Dockenfield could be brought into the Surrey Hills National Landscape after a four-year campaign to give the village’s countryside greater protection from development.

Natural England has formally submitted plans to the government to extend the protected landscape by 129 square kilometres – more than 50 square miles – with the Dockenfield Hills among the areas proposed for inclusion.

The move would mean the village, which sits just across the Surrey border in Hampshire, would benefit from the same National Landscape status as some of the county’s most protected countryside.

Farnham and Bordon MP Gregory Stafford, who has campaigned for Dockenfield to be included, is now urging Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle to approve the plans.

He said: “This is a really important step forward for Dockenfield. I’ve been pushing for this extension because this is an area that clearly has everything the Surrey Hills stands for, from its outstanding landscape and tranquillity to its natural and cultural heritage.

“The fact that Dockenfield sits on the county boundary should never have been a reason for it to be overlooked.”

The proposals follow more than four years of assessment, consultation and engagement and would increase the Surrey Hills National Landscape by 30.5 per cent.

Natural England said between 80 and 95 percent of people responding to its public consultations supported the proposed extensions.

Kathy Atkinson, chair of the Surrey Hills Board, described the expansion as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to recognise and protect more of the special landscapes surrounding the Surrey Hills.

She said the board would invite the Environment Secretary to visit the area to see the existing National Landscape and countryside proposed for inclusion.

The plans will now be considered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which can approve, amend or reject them.

There is no statutory deadline for a decision and Dockenfield will not receive National Landscape status unless the proposals are formally approved.

National Landscapes, formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are nationally important landscapes where conserving and enhancing natural beauty is given greater weight in planning decisions.