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Author Topic: Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.  (Read 2384 times)

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.
« on: June 01, 2017, 12:14:37 pm »
Seems to be a move afoot to make a large chunk of Herefordshire into a National Park.  I can see why because it's still mainly agricultural and unspoilt as well as very beautiful.  I'd be interested to hear from anyone already in one. though, as to how the NP status works out in practical terms.

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2017, 10:42:36 pm »
I have lived in the Lake District all my life.  The obvious downside is the busy roads at holiday times but then tourism is a major industry providing many jobs and it supports many other businesses too like local builders. Then of course, there are the ever growing holiday homes and holiday cottages which go hand in hand with a lack of affordable homes for local people. In some villages the impact is such that communities are struggling to remain sustainable are local services disappear too.


Generally speaking though you wont notice a difference in your every day life.


Our National Park Authority is part of a Partnership which brings all major stakeholders together to look after the Lake District. All the councils at different levels are represented, major landowners such as United Utilities and others such as Friends of the Lake District.


The Partnership recognises farming as a major stakeholder within the National Park and it has concerns about how farmers maybe affected after Brexit. Both the National Park and the National Trust are appointing staff to work with farmers on this.


Access is a large part of the Lake District so we have good maintenance of routes.


Of course any popular place with great views can suffer all of the problems associated with living in a special place whether it is a National Park or not. And I think it is important to remember that any National Park is owned by many different people not one landowner and there has to be a balance between our communities and the people who visit.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2017, 07:50:30 am »
I've lived in the Exmoor National Park, before I was farming, then farmed in the Northumberland National Park (and with a Site of Special Scientific Interest), then in the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage corridor (also AONB and with an SSSI) and now in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Cornwall.

Planning is the biggest impact.  The Park Authority has the major say in planning applications, and sets the planning framework.  Much more rigorous about extensions, new builds, the look and materials, etc.  On the plus side, we had no ugly pylons :).   Yes expect prices to rise over time, and locals to get squeezed out by those price increases, resulting in houses empty during the week, local shops struggling except in holiday season, and so on.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2017, 10:17:56 am »
I've lived in the Exmoor National Park, before I was farming, then farmed in the Northumberland National Park (and with a Site of Special Scientific Interest), then in the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage corridor (also AONB and with an SSSI) and now in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Cornwall.

Planning is the biggest impact.  The Park Authority has the major say in planning applications, and sets the planning framework.  Much more rigorous about extensions, new builds, the look and materials, etc.  On the plus side, we had no ugly pylons :) .   Yes expect prices to rise over time, and locals to get squeezed out by those price increases, resulting in houses empty during the week, local shops struggling except in holiday season, and so on.


I think it is quite right that planning should be strictly controlled in any area of outstanding beauty. Yes, the National Park Authority would become the Planning Authority but they have to produce a Local Plan and they have to be within Government guidelines.


Becoming a National Park now you would hope that they would look at other National Parks and the problems that have escalated over time such as local housing and plan to mitigate those problems from the start.

DartmoorLiz

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Devon
Re: Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2017, 11:40:02 am »
I live in Dartmoor National Park and I agree with other posters; they are the planning authority and are somewhat stricter than outside.  That said, in our village in the last 15 years they allowed a barn to be converted to residential and a new farm to be built so they are not against development.  We are becoming a commuter village so I welcome their decisions, others are less impressed. :thinking:
Never ever give up.

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2017, 11:55:25 am »
In our village we are a nearly 50/50 split residential/second or holiday lets. The situation has been improved with a couple of developments with occupancy clauses. Those against the building are generally second home owners and older residents. We can't make people sell their houses below market value so there has to be some building or conversion with occupancy clauses to keep our villages alive. Of course, it has to be sympathetic in the landscape and not massive in scale. Also it shouldn't just be affordable to rent. There should be opportunities for local families to buy too.




Sra

  • Joined Jun 2016
Re: Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2017, 11:07:06 pm »
As a parish councillor in the Yorkshire Dales I can confirm planning is the main difference.

 Section 106 local occupancy restrictions are in the main a good thing but they can be overused and result in a lack of property for new residents to the area to move into - as a result it can be difficult to attract business investment as housing for skilled staff until they qualify as a residents (i.e. have a job) is a problem. In theory it shouldn't but in practice as open market property becomes more expensive the pool of potential workforce decreases. Chicken and egg.

Some people become 'attached' to the concept that anything new must have a 106 restriction on it - can be very hard to argue against an entrenched mindset.

Balence over time is the key you need new blood in a village or the school dies and the shops rely only on the older residents - the young ones will inevitably head out it is a modern world...

Overall being in a National Park is a positive.

bazzais

  • Joined Jan 2010
    • Allt Y Coed Farm and Campsite
Re: Anyone in a National Park? Your Views Welcome.
« Reply #7 on: July 16, 2017, 12:39:29 pm »
You get an extra layer of bureaucracy for free when it comes to planning and alterations ;) you now have to deal with the council and the parks.

But to be fair I think if we were not in a park - we wouldnt have our on the ground park 'rangers' who are really nice and help keep footpaths back and bashing bracken here and  there - and you get to speak too directly when they visit and they do a good job at relaying problems back.

Its also useful if your a really rich person who has a holiday home and dont bother fixing anything as the parks step in and fix your fences for the greater good of the holiday makers aesthetics looks.  If you livew here your expected to fix your own fences ;)

I love living in the parks to be honest - the rangers are great, the people who manage the rangers are generally asses.

 

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