Thank you for contacting me about protections for our historic landscapes.
Like you, I believe that the landscapes that inspired some of country’s most treasured works of literature should be protected for future generations to enjoy. I agree that our planning system should protect important natural landscapes and heritage assets, and I have raised this in a recent Parliamentary debate:
I am keen to see our unique heritage protected. The island has a rich history of painters and writers, who were all inspired by the Isle of Wight landscape. These include Alfred, Lord Tennyson; Charles Dickens; J.B. Priestly and Keats.
The Island has one of the most painted coastlines in Britain, along with north Yorkshire and Cornwall. The Freshwater and Bonchurch sets of the 19th century were heavily influential in the UK. Julia Margaret Cameron pioneered early portrait photography on the Island in Freshwater. Indeed, in 1850, the daughter of William Makepeace Thackeray said:
“Is there no one who is commonplace here? Is everybody either a poet, or a genius, or a painter”?
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.
The Government is introducing changes to the planning system to incentivise more local authorities to adopt and update local plans, which provide a framework for local authorities to set out their vision for their area and a platform for local people to shape their surroundings. Crucially, local plans can protect the important landscapes communities cherish and direct homes to the places local people prefer.
In December, I led a campaign with support from around 100 other MPs to argue that housing and planning rules needed to be more sensitive to rural and small town places, such as the Isle of Wight. I persuaded Government that Islands separated by sea should be able to argue for ‘Exceptional Circumstances’. This is now written into the National Policy Planning Framework and means the Isle of Wight Council will have more control over future development with housing targets now advisory, not mandatory.
I believe that, together, these measures will help protect our beautiful countryside and landscapes for decades to come.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.