National park authorities to be given general power of competence

National park authorities are to be handed a general power of competence, “which will clarify their legal framework, removing restrictions which prevent an entrepreneurial approach, and cut through bureaucracy to remove barriers to achieving more for people and nature”, the Government has announced.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also said new legislation and guidance would give national parks and national landscapes “a clear mandate to widen the public’s access to nature through strengthened purposes and make changes to improve their governance that will allow for greater innovation and collaboration to prepare them for the future”. 

It claimed that the changes announced today (16 December) would see more trees planted, more peat restored and more habitat created.

DEFRA said the package would strengthen the role that public bodies, including water companies, must play in delivering better outcomes for nature, water, climate and access to nature in these special places, through new regulation that will support public bodies and Protected Landscape organisations to work more closely together. 

The announcement comes on the 75th anniversary of the creation of protected landscapes through the 1949 National Parks and Access the Countryside Act.  

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “It’s seventy-five years since our National Parks and National Landscapes were created, and they have done incredible work protecting some of our most treasured and beautiful landscapes.

“But so much of our countryside and wildlife is in decline so we must do more to protect it. To mark this anniversary the Government will introduce new laws to boost protections for the natural world, strengthen our National Parks and National Landscapes and increase opportunities for millions of people to enjoy the great outdoors.”

Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said:  “The 1949 National Parks Act laid the foundations for modern nature conservation, enshrining in law the means to protect dozens of exceptional landscapes and thousands of our best wild places while bringing joy to millions of people across multiple generations.   

“Despite the achievements, however, these legal protections have not been sufficient to prevent Nature’s continuing decline. And whereas in decades past the challenge was about conservation, today we must not only hang on to what is left, but to also invest in Nature’s recovery. 

“The reforms announced today are important steps that can help to turn the tide.”