Farming in the Uplands - ARCHIVE: Defra

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38 Farming in the Uplands Successive Governments have made commitments to release vacant defence estate properties. The Coalition Programme for Government includes a commitment to “explore a range of measures to bring empty homes into use”, and the Prime Minister has expressed a wish to see vacant MoD properties used for affordable housing. 217 102. We recommend that Defra work across Government to ensure that the national planning framework has a flexible and less restrictive approach to housing in rural areas. The planning framework should enable local communities to seek innovative and cost-effective solutions to the problem of affordable housing in rural areas, for example through use of defence estate properties that are becoming vacant. National Parks 103. Each National Park has a National Park Authority—an independent body, funded by central Government, charged with two statutory purposes: • to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of National Parks; and • to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public. In High ground, high potential, the CRC note that National Park Authorities “play a crucial role in furthering economic and social well-being in upland areas”. 218 The report goes on to recommend that the remit of National Park Authorities (NPAs) be expanded to include a third statutory duty to foster the social and economic well-being of local communities. 219 National Park Authorities act as the planning authority in National Parks. One of the ways that National Park Authorities discharge their statutory duties is through planning decisions. 104. The previous EFRA Committee made a similar recommendation in its report on The potential of England’s rural economy. Having heard, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, from businesses with concerns about the difficulty of obtaining planning permission in National Parks, that Committee recommended that “Defra carry out a review of whether planning decisions by National Park Authorities reflect the correct balance between protecting the natural environment and ensuring that communities located within national parks are sustainable and will survive”. 220 EMBARGOED ADVANCE COPY: Not to be published in full, or part, in any form before 00.01am GMT Wednesday 16 February 2011 105. The Government’s reply rejected that recommendation and stated: “The National Park authorities have done an excellent job at conserving the high environmental quality of the Parks but this has not been at the expense of the communities and businesses within 217 The Coalition: our programme for government, see http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/coalition_programme_for_government.pdf; HC Deb, 8 December 2010, col 307 218 High ground, high potential, p 76 219 High ground, high potential, p 77 220 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, The potential of England’s rural economy, Eleventh Report of Session 2007–08, p 8
EMBARGOED ADVANCE COPY: Not to be published in full, or part, in any form before 00.01am GMT Wednesday 16 February 2011 Farming in the Uplands 39 them.” 221 In oral evidence, Dr Stone explained that National Parks already have a ‘supporting’ duty to foster social and economic well-being. 222 He explained that National Park Authorities comprise mainly local people nominated from the “...constituent authorities that make up the national park area”, who are committed to the “social and economic well-being of the area”. 223 The Campaign for National Park (CNP) also emphasised that National Parks “...are already required to undertake their twin purposes (of conservation and public enjoyment) in a way that fosters the social and economic wellbeing of local communities”. 224 The CNP added that they had seen “...no evidence to suggest that a new statutory purpose on social and economic well-being is necessary”. 225 106. National Park Authorities already have two duties to balance and reconcile, in essence: conservation of the natural environment and access for the public. If those two duties come into conflict, National Park Authorities apply the Sandford Principle. 226 That principle states that where the two statutory principles are irreconcilable priority must be given to the conservation of natural beauty. 107. In November 2010 the Government launched a consultation on the governance arrangements for the National Parks and the Broads. 227 The stated purposes of the review included looking at how to make National Parks’ authorities more effective and responsive to the concerns of the local communities. However, the consultation did not include any proposal to amend the statutory objectives of National Parks as recommended by the CRC. Defra explained that this was because the consultation was “focussed on the generic issues of their future governance rather than substantive issues like amendments to the statutory purposes”. 228 The department noted that the CRC’s recommendation that National Park Authorities give equal priority to fostering economic and social well-being alongside their existing statutory purposes would be considered as part of the review of uplands policy which is due to conclude in February 2011. 229 108. We support the purpose behind the CRC’s recommendation that National Park Authorities have an additional statutory duty relating to social and economic wellbeing. The Authorities’ duties to the landscape and environment and the people who live, work and cherish those landscapes should have equal status. There appears no reason why the Sandford Principle should not be preserved and applied to a third statutory duty. We recommend that the Government seek an appropriate legislative vehicle to make this change and to introduce greater flexibility. 221 Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee, The potential of England’s rural economy: Government response to the Committee’s Eleventh Report of Session 2007–08, p 4 222 Qq 144, 146 223 Q 144 224 Ev w11 225 Ev w11 226 The Sandford Principle is named after Lord Sandford who chaired the National Parks Policy Review Committee which reviewed national parks of England and Wales in between 1971 and 1974. 227 Consultation on the Governance arrangements for the National Parks and the Broads, Defra, November 2010 228 Ev 83 229 Ev 83
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