Members of the Sandstone Ridge Trust, representatives from CWaC and Cheshire East and 5 Officers from Natural England met last week to map out the next steps in the potential AONB designation process.

As promised, we provide an update:

Discussion points centred around:

*Background and context to the Natural England Designations Programme, including the potential status for AONB status for the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge

*The establishment of a Management Advisory Group, including membership and terms of reference

*Wider stakeholder engagement and the scheduling of a designation process workshop to raise awareness and understanding

*Overview of the designation process

*Initial timeline and project plan

*Area of Search in relation to the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge potential AONB designation

*Contract Procurement and Specification for Consultants

*Possible next steps

As we have always said, the assessment process represents a journey (2.5 – 3 years) in which a multiplicity of evidence and technical information is required, all of which has to be evaluated and sufficiently robust for interrogation. Designation is not guaranteed.

We will keep you posted.