Proposals were made a year ago to transform the East Devon AONB into a national park:
New National Park planned for East Devon
And in fact, these ideas have been around for some time:
2013 National Park for East Devon and Dorset: questions
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Also last year, the Glover review of both AONBs and national parks was gathering evidence:
Review of National Parks and AONBs > call for evidence deadline Tuesday 18th December
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The review has now been published and has received a lot of coverage:
England’s national parks ‘must do more to protect nature’ | Guardian
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And the review is very supportive of a possible East Devon/Dorset national park, as well as for a Chilterns designation – with a photo of Sidbury gracing the page of proposals:
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We received submissions on the case for several other AONBs to become National Parks too.
The two that stand out as leading candidates are the Cotswolds AONB and the combined Dorset and East Devon AONBs.
Dorset has some of the greatest concentrations of biodiversity in Britain and opportunities for enjoyment. It includes the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site as well as farmed areas inland where development pressures are less strong and support for a change in status may be less established. We heard from opponents as well as supporters of a new status.
Both the Cotswolds and the Dorset proposals are strong candidates, alongside the Chilterns, to be considered for National Park status.
We suggest Natural England and ministers consider the case for each.
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The Herald covers the story:
East Devon countryside a ‘strong candidate’ for national park status
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As does the pressure group the Dorset National Park:
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Glover Landscapes Review Released
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Finally, the East Devon AONB Partnership Annual Meeting looked at the theme of ‘Sustaining Communities, Sustaining the Landscape’. The main speaker was Ewen Cameron, Lord Cameron of Dillington, and with special significance to the East Devon AONB, he is a member of the Glover Review of Protected Landscapes:
East Devon AONB annual meeting