STOP! Save These Oxfordshire Parishes!

After the celebrations of our removal from the Western Corridor, what next? One way of protecting the area from future threats might be to extend the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Beauty to include those parts of our parishes which, because of their high landscape value, naturally belong within it.

STOP! believes there is a strong case for doing this, since in other areas the Chilterns AONB extends right to the river. Beautiful landscapes like that to be seen on the A4155 between Playhatch and Henley deserve protection and it is an anomaly that they are excluded. South Oxfordshire District Council is in full support of this proposal.

AONB reviews are undertaken by the Countryside Agency. Once a court case involving the New Forest is settled in around 18 months time it may be prepared to consider applications for boundary revision locally. It is hoped that all the STOP! parishes will take a vote at their Annual Parish Meetings which will record strong support for this move.

Subsequently STOP! hopes to be able to draw up a clear 'roadmap' for individual parishes which will describe when, how and to whom they can present the case for AONB enlargement.