CONSERVATION BOARD 2011/2012 A 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
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: [email protected]
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