Dales boundary plans under fire
THE row over proposals to extend the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park is growing after they were branded "unnecessary and extravagant".
The criticism came from the leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Coun John Weighell, in response to Natural England's consultation on plans to extend the park boundary into parts of Lancashire and further into Cumbria.
The plans have already been attacked by Coun John Blackie who, as reported in the Herald, feared the expansion could lead to the name 'Yorkshire' being dropped from the national park's title.
"What makes the Yorkshire Dales so special could well be diluted by the boundary changes," he said.
“If we do not protect the name and identity, then we are doing the people of Yorkshire a great disservice.”
And at a full meeting of the county council held in Northallerton last week, councillors overwhelmingly supported a motion put forward by Coun Blackie criticising the proposals.
They also backed an amendment from Coun Weighell which strongly objected to the proposal “to expand the national park to include areas which do not share the distinctive landscape and cultural character of the Yorkshire Dales”.
Natural England announced plans at the end of last year to include a series of new beauty spots in both Cumbria and Lancashire within the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The proposed new areas lie between the Dales and the Lake District National Park and include Northern Howgill Fells, Mallerstang and Wild Boar Fell, Leck Fells, Firbank Fell and the Lower Lune Valley.
President of the Yorkshire Dales Society, Bill Mitchell, said the new areas would act as a “buffer zone” between the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District.
Coun Weighell added: “In this time of austerity, with all the pressures which exist on critical front-line public services, the county council regards the consultation proposals as both unnecessary and extravagant.”
l What do you think about changing the name of the Yorkshire Dales? Write to ackrill.news@ypn.co.uk, or to the address on Page 7.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Harrogate
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
