by Holly Chapman | 04 Sep 25 | News
A series of appointments have been made to both the National Park Authorities (NPA) and National Landscape Conservation Boards.
Responsible for ensuring that the authority furthers park purposes, there have been 19 new board members appointed to the NPA.
New members will run until 30 June 2029, appointed for four-year terms. These include Gail Harris, Heather Hilburn, Curig Johnston and Tim Munday who are joining the broads authority.
Appointed to designation locations, a new Dartmoor NPA board member is Julia Galbenu while Lake District NPA introduces Mark Hatton.
New Forest NPA board members are Ella Mason, Adarsh Parekh and James Wylor-Owen.
Jared Bowers, Mohammed Dhalech, Gillian Hall and Ian Kille join Northumberland NPA board.
Hannah Corran and Amanda Martin are welcomed to Peak District.
South Downs NPA introduces Lara Sonola-Omitowoju and Soraya Abdel-Hadi, whilst Yorkshire Dales NPA brings in Daniel Holmes and Saira Ali.
Responsible for ensuring that the National Landscape Conservation Board advances purposes set out in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, 11 members have been appointed for three-year terms, ending 30 June 2028.
Chilterns National Landscapes welcome Baljit Dhillon, Catherine Moncrieff, Jennifer Morgan, Matthew Stanton, Nicola Thomas and Juliet Vickery.
Cotswolds National Landscape introduces Andrea Graham, Jon Grantham, Nick Martell-Bundock, Hannah McDonnell and Anisa Saleh.
by Holly Chapman | 30 May 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Ministers in the Scottish parliament have decided not to pursue national park plans for Golloway and Ayrshire.
Mairi Gougeon, rural affairs secretary, revealed that this announcement comes from the planning official’s recommendations.
Gougeon explains that “while there is support for the new national park, there is significant opposition.”
The Scottish Rewilding Alliance has issued a response, as they continue the fight for Scotland to be named a rewilding nation.
Karen Blackport, co-convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance says:
“The Scottish Government has yet again proved it cannot successfully plot a path to a wilder Scotland.”
Blackport argues that the decision “undermines efforts to restore nature and protect nature,” amidst a climate and biodiversity crisis.
Galloway and Ayrshire would have marked Scotland’s third national park, alongside the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs created in 2002 and the Cairngorms in 2003.
The alliance also calls for the Scottish government to use the Natural Environment Bill to begin a new phase for Scotland’s national parks.
Gougeon recognises the work and time invested in the process, and thanks members of the Galloway National Park Association and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere.
by Aidan Williams | 07 Oct 24 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is inviting people to share their views on the draft boundary map for a proposed new national park in Wales.
The proposed area is in northern Wales, stretching from Trelawyd stretching down to Meifod, including the Dfynant Forest and Lake Vyrnwy.
The public consultation period involves a series of public drop-in, online and targeted stakeholder group events, will run from today until Monday 16 December.
The Welsh Government commissioned NRW to assess the evidence and case for a new national park and make a recommendation.
The proposed area is a result of public engagement period last year after a proposal based on the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape.
A questionnaire to capture feedback is now live on the project website, while paper copies of the questionnaire are available one of the drop-in events.
“For a new national park to be established, NRW must be confident it will manage risks and make use of the opportunities available, for the betterment of nature, people, and communities,” says Ash Pearce, programme manager in NRW’s designated landscapes programme team.
“We have gathered further evidence in 2024 and the map we are now sharing, has changed to reflect this.
“We now have a much clearer picture of the risks and opportunities associated with creating a new National Park, but also the risks associated with not addressing the factors already at work, like visitor pressures, housing, nature depletion and climate change.
“We are interested in hearing from anyone affected or interested, listening to the range of perspectives and we are especially keen to receive any new information or evidence that relates to the proposal before NRW comes to a conclusion.”
People are encouraged to either drop by at an in-person event or email the project team at designated.landscapes.programme@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk to sign up to an online event.
by Nina Mason | 20 Apr 23 | Commercial Landscaping, Landscape Architecture, News, Topics
Chatsworth House Trust has announced a new £7m restoration project for a Grade I listed feature on the estate, located in the Peak District National Park.
It has been awarded £422k of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to invest in the research and development work for ‘Celebrating the Cascade’, a project to restore the “popular” water feature at Chatsworth.
Built more than three centuries ago, the “iconic structure” of a temple with spouts and fountains has 24 steps that water flows over, descending around 60m.
The full restoration has been estimated at more than £7m and is “urgently required”, says the Trust. Rapid structural deterioration caused by significant leakage of water through the mortar and joints in the stonework, and around the surrounding earth, has resulted in the forced closure of a 19th century tunnel that runs underneath, which was once used to supply coal to heat the Great Conservatory.
Lord Burlington, chairman of the Chatsworth House Trust, says: “The Cascade is one of the most popular features at Chatsworth and ‘Celebrating the Cascade’ is a major project that will enable us to ensure many more people will get to experience and enjoy it in the years to come. This project is just one of many ways in which we are working to bring a more diverse group of visitors to Chatsworth, as well as creating truly transformational experiences that involve both the nature and the built heritage in our custodianship.”
