Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are regarded as some of Britain’s most treasured landscapes. Along with the National Parks they represent our finest tracts of countryside.

A new era for these areas dawned when the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 established a new framework for their management and protection.

The publication of the Management Plan for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB is the first over-arching 5-year strategy for the AONB, and brings together the special qualities and features of both the Clwydian Range and the Dee Valley, unifying them with a single set of goals. It identifies those features across the AONB that make the landscape special, from nationally important wildlife habitats to historic monuments, and sets a clear agenda for investment in them.

Only with the engagement of all those concerned, the local communities, farmers, landowners, visitors and public bodies, have we been able to agree a vision for the future of the AONB.

But this detailed five-year plan also recognises the landscape owes just as much to the communities living, working and enjoying leisure time in the area as to its physical features.

Am I inside or am I outside the AONB?

The built environment is one of the special qualities of the AONB and contributes to the character and appearance of the area. There is pressure for new development in and around the AONB as an attractive place to live, work and visit, but particular care is required to ensure that new development fits well in the landscape. If you are thinking of putting in a planning application for developments or improvements to your home or work place, you need to know if your project will affect the AONB, and who you should contact.

Use our Planning Map below to find out if your project falls within the AONB boundary, but don’t forget that developments outside the AONB can also affect the setting of this precious landscape. There are three Local Planning Authorities covering the AONB – Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham – and the map also shows which area you are in.

Each planning authority has a Local Development Plan which sets out planning policies and proposals for their area, including the AONB. They have also prepared an AONB Supplementary Planning Guidance Note in partnership with the AONB. The links on the right will take you to the websites for each of the planning authorities where you can find further information.

Although the AONB is not the planning authority for the area, we are consulted on planning applications and development plans and proposals which affect the protected landscape.

Our Plans and Strategies

Part One – AONB Management Plan Strategy 2014 – 2019

This management plan is for all those with an interest in the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley and has been prepared by the AONB Unit in close collaboration with key partners and stakeholders, including landowners and custodians of key features.  It is a plan for the AONB, its communities, businesses, visitors and organisations and will require all who have an interest in the AONB to work together to achieve its aspirations.  It will ensure that the AONB purposes are being delivered whilst contributing to the aims and objectives of other strategies for the area.

Part Two – State of the AONB Report – 2014 – 2019

Report on the Special Features and Qualities of the AONB.

Part Three – Action Plan 2014 – 2019

Action Plan for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB – 2014 – 2019

The AONB Supplementary Planning Guidance Note (SPG)

The three local planning authorities covering the AONB – Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham – have prepared and adopted an AONB Supplementary Planning Guidance Note (SPG) in partnership with the AONB. The document provides detailed advice for prospective developers, planning officers and others about how to successfully accommodate development in and around the AONB without harming the special qualities of the area. The SPG is an important consideration in the determination of planning applications and planning appeals.

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB Sustainable Tourism strategy

This provides a framework for developing sustainable tourism in the AONB – taking full account of the need to conserve the area’s special environment and heritage and maintain the quality of life of local communities.

Planning for the Dark Night Sky
The intention of this document is to provide Supplementary Planning Guidance
that seeks to conserve and enhance the AONB and deliver distinctive and natural places.
This Guidance is for individuals proposing new development and for decision makers involved in the management of the AONB. It sets out guidance to lighting design for the protection of the dark night sky of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB. The Guidance enables developers and planners to design, submit and assess lighting schemes that are appropriate to the landscape, whether planning permission is a requirement or not.