Chichester Harbour AONB

The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designation and what it means

Chichester Harbour was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1964, recognising the exceptional quality of its landscape and its importance for wildlife, recreation, and the historic character of the harbour settlements. The AONB covers the harbour itself and the surrounding land, including parts of the area south of Fishbourne.

The designation provides a level of planning protection second only to a national park. Development within the AONB is subject to stricter scrutiny, and proposals that would harm the landscape character or natural beauty of the area are unlikely to be approved. The AONB management plan sets out policies for conserving the harbour while allowing appropriate use and access.

The Chichester Harbour Conservancy is the body responsible for managing the AONB. The Conservancy coordinates conservation work, manages navigation, provides education and interpretation, and works with landowners, sailors, and visitors to balance the competing demands on the harbour.

For Fishbourne, the AONB designation helps to protect the village's harbour-edge setting from inappropriate development. The open farmland between the village and the harbour shore, the views across the water, and the quiet character of the lanes towards Dell Quay all benefit from the protection that the designation provides.

The AONB is not a barrier to all development or change, but it ensures that proposals are assessed against a higher standard of landscape impact than would apply outside the designation. For residents and visitors, the result is a harbour and its surroundings that retain the quality and character that made the designation worthwhile in the first place.