A move to have the Isle of Axholme recognised for its outstanding natural beauty will be made by North Lincolnshire Council.
The council will work with Natural England to protect areas from across Crowle, through Belton and Epworth and surrounding towns and villages through an official designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The area is home to many rare and valuable ecological and cultural landscapes, including England’s largest areas of lowland raised mire, some of the most extensive surviving medieval strip field systems in the country, and the first landscapes in Britain to be drained by Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden in the 1620s.
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “The unique landscape across the Isle of Axholme should be protected now and into the future – it is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and we will now press ahead to ensure it is properly recognised as such.
“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 council is working with Natural England which is currently creating a new assessment and national map which will identify nature conservation and enhancement needs across England, including any remaining places suitable for future National Park or AONB designations.
This latest bid comes after the council previously submitted plans to extend the boundary of the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) across the area.
The proposed variation is to have the existing boundary extended to include Kirton-in-Lindsey on the southern border of North Lincolnshire through to the banks of the River Trent taking in Normanby, Burton-upon-Stather and Alkborough.
It would then extend east taking in Barton-upon-Humber and across to New Holland before sweeping back around picking up Ulceby, Kirmington and parts of Brigg.
Cllr David Rose, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We have made a very serious commitment through our Green Futures strategy to ensure the many beautiful places across North Lincolnshire are protected and enhanced.
“Alongside the preservation of this natural beauty is the protection of the natural habitats for a huge range of wildlife.
“We will now be working with communities across the Isle of Axholme to make sure we can make this vision a reality.”
