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
HEREto see a map of the proposed area.
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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.