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National Parks
National Parks are large areas of the countryside that are protected to ensure the conservation and enhancement of their special qualities. There are currently eight National Parks in England plus the Broads Authority, which cover 8% of the English landscape. A South Downs National Park has been confirmed and will be created on 31 March 2010.
Latest News:
- 13 November 2009: Consultation on proposed National Parks Circular launched
- 12 November 2009: South Downs National Park confirmed
- 25 September 2009: Speech by Huw Irranca-Davies MP at the Association of National Park Authorities Conference Llandudno, 25th September 2009
In this section:
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What are National Parks?
Discover why we have National Parks and what they are for. - What are National Park Authorities?
Find out more about the managing authorities for National Parks. - Broads Authority
Find out the details of The Broads and its special purpose authority. - South Downs National Park
Learn more about the designation of the South Downs National Park
Further information
- Further information on National Parks is available on the Natural England website.
- If you are planning to visit a National Park, want to know about parks in your area or get involved in looking after them, please visit www.nationalparks.gov.uk for more information.
- There is a general statutory duty on all relevant authorities to have regard to the purposes of national parks when making decisions affecting these areas. A guidance note explaining the duties (PDF 96KB) is available.
Page last modified: 13 November 2009
Page published: 23 October 2008