History of the National Parks
The first National Park in the world was Yellowstone, which was established in 1872. It took some time before the official process of National Park designation took place in the UK. Read CNP's briefing paper on the history of National Parks for further information
Important dates for National Parks in the UK:
Early 20th Century: The growing appreciation of the great outdoors and the benefits of physical exercise led to demands for more access to the countryside.
1930s: Groups of leisure activity enthusiasts and nature conservationists, including the Ramblers' Association, the Youth Hostels Association (YHA), the Council for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE) and the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW), rallied together to lobby the Government for measures to protect the countryside.
1931: Inquiry into National Parks by a Government committee, chaired by Lord Addison, recommended the creation of a "National Park Authority" to select areas for designation. No action was taken.
1935: Conference of voluntary organisations set up a voluntary sector "Standing Committee" to put pressure on the Government.
1936: First meeting of Standing Committee on National Parks (SCNP). It produced manifestos and pamphlets.
1945: As part of the Labour party's planned post-war reconstruction a white paper on National Parks was published.
1949: The Government passed an Act of Parliament to establish National Parks with all party support. This followed the set up of a committee led by Sir Arthur Hobhouse.
1951: The first two Parks, the Lake District and the Peak District, were set up in 1951. Other designations followed although the Broads only received National Park status in 1988 and the New Forest in 2005. Of the original 12 proposed as National Parks only one remains undesignated: the South Downs.
1977: The Standing Committee on National Parks became the Council for National Parks (CNP). It continued to give the voluntary sector a voice on National Park issues and to campaign for the protection and enhancement of the Parks.
The late Lord Hunt of Llanfair Waterdine (leader of the first successful Mount Everest expedition,1953) was appointed as the first President of CNP. Hunt is quoted as saying "History has shown us that nothing worth persevering for is gained without vision, struggle, determination and courage. The National Parks are well worth fighting for."
1989: Following the Broads Bill of 1985, the Broads was given equivalent status to a National Park. Its first two purposes are the same as National Park purposes but the Broads has a third purpose of protecting the interests of navigation.
1995: The Environment Act revised the purposes of National Parks and introduced a duty on public bodies to have
regard to these purposes when carrying out their functions.
2000: The National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 was passed by the Scottish Parliament. In 2002 Loch Lomond and the Trossachs was designated as Scotland’s first National Park and in 2003 the Cairngorms was designated making it the largest Scottish National Park.
2005: The New Forest National Park became the first new English National Park for the 21st century.
2009: In March the Government announced its intention to designate the South Downs as a National Park.