We have big ambitions for the Peak District National Park. Our aspirational 20 year vision outlines where we collectively want the Peak District to be in 20 years' time.
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Phil Mulligan Chief Executive | Andrew McCloy Chair |
Our ambitious 20-year aims, as outlined below, will together help us achieve the vision. In order to prioritise delivery of the aims, a set of five year objectives underpin each aim. This is where we will focus delivery of actions over the Management Plan period.
To lower greenhouse gas emissions significantly, focussing on the largest emitters within our influence.
To sequester and store substantially more carbon while contributing to nature recovery.
To reverse damage to nature, biodiversity and cultural heritage and in particular built environments caused by climate change.
To be a place where nature recovers and biodiversity flourishes.
To understand, appreciate and enhance the cultural heritage and in particular built environments of the National Park as part of an ever-changing landscape.
To protect and enhance the natural beauty of the Peak District National Park’s contrasting and ever-evolving landscape.
To encourage a sustainable visitor economy that supports local businesses, cares for the National Park’s special qualities and respects the well-being of local communities.
To create opportunities for young people and those from under-served communities to connect with and enjoy the National Park.
To promote the National Park as a place where there are opportunities for the improvement of physical and mental health and well-being.
To support sustainable communities by improving opportunities for affordable housing and connection to services.
To promote a flourishing economy in accord with nature recovery and climate change mitigation.
To achieve our aims, we all need to approach them with determination and commit to deliver the actions. The detailed actions that deliver the aims and objectives are outlined in the Delivery Plan.
The statutory purposes of a National Park are to:
If there is a conflict between these purposes, the first purpose is given greater weight. In carrying out the purposes, National Park Authorities have a duty to 'seek to foster the economic and social wellbeing of local national park communities'.
As one of the most visited National Parks in the UK, tensions can exist between encouraging visitors and residents to enjoy the National Park’s special qualities and the potential impacts this may have on nature and communities. The aims and objectives of the National Park Management Plan have been developed in a way that tries to balance these tensions.
The National Park Authority is required to produce a Management Plan that outlines the vision for the management of the National Park. It must reflect National Park purposes and duty and be updated at least every five years to ensure it is relevant and forward looking.
Our Management Plan is an essential strategic document and no major decisions affecting the future of the National Park should be taken without reference to it. It provides the framework that encourages all those with interests in the National Park to work together to achieve National Park purposes and provides a context for the Local Plan.
Figure 1. How the National Park Management Plan relates to other plans, policies and strategies
This Management Plan has been informed by relevant international and national legislation, national policies, professional opinion, public aspirations and evidence from a range of sources. These include the Landscapes Review, Environment Bill and 25 Year Environment Plan, National Park England’s four Delivery Plans and the Agriculture Bill. It has also been developed at a time when the nation is faced with challenges not experienced for generations. These include recovery from a pandemic, the escalating climate change emergency, declining species and habitats, mental and physical health issues amongst the population, and escalating prices and food shortages triggered by global conflicts. The Management Plan will have to demonstrate appropriate actions that respond to this volatile dynamic.
The Management Plan is a plan for the National Park as a place and not for any individual organisation or group. In order to deliver the Management Plan’s objectives, partnership engagement and commitment are essential. Partners are all those who have an influence over the future of the National Park and include resident communities, visitors, businesses, local authorities, water companies, land owners, land managers and farmers. They provide a diverse range of perspectives and collaborations, working together to protect and enhance the National Park. They give opportunities for the National Park to be represented and to advocate and influence at the national, regional and local level. Partnership working is about direct delivery, but as importantly, leading by example and influencing others to the benefit of the National Park.
The Management Plan provides principles and priorities for partnership action working through its vision, aims, objectives and delivery plan. It does not outline actions individual organisations or groups are already undertaking, but adds value through identifying collective endeavour as an addition to the good work already in hand.
Achieving the ambitions contained within the Management Plan requires political support and, crucially, funding. Restraints on local government finances, a flat cash settlement for National Park Authorities, and rising costs makes the realisation of those ambitions even harder. However, the clear priorities identified within the Management Plan and the passion that exists for the Peak District will provide the springboard to grow volunteering and raise funds from commercial income, sponsorship, donation, and external funding. The need to diversify income means developing relationships with all appropriate businesses, grant funders, government agencies and charitable institutions. The registered charity The Peak District National Park Foundation, established to raise funds to care for the National Park, has a vital role to play in securing new income streams for the delivery of the Management Plan's aims. The clear priorities provide opportunities for communities, visitors and businesses to support the National Park through increased volunteering.
