Review the Progress

Review

In addition to contributing to the boundary review process by submitting evidence, and keeping up-to-date on progress through the interactive Story Map, you may have been able to participate in active discussions about the evidence, which took place in March 2022 after the evidence-gathering phase closed at the end of January 2022.

The final opportunity for engaging with the boundary review process is through participating in the statutory consultation – see below for further information. 

Statutory Consultation

The next step for the boundary review project is for the statutory consultation on the proposed extension to the Surrey Hills AONB. The consultation is statutory with relevant local authorities however Natural England has decided that it should be extended to other stakeholders and the public. Other stakeholders include National bodies, Parish Councils in the existing AONB and in and adjacent to the proposed extension, AONB Partnership members, local businesses and landowning groups, community organisations, recreational interests and the wider public. 

The consultation will start on Tuesday 7th March 2023, and will continue for a 14 week period ending on 13th June 2023. 

Please use the following link to access the consultation online: 

• https://consult.defra.gov.uk/ne-landscape-heritage-and-geodiversity-team/surrey-hills-boundary-variation/

If you are not able to access the consultation online Consultation, packs can be obtained from Natural England:

• Email: SurreyHillsAONBboundaryreview@naturalengland.org.uk

• Phone: Jonathan Dix on 0208 0265774

• Write to: Meg Johannessen, Natural England, 5th Floor, Northgate House, 21-23 Valpy Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 1AF

To help people prepare for the consultation, we have run a series of  briefing webinars. 

If you missed the webinars or would like to view/listen to the presentations again, please click on the following video – which last for approximately 38 minutes 

Evidence Review Events

Thank you to everyone who submitted evidence to the first stage of the boundary review - we had over 2000 responses which have been evaluated alongside  desk-based research and site-based assessments. 

Four one-hour webinars were held in the 3rd week of March 2022 to share in more detail how the evidence submitted is being used, the key themes and messages that are emerging and next steps in the boundary review process.

If you missed the webinars or would like to view/listen to the presentations again, please click on the following three video clips (below) - each lasts approximately 7 minutes.