AONB Coast & Estuaries
![South West Coastal Path [© Clare Pawley Countryside Agency]](images/sub/_aonb_05_large.jpg)
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The South Devon Heritage Coast
The South Devon AONB also incorporates the South Devon Heritage Coast.This (non-statutory) designation was awarded by the Countryside Agency in 1984. It covers 75 kilometres (49 miles) of the 97 kilometre AONB coastline and extends from Wembury Beach to Sharkham Point.
What are Heritage Coasts?
Heritage Coasts are the finest stretches of undeveloped coastline in England and Wales. Their natural beauty and their enjoyment by the public give them a special claim for both protection and sensitive management. Since 1973, 45 stretches have been defined, covering more than one third of the coastline of England and Wales (1,525 km in total, with 1,027 km in England).
The Countryside Agency proposed the following framework for these areas in "Heritage Coasts in England: Policies and Priorities" (1992) -
The finest stretches of coast justify national recognition as Heritage Coast. They should be given effective protection and management: stronger measures should apply there than elsewhere.
The objectives for Heritage Coasts are:
- To conserve, protect and enhance the natural beauty of the coasts, including their wildlife and their heritage features of architectural, historical and archaeological interest;
- To facilitate and enhance their enjoyment, understanding and appreciation by the public by improving and extending opportunities for recreational, educational, sporting and tourist activities that draw on, and are consistent with, the conservation of their natural beauty and the protection of their heritage features;
- To maintain, and improve the environmental health of inshore waters affecting Heritage Coasts and their beaches through appropriate works and management measures;
- To take account of the needs of agriculture, forestry and fishing, and of the economic and social needs of the small communities on these coasts, by promoting sustainable forms of social and economic development, which in themselves conserve and enhance natural beauty and heritage features.