Natural England - Lakes to Dales background

Lakes to Dales background

One of Natural England’s responsibilities is to decide whether an area should be given special status and protection by designating it as a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  Since 2004 we have been looking into whether certain areas between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks should be designated in this way, in 2009 we launched proposals to extend the two National Parks, consulted twice and have now signed designation Orders for submission to the Secretary of State. 

This page summarises what designation would mean and how we made our decision.

What would designation mean?

National Parks are extensive tracts of country that are protected by law for future generations because of their natural beauty and for the opportunities they offer for open air recreation. They are living and working landscapes, with an increasing focus on supporting the communities and economic activity that underpin the qualities for which each have been designated.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) are areas that have high levels of natural beauty, that have statutory protection in order to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of their landscapes. AONB landscapes range from rugged coastline to water meadows to gentle lowland and upland moors.

National Park purposes and duties

Like the rest of England, National Parks are owned and managed by the people who live and work in them, and they remain within the relevant County and District Council areas. In addition, each National Park has its own National Park Authority (NPA) which is given some of the responsibilities normally exercised by local authorities. NPAs also have two main purposes:

  1. to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park; and
  2. to promote opportunities for the public to understand and enjoy the National Park.

    If there is irreconcilable conflict between the two purposes, priority is given to conservation and enhancement of natural beauty.  Any public body taking a decision or undertaking activity that affects land in a National Park is obliged to have regard to National Park purposes when carrying out their work. Once designated, National Parks continue to be living and working landscapes. Because of this, NPAs have a duty to seek to foster the economic and social well-being of their local communities.

    Each National Park Authority is required to produce a National Park Management Plan, which sets out the vision for the management of the National Park and guides the allocation of its resources. Working in partnership is an important aspect of ensuring successful policies are developed in National Parks and the management plans ensure this happens and that benefits are delivered to the Park’s environment, residents and visitors in a balanced and sustainable way.

National Park administration

When land is designated as National Park, certain powers are transferred to the National Park Authority (there is normally a transition period). In particular, the National Park Authority becomes:

  • the local planning authority with responsibility for determining applications for planning permission and listed buildings consent, and preparing the Local Development Framework (i.e. the development plan);
  • the minerals and waste planning authority with responsibility for preparing the local minerals and waste plans; and
  • the relevant, access and appointing authority with duties regarding open access land and to support a Local Access Forum for the National Park.

A wide range of other functions are transferred to the National Park Authority, including in relation to ancient monuments, nature reserves, tree preservation orders, recreation facilities, camping and caravan parks, country parks, common land, footpath creation, acquisition of land for recreation and various bylaw making powers. A small number of functions are specific to National Parks, including the duty to prepare maps of moor and heath and to determine applications for agricultural operations on this, if that provision is applied by the Minister.

The existing local authorities for each area remain responsible for all functions that are not transferred, including basic services such as education, health, policing, roads, waste collection and disposal etc. In some areas, responsibilities can be shared or formally delegated, for instance:

  • Rights of way functions are formally delegated to the National Park Authorities by Cumbria County Council, and the three authorities have worked together to produce a county-wide Rights of Way Improvement Plan and Access Strategy (there are currently no National Parks in Lancashire, so no similar arrangements exists, however the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has worked closely with Lancashire County Council on access issues).
  • National Park Authorities have statutory traffic regulation powers over unsealed routes (green lanes).
    The extension of the Yorkshire Dales National Park would result in a shift of responsibilities from the county councils of Cumbria and Lancashire and the district councils of Eden, South Lakeland and Lancaster City to the Yorkshire Dales NPA. It would also affect the composition of members on the Yorkshire Dales NPA which currently comprises the county councils of North Yorkshire and Cumbria and the district councils of Richmondshire, Craven and South Lakeland. The extension of the Lake District National Park would result in a shift of responsibilities from Cumbria, South Lakeland and Eden to the Lake District NPA, but is unlikely to affect the composition of members on the NPA.

    National Park Authorities are funded entirely by a central government grant. They also raise additional income from other grants, fees and trading activities.

    Follow links for examples of work undertaken by National Park Authoritiesexternal link or the websites of the Yorkshire Dalesexternal link and Lake Districtexternal link.

National Park Governance

National Park Authorities are governed by a board which has three different types of member: local authority (county and district councillors), parish and ‘national’ (nominated by the Secretary of State). Each local authority is entitled to be represented on the NPA and it is a requirement that the combined number of local authority and parish members must outnumber the ‘national’ members.

The precise composition of National Park Authorities is determined by way of a Statutory Order made by the Secretary of State following confirmation of any boundary variations, and normally following consultation with the local authorities concerned and Natural England The Government has recently reviewed governance arrangements and is considering a number of changes, including trialling the concept of directly elected members.
For more information about the governance and funding of National Parks please see the Defra websiteexternal link.

