Natural England commenced a statutory and public consultation concerning the proposal for a new Yorkshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on 8 October 2024 and it officially closed at midnight on the 13 January 2025.
The consultation is statutory for the relevant local and combined authorities (East Riding of Yorkshire Council, North Yorkshire Council and the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority), however, Natural England has decided that it should be extended to other stakeholders and the public.
The consultation process was wide-ranging and aimed to reach as many stakeholders as possible. Full details are available on the above website and the process included webinars and face-to-face drop-in events.
The formal response to this consultation could be made either by completing the on-line response form at the address above or by using the paper version of the form in the consultation pack which was available on request.
AONBs were recently rebranded as National Landscapes. Legally however, Natural England can only designate an AONB. To avoid confusion, all documentation and consultation material refer to AONB throughout. If an AONB is subsequently designated, then it would be branded as a National Landscape.