Kent Downs National Landscape: what changed when AONB was renamed
You may still see the Kent Downs referred to as an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). That is out of date. On 22 November 2023 all 34 English AONBs were rebranded to National Landscapes. The Kent Downs, which covers the northern and western strip of Dover district including the White Cliffs frontage, is now the Kent Downs National Landscape.
The rename is not just a rename
The stronger change came about a month later. On 26 December 2023, section 245 of the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 amended section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The duty on "relevant authorities" (councils, statutory bodies, some public undertakers) shifted from "have regard to" conserving and enhancing natural beauty to "seek to further" it. Legally that is a noticeably stronger test.
For a homeowner, that does not immediately change what you can do in your garden. What it does change is how DDC and other bodies approach planning decisions, TPO consultations, s.211 notices, high-hedges cases and enforcement in and around the National Landscape boundary. Expect more weight on landscape impact when hedges, tree screens or boundary planting are part of the picture.
Where the Kent Downs NL boundary sits around Dover
The National Landscape wraps the north and west of Dover district. The White Cliffs frontage, the downs behind Capel-le-Ferne, the Alkham valley and the Kearsney to Temple Ewell chain along the upper Dour are all inside or on the edge of it. Buckland, Tower Hamlets and the town centre are outside. Whitfield sits on the boundary.
What this means for your hedge work
- Planning applications that affect boundary planting inside the NL get more scrutiny for landscape impact than they did before.
- TPO decisions and enforcement carry more weight where the amenity value connects to the National Landscape setting.
- s.211 notices in the CAs that fall inside the NL (Kingsdown, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, parts of Sandwich) may get more considered replies from the tree officer where landscape character is at stake.
- Non-native species that might spread into the wider countryside get looked at more carefully in boundary planting decisions.
None of this stops you from cutting or planting a hedge. What it does is push the DDC decision-making toward native species, respect for existing character, and caution about visible landscape change. For most jobs that is exactly the direction we would recommend anyway.
The Kent Downs Management Plan
The National Landscape team publishes a statutory management plan reviewed every five years. The current plan sets out the conservation and enhancement priorities that DDC and its neighbours are now duty-bound to "seek to further". Habitat connectivity across the downs, restoration of chalk grassland, and native hedgerow retention are all in there. It is worth a quick look if you are planning anything significant near the NL boundary; you can read it on the Kent Downs website.
Our approach in the National Landscape
Inside the NL we default to native mixed hedges for new planting, and we discuss any removal of an established mature hedge with the client in full before we quote. We also flag when the local landscape character means a proposed formal hedge would look out of place, and offer alternatives that match the setting.
Need this done on your property?
Send photos and your postcode to hello@doverhedges.co.uk or call 07763 100 477. Fixed price, same-day where we can.