Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) are designated areas where protection is afforded to protect and manage the areas for visitors and local residents. AONBs are also known as National Landscapes.Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, Natural England has the power to designate AONBs in England that are outside national parks and that are considered to have such natural beauty it is desirable they are conserved and enhanced; issue a variation order to change an existing AONB boundary. It also holds a duty to give advice on developments taking place in an AONB; take into account the conservation and enhancement of AONBs in its work.National Landscapes are living places. Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is not a nature designation, and caring for the natural beauty of these places involves more than habitat restoration.There are 46 National Landscapes in the UK. These are places with national importance, protected for the nation's benefit, but cared for by local teams with a deep understanding of the distinctive web of interconnecting factors that make these places special.The physical geography in a National Landscape: the unique combination of landform, climate and geology determines which species thrive, which industries grow, and therefore the heritage, language and culture of the individual place.For more information visit https://national-landscapes.org.uk/.Full metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.

This spatial dataset contains the digital boundaries of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) statutory landscape designation in Wales. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has a legal duty to maintain and make available AONB boundaries.

Following recommendations from a review commissioned by Welsh Government, in 2024 AONBs were rebranded as National Landscapes. Both names of AONB and National Landscapes are currently in use. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty remains the legal name for this statutory designation.

AONBs are designated for the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty and differ from National Parks in that they do not have a recreation remit. AONBs are managed by their constituent Local Authorities.

NRW is the designating authority to create any new AONB in Wales or boundary variations to existing ones, however these must be confirmed by Welsh Ministers. NRWs statutory powers derive from the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act (NPAC) 1949 and Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Any new AONBs designated by NRW would now be under powers derived from the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Five AONBs have been designated in Wales: Gower (1956) was the first AONB designated in England and Wales, Llŷn (1957), Anglesey (1967) and Wye Valley (1971), which straddles the border with England. The Clwydian Range AONB was designated in 1985 and extended by the then Countryside Council for Wales (a predecessor organisation to NRW) in 2011.

The data has been held digitally since mid-1990s. The boundary has been transferred to OS MasterMap by NRW and has been subject to joint checking by NRW staff and the relevant Local Authority staff.

This is an Historic dataset of the Hastings Local Plan 2004 planning constraints. The Hastings Local Plan 2004 has been superseded in its entirety by the Hastings Local Plan made up of The Hastings Planning Strategy and Development Management Plan. This dataset is a digitised version of the Hastings Local Plan 2004 Policies Map (Polygon Data). The data is a snapshot of the constraints when they were created in 2004 and things have changed since then. It includes Green Constraints that have national and international designations including Ancient Woodland, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SAC and AONB and these are no longer correct and should not be relied upon, this data should be obtained direct from Natural England. Upon accessing this Licenced Data you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Public Sector End User Licence - INSPIRE (http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/public-sector/mapping-agreements/inspire-licence.html)

Hastings Local Plan Planning Strategy 2011-2028 planning constraints including Protected Green and Open Spaces and Cycle Routes (Polygon Data). This data is a digitised version of the Hastings Local Plan Planning Strategy 2011-2028 Policies Map. The data is a snapshot of the constraints when they were created for adoption in 2014, things may have changed since then. It includes Green Constraints that have national and internation designations including Ancient Woodland, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SAC and AONB and these may no longer be correct and should not be relied upon, this data should be obtained direct from Natural England. Upon accessing this Licenced Data you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Public Sector End User Licence - INSPIRE (http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/public-sector/mapping-agreements/inspire-licence.html).

