GeoResources - Geography website

The National Parks cover about 8% of the land area of England/Wales. They are run by National Park Authorities set up by law as single purpose local authorities. They receive 75% of their funding direct from government and the remaining 25% comes fron the local authorities within their boundaries. The government currently spends annually about Ł40 million on the National Parks. Some additional funding comes from the European Union. The National Park Authorities contain representatives of both local and national bodies. The National Park Authorities are advised by a national park officer who is normally the chief executive and head of the paid services. Various specialists are drawn on to advise on conservation, ecology, archaeology, agricultural liaison, etc. The NPA acts as the local planning authority for the area within its boundaries so all planning applications have to pass through it. Where appeals against planning refusals are granted, these will be passed up to government level for a final decision to be made by the Secretary of State for the Environment. The NPA provides a ranger service and an information network for visitors to the park and for its residents.

Background Information	Aims of the National Parks	Funding and Organisation
Statistics about the Parks	Decision Making Exercise	Links to other sites

Background: National Parks are areas of protected landscape. These landscapes include some of the most beautiful and remote areas of England and Wales but in addition, they contain a great deal of forestry and agricultural land, residential areas and most controversially, areas of industry e.g limestone quarries. Unlike many of the more remote National Parks in other countries, these areas also contain over a quarter of a million people. The National Parks were set up by the government in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949. The first parks to be established were the Peak District, the Lake District, Snowdonia and Dartmoor in 1951. These were followed by Pembrokeshire and the North York Moors in 1952, the Yorkshire Dales and Exmoor in 1954, Northumberland in 1956 and the Brecon Beacons in 1957. Following on from the success of the first ten, the Norfolk Broads (1989) and the New Forest (1991) have been added to the list but these two areas do not yet enjoy the same status or funding as the original ten. Update: In the year 2000, over 50 years after the 1949 National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act enabled the creation of National Parks in England & Wales, the Queen gave Royal Assent to the National Parks (Scotland) Act following its unanimous passage by the Scottish Assembly. The first two National Parks planned for Scotland are: Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and the Cairngorms. They are expected to be established by April 2002 and January 2003 respectively. Since April 2000 the Countryside Agency, the statutory body responsible for designating new National Parks, has been taking forward the designation process for a South Downs National Park. It is anticipated that the designation process will take about 2-3 years. This is to allow the right boundary and administrative arrangements to be found and for everyone to have the opportunity to participate in the consultation process on these. Click HERE to see a map of the proposed area.
Map to show the National Parks of England and Wales RETURN to the top of the page
Aims of the National Parks: The English and Welsh National Parks have dual aims: to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of each park to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment, by the public, of the special qualities of each park As if these twin aims were not difficult enough to fulfill, the National Park authorities also have a duty to foster the social and economic well-being of the local communities. With over a quarter of a million people living and working within the National Park boundaries, this is, of course, a very important part of their role. RETURN to the top of the page
The funding and organisation of the National Parks: The National Parks cover about 8% of the land area of England/Wales. They are run by National Park Authorities set up by law as single purpose local authorities. They receive 75% of their funding direct from government and the remaining 25% comes fron the local authorities within their boundaries. The government currently spends annually about Ł40 million on the National Parks. Some additional funding comes from the European Union. The National Park Authorities contain representatives of both local and national bodies. The National Park Authorities are advised by a national park officer who is normally the chief executive and head of the paid services. Various specialists are drawn on to advise on conservation, ecology, archaeology, agricultural liaison, etc. The NPA acts as the local planning authority for the area within its boundaries so all planning applications have to pass through it. Where appeals against planning refusals are granted, these will be passed up to government level for a final decision to be made by the Secretary of State for the Environment. The NPA provides a ranger service and an information network for visitors to the park and for its residents.
The future? Since the National Parks were established 50 years ago, the pressures on these important areas have multiplied alarmingly and the various Park authorities have an increasingly difficult job balancing the needs of the local residents, the millions of visitors and the landscapes that they were set up to protect. RETURN to the top of the page