The North Pennines AONB is one of Britain's most outstanding upland landscapes. The AONB Partnership with, and on behalf of the five local authority areas it covers, has produced the North Pennines AONB Planning Guidelines SPD. The guidelines ensure consistent and high quality land use and planning decisions across the whole AONB in order to conserve this unique landscape. They provide guidance on development in or affecting the AONB and are aimed primarily at developers and we will use them when considering planning applications.
How should the SPD be used?
The Guidelines should be used when considering the details and the impact of major development in the vicinity of the AONB. The document does not deal with the principle of major development proposals in the AONB, as these are subject to national and local planning guidance. The principal threat to the character of the area however comes less from major development than from the piecemeal erosion of distinctiveness that accompanies small-scale change.
