Galloper Wind Farm Project - National Infrastructure Planning

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(IUCN). Broadly of two kinds, there are those where the emphasis is on the
protection of the natural world and those where the emphasis is on
maintaining a relationship between people and nature. They vary greatly but
are categorised by IUCN according to the objectives for which they are
managed. The international importance of AONBs is confirmed by their
recognition as Category V Protected Landscapes/Seascapes, defined by IUCN
as:
‘A protected area where the interaction of people and nature over time has produced
an area of distinct character with significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic
value and where safeguarding the integrity of this interaction is vital to protecting
and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values.’
3.2.7. At a national level, in 2000, the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CRoW
Act) confirmed the importance of AONBs in government policy. Part IV of
the Act (Sections 84, 85 & 89) introduced important provisions to allow the
better management and protection of AONBs. Amongst other things, it
reaffirmed the purposes of AONB designation and its equal importance to
National Park designation, and confirmed the powers of local authorities to
take appropriate action to conserve or enhance the natural beauty of the
AONB. It urged local authorities to 'go beyond normal level of service' in the
management of the AONB, particularly in countryside management, Rights
of Way, planning and other relevant services, and placed a duty on all public
bodies and statutory undertakers to ‘have regard to the purpose of conserving and
enhancing the natural beauty of the area of outstanding natural beauty’ (S85).
3.2.8. The AONB also incorporates Orford Ness National Nature Reserve, the largest
vegetated shingle spit in Europe, numerous Sites of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) and the Suffolk Heritage Coast.
3.2.9. The Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB is afforded protection under Policy AP12
of the Suffolk Coastal Local Plan (Adopted 2006). This policy seeks to protect
the rich mixture of unique lowland landscapes of heathland, saltmarsh and
mudflats within the AONB designation, all of which are under pressure for
change.
Landscape Sensitivity to Change
3.2.10. Given the recognised value, open character and the unique nature of the
lowland landscapes within the AONB, and its proximity to the sea, the
sensitivity of this designated landscape to the type of change proposed by the
offshore wind farm is considered to be High, in accordance with the
methodology in Appendix 1.