Northern Area Plan 2016
Strategic Countryside and Coast: Introduction

Increased mobility, altering economic circumstances, particularly within the agricultural sector and the emergence of a growing and dynamic rural population base have combined to create a changing rural environment.

The four Council areas encompass an extensive area of countryside rich and diverse in terms of its character, landscape, heritage and biodiversity value which is detailed in the Countryside Assessment Technical Supplement.

The Plan area also contains an extensive coastline, which is a critical element in the area's attractiveness and economy. The coast is unique in that it contains Northern Ireland's only World Heritage Site - the Giant's Causeway.