Thank you for contacting me about protections for our historic landscapes.
I agree that the landscapes that inspired some of country’s most treasured works of literature should be protected. Our planning system should protect important natural landscapes and heritage assets, and I would like to assure you that my ministerial colleagues are committed to ensuring it does just that.
While literary landscapes are not subject to a separate designation within the planning system, I am aware that they are protected more generally through the National Planning Policy Framework. This sets out planning guidance for local authorities in England and makes clear that local planning authorities’ planning policies should conserve and enhance the natural, built and historic environment, including landscapes. The framework also states that planning policies should recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside.
Local councils are key to protecting the environment and local plans can protect important landscapes communities cherish and direct homes to places people prefer.
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act increases the weight given to local plans when making decisions on applications, so that there must be strong reasons to override the plan. The legislation will also help to foster better environmental outcomes, with a new requirement to prepare Environmental Outcomes Reports to assess the potential environmental effects of relevant plans and major projects.