Natural England - Our involvement in National Parks

Our involvement in National Parks

Natural England’s involvement in English National Parks includes our statutory duties as the designating body and wider delivery remit - which may have a direct or indirect influence on their designation status.

Government expectations on how we deliver these today are set out in the Defra National Park Vision and Circularexternal link (section 6.11). This document reflects the importance of working with other Government agencies in framing advice which can make a tangible difference to designation management, whilst noting that Natural England should exercise its responsibilities in ways which do not incur excessive bureaucracy, or day to day interference.

Our statutory duties

Through the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 we have a duty to consider:

  • Which areas in England meet the criteria for designation as a National Park.
  • Which order they should be designated, and to proceed with their designation at such time as we may determine.
  • We also have power under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to amend an existing order through a variation order.

We also:

  • Advise Government ministers on any actions that need taking under National Park and planning legislation to deliver their purposes.
  • Keep under review the accomplishment of National Park purposes and to make recommendations to ministers, National Park Authorities (NPAs), local authorities or others regarding matters affecting such accomplishment.
  • Make recommendations to Ministers on proposals to develop land in National Parks that appear inconsistent with their purposes.
  • Have regard to their purposes of National Park designation when making decisions and undertaking activities which affect them.
  • Periodically issue guidance to NPAs on mapping areas of mountain, moor, heath, woodland, down, cliff or foreshore (including any bank, barrier, dune, beach, flat or other land adjacent to the foreshore) within their boundaries whose natural beauty it is important to conserve.

Before making decisions on matters affecting National Park management in the following circumstances, there is a duty placed on the Secretary of State to consult National England on:

  • the level and distribution of central government funding grant aid to NPAs
  • the appointment of representatives to NPA boards where these are overseen by Defra
  • new byelaws affecting National Parks.

There is a duty placed on NPAs to:

  • give notice to Natural England if they propose to publish, adopt, or review their Management Plan
  • provide a copy of any Management Plan together with any proposed amendments to Natural England and take into account any comments we may make on it
  • consult Natural England prior to appointing a Chief Officer (National Park Officer) or changing his/her duties
  • Similar provisions apply in respect of The Broads Authority.

Our wider delivery remit

As a delivery organisation across the whole of England we engage in a range of activities which can support designation management. As a government agency we are bound by the terms of a “duty of regard” for the designation across all of our activities. We also engage in other discretionary activities which support our understanding of the issues surrounding designation management, and which can then inform and support the discharge of our statutory duties within the legislative and designation framework.

These include:

  • development and delivery of shared outcomes with the English National Park Authorities Association (ENPAA)
  • development of guidance and information relating to the designation and its purposes
  • research, experiments and monitoring to advance understanding of how National Parks can best fulfil their purposes
  • undertaking a range of delivery activities within National Parks as either discrete projects identified through the designation management plan or as part of our national delivery frameworks, for instance through our delivery with communities programmes, Environmental Stewardship and SSSI management.  Our Corporate Plan sets out those areas of our delivery where we see partnership working with NPAs as being particularly important to achieving our own outcomes
  • participation in activities which support the understanding and furtherment of the purposes of designation through membership of national steering groups, advisory committees, influencing, learning and contribution at UK, European and global levels
  • supporting the learning and development of NPA members
  • supporting the work of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Europarc Federation, Europarc (Atlantic Isles section), IUCN and its World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) both as a member and government agency with a key strategic/delivery role within a member state.

National Park publications

Several publications have been produced to support National Park management and understanding of specific legislative provisions introduced to protect their special qualities for future generations.