These maps will help to indicate to landowners whether there is likely to be potential to establish new woodland on their land, and where there may be sensitivities that would preclude woodland creation. The maps do not indicate that, where there is a low sensitivity to new woodland being created, planting will be agreed by the Forestry Commission, the regulator for woodland and forestry projects in England. However, the low sensitivity areas do not have clear constraints to address on the basis of national datasets, and it should be easier to agree creating new woodland here than in other areas. Likewise, creation of new woodland, particularly of native woodland, may be appropriate outside ‘low sensitivity’ areas, but the appropriateness of proposals in these areas will again be determined by the Forestry Commission, including through responding to the views of Natural England, Environment Agency, Historic England, the Local Authority and other stakeholders, where relevant. The Sensitivity Maps exclude all land that is unsuitable for planting, including urban areas, existing (and assumed) woodland and habitats that are considered too wet, too rocky, and too salty to support the growth of trees. This is achieved through restricting the Sensitivity Maps to the following land covers, based on the most recent update of Landcover Map: Acid grassland, Arable and horticulture, Calcareous grassland, Heather, Heather grassland, Improved grassland, and Neutral grassland The spatial datasets and individual layers of those datasets that define land as unsuitable and low, medium, or high sensitivity for woodland creation in the Full Sensitivity Map version 4.0, the Low Sensitivity Map and their variants are set out in the document here: www.gov.uk/guidance/a-guide-to-forestry-commissions-sensitivity-maps-for-woodland-creationEngland Woodland Creation Low Sensitivity Map v4.0 - variant 2

This is the England Woodland Creation Low Sensitivity Map v4.0 plus areas of land that have different sensitivities assigned compared to the core England woodland creation Low sensitivity map 4.0:

• Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) assigned as low sensitivity

• National Parks (NPs) assigned as low sensitivity

Hastings Local Plan - The Hastings Planning Strategy 2011-2028 AND Development Management Plan planning constraints including Protected Green and Open Spaces and Development Sites. This Polygon dataset is a digitised version of the Hastings Development Management Plan Policies Map (incorporating The Hastings Planning Strategy). The data is a snapshot of the constraints when they were created for the adoption of the Development Management Plan in September 2015, things may have changed since then.This data includes policies that are based on national and international designations including Ancient Woodland, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SAC and AONB. These policies may no longer reflect the most current designations. The most current designations should be obtained direct from Natural England. It includes a policy based on the Archaeological Notification Areas (ANA) from the East Sussex Historic Environment Record. This policy may no longer reflect the most current ANAs. It includes policies that are based on the Scheduled Monument and Registered Historic Parks & Gardens designations from Historic England. These policies may no longer reflect the most current designations. The most current designations should be obtained direct from Historic England. It includes the cycles routes included in the Hastings Walking & Cycling Strategy 2014.

The CRoW Act provides for public access on foot to certain types of land, amends the law relating to public rights of way, increases measures for the management and protection for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and strengthens wildlife enforcement legislation, and provides for better management of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Under Section 4 of the CRoW Act it states the following: It shall be the duty of the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW now forms part of Natural Resources Wales (NRW)) to prepare, in respect of Wales, maps which together show; (a) all registered common land, and (b) all open country.

This dataset contains all Common Land with a higher right of access (Urban Commons, Commons with Deeds for Access, 1899 Commons Act) for areas of Wales, and Elan Valley Estate. This dataset does not include the Registered Common Land dataset.

Digitisation took place in 2014 for all Wales.

When using this data for Open Access, it should be used in conjunction with Open Country, Registered Common Land and Public Forests from the same years. Contact your local authority for access to and information about Registers of Common Land.

The Dengie peninsular, Essex, is a National Nature Reserve situated on low-lying land adjacent to the North Sea. There is evidence that the coastline was once much further inland as far as Tillingham. Earthen seawall embankments some dating back to the Middle Ages enabled the land to be reclaimed on the seaward side, forming an area of saltmarsh, creeks and intertidal mudflats. This area is exposed to the waves and the saltmarsh landscape helps to attenuate the wave action, forming a natural defence against the sea.Value to the nation:Walking: part of the St. Peter’s Way coastal footpathNature: Dengie National Nature Reserve (NNR); Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); Ramsar siteWildlife: important bird reserve; the saltmarshes are unique habitats for wildlife and home to populations of wintering wildfowl and wadersUtilities: Bradwell Nuclear Power station located just to the north