GeoResources - Geography website

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 are used for forestry and agriculture, for residential areas and even in some areas for industry e.g limestone quarries and military training. Unlike many of the more remote National Parks in other countries, these areas contain over a quarter of a million people. The National Parks were set up by an Act of Parliament in 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 English/Welsh National Parks were set up, an Act of Parliament was passed to set up National Parks in Scotland. 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 government body responsible for choosing new National Parks, has been taking forward the process for a South Downs National Park. It is anticipated that this will take about 2-3 years to be established. The new National Park will stretch from Portsmouth to Eastbourne.

Background Information	Aims of the National Parks	Money 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 are used for forestry and agriculture, for residential areas and even in some areas for industry e.g limestone quarries and military training. Unlike many of the more remote National Parks in other countries, these areas contain over a quarter of a million people. The National Parks were set up by an Act of Parliament in 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 English/Welsh National Parks were set up, an Act of Parliament was passed to set up National Parks in Scotland. 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 government body responsible for choosing new National Parks, has been taking forward the process for a South Downs National Park. It is anticipated that this will take about 2-3 years to be established. The new National Park will stretch from Portsmouth to Eastbourne.
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 two 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 two aims were not difficult enough to carry out at the same time, 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 job. RETURN to the top of the page
Money 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 who are a group of people from many different backgrounds. They receive 75% of their money direct from government and the remaining 25% comes fron the local councils within their boundaries. The government spends about Ł40 million a year on the National Parks. Some extra money now comes from the European Union. The National Park Authorities are advised by a national park officer and various specialists who advise on conservation, ecology, archaeology, agriculture, etc. All planning applications have to be sent to the National Park Authority. If the NPA refuses planning permission and an appeal is made, then this 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 set up 50 years ago, the pressures on these important areas have increased many times 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