Isle of Axholme: Official beauty spot status bid for historic landscape

If the bid is successful, the Isle of Axholme will be officially named an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

A beauty spot in North Lincolnshire could gain better protection from development if a bid for official recognition of the area is successful.

North Lincolnshire Council wants the Isle of Axholme to be named an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

It would give the landscape extra protection and affect the outcome of planning applications in the area.

Council leader Rob Waltham said the "unique landscape should be protected now and into the future".

According to the council, the Isle of Axholme is home to "many rare and valuable ecological and cultural landscapes".

They include England's largest areas of lowland raised mire, some of the country's most extensive surviving medieval strip field systems and the first landscapes in Britain to be drained by Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden in the 1620s.

The Isle of Axholme comprises a number of communities, including Sandtoft, Haxey and Epworth, on the border with South Yorkshire.

'Protecting and enhancing'

The AONB designation would give it a similar level of protection from development to a UK national park.

Unlike a national park, though, it would not have its own planning authority, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Applicants for AONB status must meet several criteria, including the quality of the landscape, the area's wildness, tranquillity and cultural heritage.

Mr Waltham said: "We are already working to ensure an extension to the Lincolnshire Wolds and this next development will form part of a broader commitment to protecting and enhancing our natural environment for generations to come."

The proposed Isle of Axholme AONB would stretch from Crowle, through Belton and Epworth and surrounding towns and villages.

Natural England will make the final decision whether to award AONB status to the area.