National Parks’ 75th birthday present

Published: 13 January 2025

Making the most of Governments plans

2024 was a momentous year for Campaign for National Parks as we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the legislation that our founders worked so hard to secure. The year ended with another significant win, exactly 75 years to the day since the landmark National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 received Royal Assent. 

On 16 December 2024, the Government announced plans to introduce new legislation which will update the key objectives for National Parks and National Landscapes – known as their statutory purposes – and reform the Boards which govern National Park Authorities (NPAs). These changes will create a much stronger emphasis on supporting nature recovery, cleaning up waterways and improving public access in our most precious landscapes. 

This was very welcome news indeed. The changes are ones that we and others have long been calling for and will take forward some of the key outstanding recommendations from the Glover Landscapes Review which reported in 2019. They will help modernise the legislative framework which shapes how National Parks are run and managed, something that numerous reviews and research projects, including our 2024 Health Check report, have identified as urgently needed. 

We don’t yet have much detail about exactly what the Government is proposing but we do know the key things that we’ll be looking for from this new legislation. 

An updated remit to deliver for nature and people

There is likely to be much debate over the exact wording of revised purposes for Protected Landscapes but there is already strong support for the key changes proposed. The majority of responses to a Government consultation in 2022 (including our own) were in favour of amending the purposes to make driving nature recovery a core function of Protected Landscapes and to create a much stronger emphasis on improving opportunities for all parts of society to connect with these special places.  

However, we also want to ensure that some of the key elements of the existing purposes don’t get lost as part of this process. In particular, it’s absolutely essential that an appropriately updated version of the Sandford Principle continues to apply. This important principle has been in place since the 1970s and is aimed at ensuring that protecting the environment is given priority whenever there is a conflict between this and promoting public enjoyment.  

Another key change we’d like to see is a specific reference to climate action, the need for which was identified in our 2021 report on National Parks and the Climate Emergency. The purposes, coupled with the Sandford Principle, should emphasise the need to deliver climate action in ways that also deliver for nature, for example natural regeneration of woodlands and natural flood risk management. 

More effective governance

We have long been arguing that governance of the National Parks needs to change and improve to ensure these areas are delivering more for nature, people and climate. The reforms should include a reduction in the size of NPAs Boards and the introduction of measures to ensure that Boards are both more representative of the general population and include more people with skills such as biodiversity and inclusion which are fundamental to delivering the updated purposes effectively. The Government’s 2022 consultation demonstrated support for such measures and for other changes which we have been advocating for, such as improved training. 

Increasing the proportion of members with relevant skills and expertise should be achieved in part by increasing the proportion of national members as they are already selected on this basis. We believe at least 50% of Board members should be nationally appointed, whereas currently it is only about a third. 

What happens now?

We now need to ensure these changes are implemented as quickly as possible. The Government hasn’t indicated yet how it proposes to introduce the legislation it has committed to but there are opportunities in their current legislative programme, such as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and the Devolution Bill, which could easily be used to bring forward the necessary amendments. We look forward to working with Defra and other partners over the coming months to help develop the detail of what’s needed, and to secure rapid delivery of changes which have the potential to make a huge impact. 

While the commitments discussed here currently only relate to England, we’re also keen to see the speedy introduction of equivalent changes in Wales. There is support for this from the Welsh Government’s Biodiversity Deep Dive, which committed to considering legislation on reformed purposes and governance of Protected Landscapes in the next Senedd. And we’ll be working with partners in Wales to help make this happen. 

We’ll also be continuing to push Governments in both England and Wales to commit to proper investment for Protected Landscapes, alongside these important legislative changes. Without adequate resources for NPAs, and for the farmers and landowners who play such a vital role in these areas, it will be impossible to deliver the Government’s vision of greener, wilder, more accessible Protected Landscapes.

Images: River Bradford in the Peak District © Peaklass and River Wye in the Peak District © Millie Barlow