Northumberland & Newcastle Society

The Northumberland National Park - Landscape Strategy

Part Two – Managing Change

By Robin Dower

In the first part of this article (see article in May 2011 issue of City and County) we saw how the Northumberland National Park came to be designated in the 1950’s, meeting the criteria set out in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The twin objectives of landscape protection and access for open-air recreation were the key drivers in the designation of National Parks, though later in the 1980’s the socio-economic wellbeing of local communities was added, always without prejudice to the primary purpose of landscape protection.

Landscape character definition has come to be seen as an important tool in the development of planning strategy and the National Park Authority (NNPA) has recently been refining its understanding of the Park into ten Landscape Character types.

Redesdale near Byrness

Redesdale, near Byrness
Photo ©Sue Underwood

  1. Upland Burn Valleys: the College, Harthope, Breamish, and Upper Coquet Valleys incised through rounded hills with narrow flat floors of an enclosed character.
  2. The rounded hills of the Cheviots with little tree cover or settlement: a visually simple landscape forming a distinctive horizon.
  3. Foothills and Fringe Valleys, outlying the Cheviot Hills, with lowland pasture.
  4. Rolling upland: the Commons either side of the Rede and North Tyne, broad open and large scale.
  5. Moorland Forest Mosaic: the outer East fringes of Kielder, largely uninhabited with large scale coniferous plantations.
  6. Rolling Upland Valleys: Redesdale and Upper North Tyne with various smaller tributaries.
  7. Outcrop Hills and Escarpment: Harbottle Hills and Simonside, rich in colour and mood with little habitation.
  8. Sandstone Upper Valleys: the middle reaches of the Coquet and Grasslees Burn; shallow valleys with gentle hills.
  9. Parallel Ridges and Commons: the Roman Wall country with open moorland and bogs, outcrops of sandstone and Whin Sill.
  10. Upland Commons and Farmland: Grindon Common and the slopes down into the North Tyne along the East boundary of the National Park.

To each of these types of landscape the draft Landscape Supplementary Planning Document suggests the application of relevant guidance for development, recognising that the landscape is in a constant process of change as a result of the activities of land managers, the local population and economic activity. The agents of change are predominantly farming, woodland and game management, military training, recreation, renewable energy developments and mineral extraction. All of these contribute to the socio-economic prosperity of the National Park Community. Over the next 40 years we might expect a different balance between these land uses but they are likely to remain the principal shapers of the Park environment. Essentially the NNPA will not be an agent of change itself but will use its planning powers to influence the direction of change achieved through the action of others or by collaboration with other bodies such as Natural England or the Forestry Commission. Some activities will be shaped by national policy – most obviously the subsidised developments around wind energy and biomass fuel production and use. Agri-environment schemes can be used to support the replacement of hedgerow trees or the rehabilitation of traditional farm buildings to maintain the character of a sparsely populated valley landscape.

Problems Faced

A number of key socio-economic policies are being discussed at the NNPA, which touch upon the problems faced by remote rural communities.

  • An ageing population with poor employment opportunities for young people.
  • Greater costs of transport and communication.
  • The withdrawal of key services; post offices, or garage from smaller villages.

To some extent the National Park population can be expected to change where, for instance, a village like Holystone now has a strong professional population who can afford to buy property and carry on their business with broadband internet connections.

Diverse Landscape

It is hoped to correct the disadvantage of remoteness to allow the development of rural enterprise to help younger people to stay and to maintain a diverse landscape that reflects the cultural heritage in all its richness.

In the sixty years since the designation the National Park has changed in many ways. The work of Landscape Character Appraisal is designed to identify what is distinctive about the timeless character of the Park landscape, its remoteness and tranquillity, the wide horizons free from significant human intrusion, the underlying geological structure, the biodiversity and cultural heritage. The National Park Authority is determined to guide development by setting out its understanding and policies for the next 40 years until 2050. The Landscape Supplementary Planning Document once adopted by the Park Authority will become a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.

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