consultation.  Two webinars were open to the public, whilst a further two webinars were open to members of the NFU, CLA, farmers, farming groups and land interest groups.  All of the webinars covered the same content, and a recording of the webinar held on 9th October can be found below.

Click here to download the webinar recording from 9th October 2024

In addition, ten face-to-face drop-in events were held throughout the area, where people were able to view the maps and documents, and speak to a member of our team. 

These events were held in the following locations and/or on the following dates:

• Market Weighton Community Hall (15th October 2024)
• Sherburn Village Hall (16th October 2024)
• Hunmanby Community Centre (17th October 2024)
• Online Webinar 1 (14:00 - 15:30, 22nd October 2024)
• Online Webinar 2 (19:00 - 20:30, 24th October 2024)
• Thixendale Village Hall (6th November 2024)
• Bempton & Buckton Community Hall (7th November 2024)
• Milton Rooms, Malton (12th November 2024)
• Pocklington Scout Hut (13th November 2024)
• Millington Village Hall (14th November 2024)
• Driffield Cass Hall (20th November 2024)
• Weaverthorpe Village Hall (21st November 2024)
• Online Webinar CLA/NFU 1 (10:30 - 12:00, 26th November 2024)
• Online Webinar CLA/NFU 2 (19:00 - 20:30, 27th November 2024)

Response forms were provided to give people the opportunity to comment on the proposals and to submit evidence.  The response forms could be submitted online, or via email or the post.

Why your views matter

What happens next

Now that the consultation has closed, we will analyse all of the responses and review the proposals; amending them, if necessary, to take account of any relevant evidence provided.  Depending on the number of responses received this is likely to take around six months.  A summary of the responses will then be provided on this website.

The designation project can then move to the next stage in the process, if, as a result of the consultation:

• no fundamental objections arise which cannot be overcome; and
• no significant areas of additional land need to be included as a result of the consultation; and
• Natural England decides to continue with the proposed AONB designation.

The Natural England Board must then give approval:

• of the final technical assessments
• of a draft designation Order (the legal paperwork)
• to proceed to a formal period of Notice (known as the Notice Period) by publishing a Notice of the Order in the London Gazette and other newspapers as required by Section 83(2) of the CRoW Act.

The Notice period allows anyone who wishes to do so to make representations to Natural England, objecting to, supportive of, or proposing amendments to the Order, and stating the grounds on which they are made.

Following the Notice period, a further period of response analysis will be required, and any consequent changes made to the draft designation Order. Natural England approval would then be sought to allow the Order to be ‘made’ (signed and the Natural England seal approved) and submitted to the Secretary of State for confirmation.

If there are any unresolved objections, these would be submitted to the Secretary of State with the Order.  The Secretary of State has the discretion to call a Public Inquiry to assist in their decision making, and to consider such objections further, before deciding whether or not to confirm the Order.  

The Secretary of State may, or may not, confirm the Order, with or without amendment.  This decision is not made to any specific timescale.  Any designation would not come into effect unless, and until, confirmed by the Secretary of State.