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The Surrey Hills: your place, your voice

The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a nationally important landscape, something everyone living in the area should be justly proud of.  It is an area that you may visit regularly, where you earn your living, or spend your leisure time. 

There has been a desire locally over many years for a review to decide whether additional areas adjacent to the existing AONB boundary should also be designated.   

A formal AONB boundary review is now underway by Natural England which will consider the case for extending the existing AONB and we are keen to have your involvement. We hope that you will participate and contribute to the decision making process. 

Since AONBs are designated solely for their outstanding natural beauty, any decision about an extension to the Surrey Hills AONB boundary will be based on assessments of factors that relate directly to natural beauty - for instance, cultural and natural heritage, the condition of features in the landscape and the scenic qualities of the areas under review.   As part of this process Natural England is not looking to de-designate areas of existing AONB.

Update February 2023

The Boundary Review is now nearly complete and we are now ready to consult on the proposed changes. Your can find out more information about the statutory consultation process by attending one of the boundary review webinars that will be held in early March.  See our Review page for more information.