Developing the Lakes to Dales proposals

The Countryside Agency began working on these proposals in 2004 with a study area covering a large part of eastern Cumbria and northern Lancashire and identified eleven evaluation areas areas to consider for designation in more detail. Following thorough analysis it concluded that nine of these areas have the necessary qualities of natural beauty and opportunities for open-air recreation, and that they should be taken forward within proposals to vary the boundaries of both the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.

This resulted in the proposal to the Natural England Board in November 2009 for two extensions to the Lake District and two extensions to the Yorkshire Dales National Parks and that parts of the Orton Fells be included within one of those extensions, but without deciding which was more appropriate. An initial consultation on these proposed extensions was held during 2009-10.

Consultation on proposals: 2009/10

The initial consultation sought views on whether the areas had sufficient natural beauty and opportunity for open-air recreation and whether it was especially desirable that they should be designated. We also sought views on the draft boundaries of the proposed extensions.
Responses were received from 1365 individuals and organisations. The consultation documents are available on the documents page.

Some headlines include:

  • At least 68% of all respondents support the designation of these areas as National Park.
  • A large majority of respondents share our view that the areas in question have great natural beauty and opportunities for open air recreation.
  • Many went on to raise issues relating to the desirability of extending either National Park into these areas; with a considerable diversity of opinion expressed.
  • he County and District Councils were generally not supportive of the proposals. The National Park Authorities were supportive and there was no clear consensus amongst Parish Councils as a group.
  • We received a similar level of response in support of our proposal to designate the Orton Fells as National Park, although no clear consensus emerges from the consultation as to which National Park they should join.

Further consultation: 2011

Having considered all the responses to the 2009/10 consultation, Natural England carried out a further consultation (14 April and 1 July 2011) in which we asked whether:

  • the Orton Fells should be included in the Yorkshire Dales National Park,
  • two areas should be added to the proposed extensions to the Lake District National Park, and
  • five areas should be added to, and one deleted from, the proposed extensions to the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

We also asked for comments on the Strategic Environmental Assessment Report and Equality Impact Assessment. The consultation documents are available on the documents page.

In total, 804 consultation responses were received. Full results of the consultation are contained in the annexes to the September 2011 Board paper.

Headline results include:

  • The ‘Orton Fells’ question was directly addressed by 551 consultees. A large majority (475, of which 146 live in the Orton Fells) agreed that the Orton Fells should be included in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, whereas 57 consultees (of which 13 live in the Orton Fells) disagreed. There was also some support from statutory consultees, but also strongly held objections. The Lake District NPA objected on the basis of its view that the Orton Fells should form part of their National Park.
  • With regard to detailed boundary proposals, the results suggest very strong support for the additions to the Lake District National Park and generally to the additions and deletion considered for the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with relatively few people objecting. This pattern is also true for residents of the relevant extensions to which these additions and the deletion relate. In relation, specifically, to the additions to the proposed western extension to the Yorkshire Dales, there is very strong support from the majority of consultees overall, but also a substantial number of objectors, many of whom are local to the area.
  • Many consultees also made additional suggestions to further change the proposed National Park boundaries. The majority of these suggestions had also been raised during the previous consultation.
  • Many consultees, and in particular statutory consultees, focussed on wider issues of principle regarding the desirability of National Park designation, rather than the specific questions asked in this consultation. The two National Park Authorities, Allerdale BC, Craven DC and Lancaster CC were broadly supportive. South Lakeland DC and Copeland BC adopted a neutral stance, although the former raised detailed concerns. Cumbria CC, Eden DC, Lancashire CC, North Yorkshire CC and Richmondshire DC objected to the proposals in their entirety.
    Parish Councils also provided a range of views. Most of these issues had already been raised during the first consultation, and we have reviewed our analysis to incorporate any additional points raised. In some cases, the circumstances have changed, for instance the abolition of Government regions, and some new issues have arisen, such as in relation to the Localism Bill.

Decision to designate

Having reviewed our original (November 2009) evaluations and the analysis of responses to the two statutory and public consultations (in March 2011 and in September 2011, see below), the Natural England Board concluded in September 2011 that the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District National Parks should be varied as follows:

Variation to the Yorkshire Dales National Park

  • to the north, to include parts of the Orton Fells, the northern Howgill Fells, Wild Boar Fell and Mallerstang; and
  • to the west, to include Barbon, Middleton, Casterton and Leck Fells, the River Lune and, part of Firbank Fell and other fells to the west of the river; and

Variation to the Lake District National Park

  • to the east, to include an area from Birkbeck Fells Common to Whinfell Common; and
  • to the south to include an area from Helsington Barrows to Sizergh Fell, and part of the Lyth Valley, including a small new addition of land North of Sizergh Castle.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment Report was also updated as a result of the further consultation.
On 17 January 2012 Natural England’s Chair and Chief Executive signed two Variation Orders. They will be on deposit for public inspection between 30 January and 16 March 2012 during which time anybody may make representations directly to the Secretary of State. Please see the consultation page for further details.