Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an area of countryside with significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government.

The primary purpose of the AONB designation is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape, with two secondary aims: meeting the need for quiet enjoyment of the countryside and having regard for the interests of those who live and work there. To achieve these aims, AONBs rely on planning controls and practical countryside management.

AONBs may be compared to the national parks of England and Wales. AONBs are created under the same legislation as the national parks, the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Unlike AONBs, national parks have their own authorities, have special legal powers to prevent unsympathetic development, and are well known to many inhabitants of England and Wales. By contrast, there are very limited statutory duties imposed on local authorities within an AONB and there is evidence to indicate many residents in such areas may be unaware of the status. However, further regulation and protection of AONBs was added by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, and the Government has recently said that it accepts that AONBs and national parks should have equal status when it comes to planning consent and other sensitive issues.

There are thirty six AONBs in England, four in Wales, and one that has parts in both England and Wales. The most recent one to be set up was the Tamar Valley AONB in 1994. AONBs vary greatly in terms of size, type and use of land, whether they are partly or wholly open to the public. Some local councils have AONB officers and other dedicated staff; others do not. The smallest AONB is the Isles of Scilly (1976), 16 km², and the largest AONB is the Cotswolds (1966), 2,038 km². The AONBs of England and Wales together cover around 18% of the countryside in the two countries.

Scotland

The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 does not cover Scotland, instead Scotland has National Scenic Areas but there are significant differences. The Scottish Parliament passed the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 creating two National parks of Scotland for Scotland. National Scenic Areas are designated and promoted by Scottish Natural Heritage

List of AONBs by Country

*Arnside and Silverdale AONB
*Blackdown Hills AONB
*Cannock Chase AONB
*Chichester Harbour AONB
*Chilterns AONB
*Cornwall AONB
*Cotswolds AONB
*Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB
*Dedham Vale AONB
*Dorset AONB
*East Devon AONB
*East Hampshire AONB
*Forest of Bowland
*High Weald AONB
*Howardian Hills AONB
*Isle of Wight AONB
*Isles of Scilly AONB
*Kent Downs AONB
*Lincolnshire Wolds AONB
*Malvern Hills AONB
*Mendip Hills AONB
*Nidderdale AONB
*Norfolk Coast AONB
*North Devon AONB
*North Pennines AONB
*Northumberland Coast AONB
*North Wessex Downs AONB
*Quantock Hills AONB
*Shropshire Hills AONB
*Solway Coast AONB
*South Devon
*South Hampshire Coast
*Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB
*Surrey Hills AONB
*Sussex Downs AONB
*Tamar Valley AONB>*Antrim Coast and Glens AONB
*Causeway Coast AONB
*Lagan Valley AONB
*Lecale Coast AONB
*Mourne AONB
*North Derry AONB
*Ring of Gullion AONB
*Sperrin AONB
*Strangford Lough AONB>
*Erne Lakeland AONB (Proposed)
*Fermanagh Caveland AONB (Proposed)

England
-	Wales
*Anglesey AONB *Clwydian Range AONB *Moel Famau AONB *Gower AONB *Lleyn AONB *Wye Valley AONB>-	Northern Ireland

See also

*National Scenic Areas
*Conservation in the United Kingdom