The Countryside Agency Board agreed in May 2005 areas of search for variations to Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Park boundaries.
Further reading
Background information to North West Designation Project click here

North West Designation Project

© Copyright Natural England
Exploring extensions to the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks (updated February 2008)

Work on the North West Designation Project is on hold until the implications of the South Downs National Park Public Inquiry are clear.  See Press Release.

11 areas are under consideration for designation as extensions to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.

Areas under consideration:

Agreed Areas of Search for National Park extensions - Map (112kb pdf)

  • Mallerstang & Wild Boar Fell, northern Howgill Fells, parts of the Lune Valley, Firbank Fell, Middleton, Barbon  & Leck Fells, and areas around Cold Cotes and Kirkby Lonsdale as a variation to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. 
  • Orton Fells as a variation to the Lake District/Yorkshire Dales National Park or a new Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  
  • Birkbeck Fells to Whinfell, Helsington Barrows to Sizergh, and an area around the River Kent as a variation to the Lake District National Park.       

 These areas: 

  • have historically been recognised as outstanding landscapes but have never been designated; 
  • were to be considered in the 1980s Countryside Commission's National Park boundary review programme which was withdrawn due to the anticipated high cost to the public purse. At that time the Commission understood any National Park review had to address the whole boundary. In 2004, the Minister clarified that the Countryside Agency had discretion to identify a discrete section of any boundary to review;   
  • the Countryside Agency agreed in May 2005 broadly meet National Park designation criteria;
  • have been reviewed in more detail and evidence required for designation is being assembled.   

Latest position

Natural Englands’ designation work in the North West is on hold as the re-opened South Downs National Park Public Inquiry could have implications for Natural England’s approach to designating National Parks. The work in the North West remains high priority and when the implications are clear the project will resume.  

Next steps will be public consultation, seeking views on whether each of the 11 areas should be recognised for their natural beauty and recreation opportunities through designation as an extension to the Lake District and/or Yorkshire Dales National Park; and whether Orton Fells should be designated as National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  

Officers working on the project are:

Rosemary Budd, Senior Project Manager
Christoph Kratz
Sandra Williams 

The team can be contacted by emailing: nwdesignationproject@naturalengland.org.uk

Further information on the South Downs National Park:

http://www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Landscape/DL/new_designations/SouthDowns/index.asp

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/issues/landscap/natparks/index.htm#impact

http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/southdowns/index.htm