Natural England

A Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) comprising County, District and Parish councils, farming, amenity and conservation representatives guides policy and management action within the AONB. Its specific remit is to:

• promote awareness of the AONB
• advise local authorities and other organisations on countryside conservation, recreation and management
• offer advice on planning issues
• and act as a forum for discussion on major issues affecting the area.     

There is also an Officers' Working Group which comprises of officers from the local authorities and the Countryside Agency.

The AONB Officer co-ordinates projects and proposals put forward in the Management Plan, provides advice on the AONB, and is a first point of contact for farmers, landowners and parish councils. 

An AONB management plan meeting the requirements of the CRoW Act 2000 was produced by the AONB Unit on behalf of the local authorities in 2004.

Statutory policies   

The relevant statutory plans are the North Yorkshire Structure Plan (Alteration No 3), the Easingwold and fringe of the Hambleton Hills Local Plan, the Ryedale Rural Areas and Kirkbymoorside Local Plan and the North Yorkshire Minerals Local Plan. Apart from the latter, all narrowly pre-date the confirmation of AONB designation of the Howardian Hills (1987) and consequently do not contain specific AONB policies. They do however include protective policies for the area and statements of support for its proposed AONB status. 
 
The structure plan specifically names the AONB in protective policies including "priority will be given to the conservation of the landscapes and general amenity of the following areas: the Howardian Hills" (and also the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, the Forest of Bowland AONB, the Nidderdale AONB and Heritage Coasts). There is a presumption against new or major development except where it can be shown to be necessary and permitted development is to be appropriate to the landscape. 
 
The Howardian Hills are included in a list of named areas where mineral proposals will normally be opposed. The plan limits new recreational development in all E1 Areas to "only such provision considered to be compatible with the need to preserve the landscape".
 
During 1997 the County Council adopted the North Yorkshire Minerals Local Plan. This contains a policy on minerals operations within AONBs which "will be subject to the most rigorous examination" and will only be permitted where strict criteria can be satisfied. 
 
The Ryedale and Hambleton District-wide Local Plans both include a common policy on the control of development, which gives a high priority to the protection of the natural beauty of the AONB and establish detailed criteria against which future development proposals will be considered. The Ryedale Local Plan includes an additional policy on the design of new dwellings within the Howardian Hills.

In 1995, the Countryside Commission published a landscape assessment titled 'The Howardian Hills landscape'  (CCP474, £8.00).

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