Planning Policies seek to control and manage the quality of Cumbria's landscapes.  Regional Spatial Strategy Policy EM1 will provide strategic policy at a regional level until RSS is formally disbanded later this year.  However, until new landscape policy is developed as part of the emerging Local Development Frameworks some policies of the Cumbria Joint Structure Plan have been "saved".  It is still relevant to look at these policies when considering new development proposals.  These are saved policies E34, E35 and E37 in the Cumbria Joint Structure Plan in the Planning Policy section.   

The policies provide a hierarchy of control for different landscapes depending on whether they are designated or undesignated.  

Landscapes and features with international and national designations are given the highest level of protection against adverse change.   In Cumbria there are 5 designated landscapes of national importance:

• The Lake District National Park
• Yorkshire Dales National Park
• Arnside and Silverdale AONB
• North Pennines AONB
• Solway Coast AONB

We manage change in the AONBs. The Lake District National Park and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authorities manage change in the National Parks.  For more information on these designations click on the links below.

Nature conservation areas and features of historic interest are also protected internationally and nationally and contribute to the special landscape character.   In Cumbria these include:

• Special Areas of Conservation
• Special Protection Areas
• St Bee’s Heritage Coast
• Over 50 Limestone Pavements 
• 25 National Nature Reserves
• 274 Sites of Special Scientific Interest
• 800 Scheduled Ancient Monuments
• 600 Grade I and Grade II* Listed Buildings

More information can be found on these in the Biodiversity and Historic Environment sections.

Much of our landscape is not designated but is of a high quality with a distinctive character of its own.   We have defined the landscape character of all parts of the County (excluding the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks) to ensure that our policies, strategies and decisions support development and change that respects their landscape characteristics and features too.   More information can be found in the Landscape Character and Landscape Strategy sections.

The Draft Cumbria Landscape Character Guidance and Toolkit incorporates a landscape character assessment and guidelines for Cumbria.  It will help local authorities develop local landscape character policy and provide guidance to local authorities, developers, land owners and managers.  It complements similar guidance for the National Parks and AONBs.

We are seeking views on this during July - September 2010.  Click here for more information.

We have recently prepared a Supplementary Planning Document for Wind Energy Development.   This provides detailed guidance on landscape and visual effects for developers working on wind energy proposals.   This is based on a landscape capacity study that has been carried out for land outside the National Parks.    It is complemented by the landscape classification for the Lake District National Park which was published in 2009.