Local Landscape Designations and Planning in England

 

A local landscape designation is an area identified through a local development plan because of particular landscape value or character. The name varies around England: you may come across an Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV), Special Landscape Area (SLA), Area of Special Landscape Importance (ASLI) or another locally adopted title.

These are not statutory national designations like a National Landscape or National Park. Their planning weight comes from the development plan, the evidence which supports the designation and the actual landscape effects of the proposal.

The August 2026 National Planning Policy Framework expressly recognises a hierarchy which includes locally designated areas of landscape value, while Planning Practice Guidance explains that locally valued landscapes should have their special characteristics identified and supported by proportionate evidence.

 

If the local policy is aimed primarily at keeping settlements separate rather than protecting landscape character, see our separate guide to strategic gaps, green wedges and settlement gaps.

 

What is a local landscape designation?

 

Local landscape designations are policy tools used by local planning authorities to identify landscapes which have particular local value or sensitivity. They are normally shown on a policies map and supported by landscape evidence.

The important word is local. There is no single national statutory process which creates every AGLV, SLA or similarly named area. The designation is normally created and maintained through the local-plan process, so its wording, purpose and planning test can vary between authorities.

That means you should always read the policy which applies in the relevant development plan rather than assume that an acronym has exactly the same meaning everywhere.

 

Common names: AGLV, SLA and ASLI

 

England has accumulated a fair collection of local landscape acronyms over the years. Common examples include:

• AGLV – Area of Great Landscape Value
• SLA – Special Landscape Area
• ASLI – Area of Special Landscape Importance
• other locally defined landscape character or landscape value areas

The terminology is historic and local. Some authorities have retained older designations in current plans, some have refreshed their boundaries and evidence, and others have moved towards criteria-based landscape policies instead.

We keep a separate page on Areas of Great Landscape Value (AGLV), because that label remains widely encountered in planning documents.

 

Is a local landscape designation the same as a National Landscape?

 

No. A National Landscape, formerly called an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is a statutory protected landscape designated under national legislation. National Parks and the Broads also have statutory purposes and duties.

A local landscape designation does not automatically carry those national statutory duties or the same national policy status. It should not be described as a “lower statutory tier” of National Landscape protection.

But local designation can still carry significant weight. Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires planning decisions to be made in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. If the current local plan contains a landscape policy for the site, that policy is part of the statutory starting point for the decision.

 

What does the NPPF 2026 say?

 

Policy N1 of the August 2026 NPPF says development plans should set out a hierarchy of international, national and locally designated sites and areas of landscape value, geodiversity value and biodiversity importance.

The Framework also continues to recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside and requires decisions to respond appropriately to landscape character and natural beauty.

This does not turn every local designation into a national protected landscape. It does confirm, however, that locally designated landscape value remains a legitimate part of plan-making and the planning system.

 

What does Planning Practice Guidance say?

 

Planning Practice Guidance says planning policies can conserve and enhance nationally and locally designated landscapes as well as the wider countryside.

Where a landscape has particular local value, the guidance says policies should identify its special characteristics and be supported by proportionate evidence. Policies can set criteria for assessing development, measures to avoid adverse impacts and mitigation such as appropriate design principles or visual screening. Cumulative landscape impacts also need careful consideration.

This is useful when testing an older designation. A line on a map is more persuasive where the authority can explain what is special about the landscape and how the proposal affects those characteristics.

 

Does local designation mean development will be refused?

 

No. Most local landscape policies are not absolute prohibitions on development. The decision depends on the wording of the development plan, the significance of the landscape effect, the benefits of the proposal and the overall planning balance.

A well-designed scheme may be capable of responding successfully to a locally valued landscape. Equally, a proposal which would erode the very characteristics the policy identifies can face a serious conflict with the development plan even if the site has no national landscape designation.

Do not assume that “not an AONB” means landscape harm is unimportant. National policy also protects landscape character in the wider countryside.

 

What if the designation is old?

 

Some AGLVs and similar designations have existed for decades. Age alone does not remove a policy from the development plan, but it can matter when assessing the quality and relevance of the evidence behind it.

Check:

• whether the designation is in the current adopted development plan
• whether the policy has been superseded or saved
• what landscape evidence supports the boundary
• whether more recent landscape character or sensitivity studies exist
• whether the local plan is being reviewed and proposes a different approach

A current adopted policy must still be applied. The strength of a particular argument about landscape harm, however, should be grounded in current evidence and the actual characteristics of the place.

 

Development outside the boundary

 

There is no automatic national buffer around a local landscape designation. Development outside the mapped boundary can nevertheless be relevant where it would materially affect the character, views or setting which the local policy is intended to protect.

The correct approach is evidence-led. A tall building on an adjoining ridge may have a much greater effect than a modest development just inside the boundary. Distance alone does not answer the planning question.

 

Landscape character is wider than designation

 

One reason local designation should not dominate the entire analysis is that landscape character does not stop at a policy line. Planning Practice Guidance supports the use of landscape character assessments, which describe the pattern and qualities of landscapes more widely.

A development outside any designated area can still cause landscape harm. Conversely, a site inside a local designation may contain parts which are more or less sensitive to change.

For larger or visually sensitive development, a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment can provide a structured assessment of both landscape and visual effects.

 

What should an applicant check?

 

• check the adopted policies map for local landscape designations
• read the exact development-plan policy rather than relying on the designation name
• identify the special characteristics or purposes which the policy protects
• find the latest landscape character, sensitivity or capacity evidence
• check whether the designation is being retained, amended or replaced in an emerging plan
• assess effects outside the boundary where views or landscape character create a real relationship
• use early landscape work to influence layout, height, planting and lighting
• consider a proportionate LVIA or landscape appraisal where effects may be significant

 

Official guidance

 

Planning Practice Guidance – Landscape

National Planning Policy Framework

Conservation, Heritage & Protected Sites

 

Local Landscape Page Created: 27th August 2026