National Park Forum

National Park Forum Online – Have your say about the future for the uplands!

Tony Gates, National Park CEOOn 15^th October 2009, a wide range of people gathered at the Cheviot Centre in Wooler to take part in the first Northumberland National Park public forum.  The National Park covers 20 per cent of the county – largely the hill country, so the theme 'The Future of the Uplands' was chosen for discussion.

Defra Minister for National Parks, Huw Irranca-Davies, sent a personal video message, saying that he was delighted that Northumberland National Park had responded to his call to see greater public understanding of and involvement in the running of National Parks.

Chief Executive, Tony Gates, began by reporting on the National Park Authority’s performance and the physical State of the Park, and Forum participantscalled for suggestions for measurable indicators that would be meaningful for the public to judge the National Park Authority’s achievements.

During the debate, many strong feelings were aired and interesting points were raised about how the National Park Authority should prioritise its resources to ensure a good future for the uplands of Northumberland. (Read an account)

Below, we have created a 'wish list' from the contributions made.

If you haven’t yet had your say, you are welcome to comment on the points below or to add new ones on our online forum.

You will need to register and accept our terms and conditions first.

You’ll then be returned to the forum homepage. Click on the title: 'Future of the Uplands' and then click on the topic you want to post a reply to. The National Park will check all comments before publishing them. If you want to start a new topic, click on the 'New Topic*' button on the forum homepage.

You can read more about the condition of the uplands now and how they could be in fifty years' time in Vital uplands: Natural England’s vision for the upland environment in 2060.

Public wish list for the National Park

More people need to know and love the National Park

Martyn Howat, Uplands Director, Natural EnglandYou were surprised to hear that awareness of Northumberland National Park has become as low as 3% of the population in recent years – a sharp contrast to 30 years ago when it was an important holiday destination and weekend outing place.

You said:

• Children are the future - get children and their parents engaged in the National Park through education. There should be education centres in the Park.  Can the National Park work more with schools in urban south east Northumberland and disadvantaged areas in the North East?
• The Park needs to do more north of the border to promote itself and attract more visitors.  However, tranquillity and remoteness are unique features of the National Park and some areas cannot cope with many people. Promotion should be targeted to those areas that would welcome more people.
• We need better statistics on where the visitors are coming from.

Ian Hall, Estate Manager, Lilburn

Value to society

The uplands of Britain, which make up most of our National Parks, have an intrinsic value to society. They give us sources of pure drinking water, peat bogs which help control water flow to the lowlands, forests which lock up carbon, livestock food production, and havens for biodiversity.

You said:

• A major effort should be made to explain the social benefits of the uplands to society and change public opinion to attract the necessary funding.

Farming, food production and the landscape

Hill farming has shaped the distinctive open landscape of Northumberland National Park over many centuries. What are its prospects in the face of climate change and the nation’s need for food?

You said:

1. Upland food production is critical to the future of the National Park - both the open, grazed appearance of the hills, to food production and to the existence of rural communities and the facilities they provided for visitors, but economic pressures on farming will only to increase in the future. Is the Authority geared up to help upland farmers?
2. Many farmers are moving towards retirement but there are not many young people coming through to succeed them. Need facilities for children and young families to keep them in the Park.
3. The last affordable housing units to be built in the Park were in Harbottle in 1980. The Authority needs to review planning policies to address this.

Nick Bergen, resident

Thriving communities – sustainable communities

The National Park Authority recognises that the vitality, culture and services in the countryside are provided by and for communities.

You said:

• Thriving Communities are a balance of young and old. They need affordable accommodation, employment opportunities, public transport and much better Information Communication Technology for both business and social activities. The National Park could at least help to get improved broadband in rural areas Do not overlook the benefits of forestry in relation to employment, red squirrel habitat and carbon capture!
• Consider the difference between a sustainable community – one that is able to keep itself going, and sustaining a community that is dependent on support. The National Park needs the former to thrive.
• The Authority should create better State of the Park indicators that demonstrate how the activities within the Park benefit the communities in and just outside the Park.

Jane Karthaus, Border Forestry Consultants

Climate Change

The National Park is committed to helping communities and businesses adapt and become more resilient to climate change, as well as becoming involved in projects to mitigate the effects of changing weather patterns

You said:

• We need a baseline study to establish the present carbon footprint of the Park
• Don’t use climate change as the basis for every decision or you risk ignoring community and biodiversity needs.
• Look to rectify old forestry mistakes – replace coniferous plantations with native broadleaf woodland for better carbon capture
• Flooding damage – Has it been worse because local people are no longer able to manage watercourses themselves?
• Part of the reason for flooding in September 2008 was that the management of watercourses ceased about 10 years ago.

Forum online:

The forum was in full swing when Chairman, Peter Jackson, a director of ONE Northeast, called a halt leaving people wanting a bit more, and some points were raised after the main event.

From the Glendale Trust

During the Forum, Brendan from Haltwhistle made a point about a lack of connectivity between the community of Haltwhistle and the Park and a point was made later on about the long term trend of falling visitor numbers. My belief is this makes a good case for Northumberland National Park engaging more in the gateway settlements and playing a greater role in informing, educating and introducing visitors and residents to what is our greatest natural resource.

We have serious concerns about the future of TIC services in the area and in particular the lack of assessment placed on their value. Our belief is that they support a much wider infrastructure and economy than is recognised and play a vital role in signposting and education. We hope NNPA will play an active role in engaging with us to ensure this northern gateway can function effectively as a gateway to Northumberland National Park and the Glendale and Cheviot Action area so that together we can meet our shared aim of sustaining those thriving communities.

National Park Response:

These points about rural TICs and the National Park’s engagement with gateway settlements have been raised with National Park Authority members for consideration at an appropriate meeting, and their response will be reported here in due course.

From a Tourist Information Officer:

Visitors to our TIC really appreciated, needed and missed the leaflets that NNP no longer supplies about walks in the National Park. The internet alone doesn't meet visitors’ needs once they have arrived in the area. The website is a good way to whet the appetite but this needs to be reinforced with material easily browsed back at the B&B. National Park walk leaflets are a great miss in Wooler because so many visitors were very keen to go walking.

National Park response:

We are currently reviewing the leaflets that we distribute through our visitor centres and other TICs. While we appreciate that leaflets are popular with visitors, we do have to consider the ongoing costs of reprinting these and investigate other options if need be. We have re-formatted many of our existing leaflets into downloadable documents on our website and we will continue to supply leaflets and other walking products that have been produced by outdoor experience providers in and around the National Park. A decision on what leaflets we can continue to reprint will be made in time for Easter 2010.

Add your views to our online forum now.