JCS_MasterDocument_FIN_27.03.18

SD7 – THE COTSWOLDS AREA OF OUTSTANDING
NATURAL BEAUTY
Background
4.7.1
The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (AONB) is the largest AONB in the
country. Its management is co-ordinated
through The Cotswolds Conservation Board.
The NPPF confers on AONBs protection
from major development, making clear
that permission should only be granted in
exceptional circumstances and where it can
be demonstrated to be in the public interest.
For the purposes of Policy SD7, whether or not
a proposal constitutes major development will
be considered as set out at Paragraph 4.7.4
below. Detailed policies for the management of
development in or affecting the AONB may be
set out in relevant District plans.
Policy SD7: The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty (AONB)
All development proposals in or within the setting of the Cotswolds AONB will be required to
conserve and, where appropriate, enhance its landscape, scenic beauty, wildlife, cultural heritage
and other special qualities. Proposals will be required to be consistent with the policies set out in
the Cotswolds AONB Management Plan.
This policy contributes towards achieving Objectives 4 and 9.
Explanation
4.7.2
4.7.3
The Cotswolds AONB is nationally designated for
its landscape importance. Each local authority
has a statutory duty under the Countryside
and Rights of Way Act 2000 (Section 85) to
‘have regard to the purpose of conserving and
enhancing the natural beauty of the AONB’. In
fulfilling this duty, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury
Borough Councils will continue to work in
conjunction with the Cotswolds Conservation
Board. The Board has prepared the Cotswolds
AONB Management Plan 2013-2018 to guide
its management. The Management Plan is
supported by more detailed guidance on a
range of topics including a landscape strategy
and associated guidance underpinned by
the Cotswolds AONB Landscape Character
Assessment. The Management Plan and
guidance are material considerations in
determining planning applications in or
affecting the AONB.
Development close to, but outside, the
AONB boundary has the potential to have a
detrimental impact on its setting through,
for example, its impact upon key views, or its
impact upon landscape character in and around
4.7.4
4.7.5
the AONB boundary. Proposals likely to affect
the setting of the AONB must fully consider any
potential impacts.
Major development can be defined in
quantitative terms – a threshold number of
dwellings, for example. However, it follows from
appreciation of the JCS area’s varied natural
form that consideration of what constitutes
‘major’ development is both a matter of
context and a matter of fact and degree: what
is deemed to be ‘major’ in one area may not be
deemed to be so in another. The sensitivity of
The Cotswolds AONB and its setting is a good
example. The JCS therefore does not provide a
quantitative definition of ‘major development’
here as this would be misleading and inflexible
within the context of a policy largely concerned
with qualitative issues. Where Policy SD7 is
invoked, it will therefore be a matter for the
determining authority to advise applicants as to
whether or not their proposal constitutes major
development.
This policy will primarily be delivered through
the development management process.
Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Joint Core Strategy 2011-2031
Adopted December 2017
54