Designation

The Isles of Scilly National Landscape is underpinned by its underlying Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) designation.

Extract from The Scillonian no. 201, Spring 1975. Courtesy of the Council of the Isles of Scilly Archives.

The Isles of Scilly was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1975 by the Countryside Commission (now Natural England). This designation is enshrined into law, and covers all of the land on Scilly above mean low water.

The Isles of Scilly were also designated as a Conservation Area and defined as a Heritage Coast in 1975.

“The Isles of Scilly AONB Designation Order was submitted to the Secretary of State for the Environment in late autumn 1975. When the order was confirmed in February 1976, this beautiful group of islands became the nation’s 33rd AONB.”
— Report of the Countryside Commission, 1976

A copy of the Isles of Scilly AONB (Designation) Order 1975, showing the official sign-off on 17th Feb 1976. Courtesy of the Duchy of Cornwall Archives.

What is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)?

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), along with National Parks, were originally created by Section 87 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, to designate and protect areas with the most exceptional natural beauty in the country. The primary purpose of this designation is to “conserve and enhance natural beauty”, and the Act gave various powers to Local Authorities to protect these exceptional landscapes.

Part IV of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CRoW) 2000 superseded the legislation relating to AONBs and National Parks, and bought in greater powers and protections. The changes included the requirement of all AONBs to produce a Management Plan every 5 years, which resulted in the establishment of Joint Advisory Committees or Partnerships to collaborate and provide direction for AONBs. The Isles of Scilly AONB Joint Advisory Committee was formed on the 26th July 2000, and is now known as the Isles of Scilly National Landscape Partnership.

AONBs, now National Landscapes, are the responsibility of Natural England.

What is a National Landscape?

In 2019, the Government commissioned a report named the Landscapes Review, led by Julian Glover, which is frequently cited as the Glover Review. Glover proposed a number of recommendations for National Parks and AONBs, including greater planning powers, financial support, and a greater duty to recover and enhance nature. The Government has yet to implement these proposals.

However, one suggestion by Glover was to rebrand AONBs as National Landscapes, to elevate their status to better reflect their true national importance, in line with National Parks. Cotswolds AONB led the way in 2020, rebranding as the Cotswolds National Landscape, before the remaining AONBs in England and Wales rebranded as National Landscapes in November 2023 with unified branding.

The term AONB is still the designated legal term in the CRoW Act 2000.

National Landscapes Association

The Isles of Scilly National Landscape is proud to be a member of the National Landscapes Association, who provide a strong national voice and foster collaboration for the UK's 46 National Landscapes. You can find out more information about the Association and other National Landscapes on their website.

National Landscapes. Courtesy of the National Landscapes Association.

Extract from the London Gazette, 1st July 1975 (pp. 8412).

What is a Heritage Coast?

Unlike the AONB designation, Heritage Coasts are non-statutory (not enshrined in law), and instead of being designated are defined, following agreement between Local Authorities and Natural England, with this process being ratified by Government. Heritage Coasts are defined as the most beautiful stretches of undeveloped coastlines in England.

All of the Isles of Scilly were defined a Heritage Coast in 1975, due to the exceptionalism and relatively-underdeveloped nature of the islands.

Heritage Coasts have the following purposes:

  • conserve, protect and enhance:

    • the natural beauty of the coastline

    • their terrestrial, coastal and marine flora and fauna

    • their heritage features

  • encourage and help the public to enjoy, understand and appreciate these areas

  • maintain and improve the health of inshore waters affecting heritage coasts and their beaches through appropriate environmental management measures

  • take account of the needs of agriculture, forestry and fishing and the economic and social needs of the small communities on these coasts

What is a Conservation Area?

Section 227 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 (now superseded by Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990) provided Local Authorities the power to designate areas of “special architectural or historical interest” as Conservation Areas.

In 1975, the Council of the Isles of Scilly designated the whole of the islands as a Conservation Area, due to the special character of the islands created by centuries of heritage, particularly the rich abundance of archaeological sites (often cited as the densest in England) and listed buildings.

The responsibility of the Conservation Area sits with the Planning Department of the Council.

Extract from the London Gazette, 10th June 1975 (pp. 7499).

Planning

Both the underlying AONB designation, Conservation Area designation, and Heritage Coast definition have important implications in how planning and development decisions are made on the Isles of Scilly. Read more on our Planning page (coming soon).

Other designations

Scilly has multiple other statutory and non-statutory designations, which you can read more about on our Wildlife and Heritage pages.