A HUGE swathe of countryside north of Andover is to enjoy better protection to help reduce some of the many pressures which threaten its historic landscape.

The area from the Collingbournes across to the boundaries of Overton forms a small part of what is known as the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Little has been done to raise the profile of this 667 square mile AONB on the boundaries of Andover since its creation in the early 1970s - until now. "The North Wessex Downs has been a sleeping giant and since it was established 30 years ago nothing really has happened," said Martin Spray chairman of the North Wessex Downs Council of Partners.

"There hasn't been the sense of identity of other AONBs such as the South Downs or the Chilterns and I would like to bet that even now most people who live in it don't know that it exists or even know it by name.

"Our job is to raise the profile of the area and build up a sense of ownership and belonging to this stunning part of southern England."

The AONB stretches from near Calne in the west to Dorchester-on-Thames in the north and almost reaches the boundaries of Andover and Whitchurch in the south.

The largest towns are Hungerford and Marlb-orough but typically the area is made up of rolling downland with wideley spread villages like Hurstbourne Tarrant, The Chutes and Vernham Deane.

On Tuesday representatives of Test Valley Borough, Kennet District and Basingstoke councils joined representatives drawn from three counties at Littlecote House to witness the signing of a new charter and launch of landscape assessment.

Together the councils and other linked bodies will refer to the charter and assessment in managing the area in the future.

Test Valley planning officer Maddy Winter, Bourne Valley councillor Tony Jackson and executive portfolio holder Derrick Roach all agreed that the borough is fully behind the proposal and had backed it with cash and officer time.

The landscape assessment sets out the factors that have made the area what it is today and the threats and challenges it faces in the future.

These include the changes to agriculture, climate change and the economic pull of very successful towns on the periphery of the AONB such as Newbury, Reading, Andover, Swindon and Basingstoke.