Gillespies appointed to assess Cheshire’s Sandstone Ridge
Supported by Camargue and South Coast GIS, the landscape consultancy has the power to recommend to Natural England whether or not the 57,000-acre expanse should be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Cheshire’s Sandstone Ridge runs from Malpas to Frodsham and includes parts of Helsby, Kelsall, Winsford and Tarporley and was nominated as a potential AONB in June 2021.
Natural England has now appointed Gillespies to carry out GIS mapping, fieldwork, and stakeholder consultation before deciding whether Sandstone Ridge meets the criteria to join the likes of the Forest of Bowland, the Chilterns, and the whole of Cornwall on the AONB list.
Over the next five months, Gillespies will also assess landscape factors that contribute to natural beauty, including scenic quality, landscape condition, impact of incongruous features, tranquillity, and relative wildness.
Securing the AONB designation will protect the area and safeguard it for future generations.
If Sandstone Ridge is named an AONB, development will become more difficult in the area. Any scheme will have to garner approval from either the local authority or the Secretary of State.
Projects must also not have a significant impact on the landscape and its beauty. Should it not be possible to avoid affecting the site, developers will have to show they have a mitigation strategy to reduce the negative effects. This includes projects to add utility services and roads.
Sandstone Ridge features eight distinctive landscape types, a medieval royal hunting forest, four castles, the 55km Sandstone Trail, and 90 national or local wildlife sites.
More than one million people visit the ridge every year, according to the Sandstone Ridge Trust.
Your description and picture of Sandstone Ridge make it an obvious AONB. The more places we preserve like this, the better for all of us.
By Francis
A true hidden treasure. I suspect it would have come under a lot of pressure if HS2 had of come to Crewe,
By Rich X
what is the budget for the Gillespies survey and who pays their bill?
What difference will it make to anyone if they come to the conclusion it should be recommended as being outstandingly beautiful? We know it is but how do we convey it to potential visitors? . There is no advertising budget .
By Dave H