The setting of the Quantock Hills is an essential part of the Hills’ appeal, but, being outside the National Landscape boundary, its landscape significance has received little attention until now. This community-based project aimed to reconnect communities living in the parishes surrounding the Quantock Hills with their local landscape. Through engagement with local residents it explores the significance of their views towards the Quantock Hills. It provides guidance on how the setting of the Quantock Hills can be maintained and enhanced, and also identifies opportunities to promote recreational opportunities in the more accessible surrounding lowland areas to divert recreational pressures away from hilltop ‘honeypot’ sites.
The project involved a public engagement exercise (online and through questionnaires) to identify people’s favourite views, and the training of a team volunteers to analyse and research these views, and to record them through photographs over the course of a year.
The full report can be read here:
https://qlps.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/View-to-a-Hill_Final_Complete_Low-Res.pdf