This Performance and Business Plan reports on our second year (2024/25) of progress against our five-year Authority Plan. Reflecting on the last 12 months, I’m pleased to report we have maintained our focus on the key elements of the National Park Authority’s essential business which enables us to fulfil our role as regulator, influencer and deliverer. This has been against a backdrop of budget cuts, organisation change and review of national policy and legislation. We also have seen new political direction in both national and local government including the formation of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA).

Last year marked the 75th anniversary of Britain’s first National Parks. Areas designated as National Parks played their part in laying the foundations of recovery in a post war world. They have gone on to play a huge role in ensuring access to nature and improved health and wellbeing for the people of the United Kingdom. National Parks celebrated this anniversary and set out their Great National Parks Plan which outlines how we contribute to the Government’s plan to rebuild the country and help to ‘fix the foundations’ for access and nature.

The Peak District Ranger Service also celebrated its 70th anniversary, following the original service launch on Good Friday, 16th April 1954. In the first year of service, there were over 500 volunteers, coming out at weekends to look after the countryside, to enforce the byelaws and encourage people to enjoy the National Park in a responsible way. In many respects, the role of rangers today is not that different to what it was 70 years ago. Rangers have a salutary role, encouraging people to do the right thing in the countryside. The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme continued, in 2024/25, to fund projects that support climate, nature, people and place. I was very pleased to see the complete restoration of the Ecton balance cone which allowed the wider, nationally important, Ecton Copper Mine site in Staffordshire to be removed from the UK’s Heritage at Risk Register. This was an impressive partnership project achieved with grants from the FiPL programme. Overall, this programme has been extremely successful both nationally and locally, reflected in the additional funding for FiPL advisers and admin officers and a £1.6M project fund for Peak District farmers and land managers in the coming year (2025/26).

The Local Plan review progressed well last year with the Policy and Communities team engaging with residents of the National Park and examining how well planning policies have performed. The work continues into 2025/26 as we review how fit for purpose our policies are and make any appropriate changes in order to balance the needs and expectations of residents while allowing the Authority to fulfil its statutory duty to conserve and enhance the special qualities of the National Park. A new bus service was also launched by Derbyshire County Council in September last year. The 62 Peak Pathfinder provides a direct link from Buxton to Castleton and restores a regular bus service to Edale, linking with scheduled rail services from there to Manchester. This is a great achievement for all partners who are focused on the expansion and use of sustainable transport for visitor and communities travelling to and around the Park. Transport is also a key area of interest for the East Midlands, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire Mayoral Authorities. We look forward to engaging with them in this coming year to strengthen connectivity between the regions whilst having regard for our duty as a National Park for the nation particularly with regard to sustainable travel.

Defra published the Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework which sets out collective targets for protected landscapes derived from the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan. If achieved, they will help reverse the decline in nature, mitigate and adapt to the worst impacts of climate change and improve access to nature for all. These targets will form part of our Management Plan from July. There continues to be change and uncertainty looking forward to the coming year. A new national Land Use Strategy alongside reviews of the Environment Improvement Plan, National Park purposes, National Park governance and a new three-year grant settlement will bring new opportunities and challenges. What I am certain of is that, despite the potential for significant change, the Peak District National Park Authority and all its partners and stakeholders will continue to play an important role in tackling the climate crisis, ensuring nature’s recovery, boosting the local economy, conserving its cultural heritage and contributing to the health and wellbeing of all who wish to visit this special landscape.

Thank you to everyone; staff, volunteers, partners and communities who have worked so hard to care for this special place, the Peak District.

Ken Smith Chair