Dales national park planners look to make ‘real difference’

The Management Plan spanning the next decade has been drawn up for the Yorkshire Dales National Park, setting out a host
of aims and ambitions to con-
serve the landscapes and promote the environment and wildlife.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s chairman, Carl Lis, stressed rural communities are at the heart of the plan, but the councillor admitted there are a wealth of challenges to be overcome.

Coun Lis, who is also the Management Plan steering group’s chairman, said: “These are challenging times but our long-term ambitions remain undimmed.

“However, this is not the time for grandiose proposals.

“This Management Plan is focused on the things that we can do, and which we believe can make a real difference.”

The blueprint has set out a key aim to support farmers and 
landowners and maintain at least 90 per cent of the national park in basic “Environmental Stewardship” agreements and increase the area covered by enhanced management agreements to at least 50 per cent by 2017.

Another fundamental objective is to renovate the most important historic sites in the park so that no more than 55 listed buildings, 15 scheduled monuments and no conservation areas are “at risk” by 2020.

Other plans include improving rights of way and increasing wildlife habitats with proposals to create at least 50 acres of upland hay meadows by 2020.

The bid to boost the environment is also looking to introduce 1,000 acres of native woodland by 2020, as well as energy-efficient technology to reduce carbon emissions.

The economic plans include increasing tourism by a fifth in real terms by 2020, and boosting
job opportunities with apprenticeships and ensuring there is
at least 2Mbps internet access across the national park by
2015.

More details are available at http://www.yorkshiredalesmanagementplan.org.uk/

[email protected]