This plan is produced under provisions in Section 89 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (2000), which itself was subject to amendment in this context by the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act (LURA) (2023).
The plan, which is in practice a strategy, has several primary functions. It:
- formulates the policy of local authorities in relation to their National Landscape;
- guides the policy and practice of partners and Relevant Authorities under LURA;
- sets out what might constitute ‘seeking to further the purpose of designation’ through the implementation of work in support of the plan’s outcomes and suggested measures; and
- aims to inspire action for nature, climate, people and place, including guiding the team’s work and that if key partners, Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) applications, and the content of Landscape Recovery and other Environmental Land Management (ELM) proposals.
The plan provides a positive and pro-active management framework for the many bodies that form the North Pennines National Landscape Partnership, and others. It identifies the components of natural beauty – those things which should be the focus of conservation and enhancement – and outlines an integrated vision for the future of the North Pennines as a National Landscape. The plan identifies the drivers of change in the landscape today and looks at how they can be best managed and/or accommodated.
As well as the components of natural beauty, the plan also addresses how people use and interact with the landscape for their enjoyment and health and well-being.
A series of desired outcomes are identified, alongside suggested measures to achieve them, with broad sectoral responsibility linked to each one. The suggested measures would, if implemented, support the purpose of designation, support farming and land management, and help people discover, explore, understand and enjoy the North Pennines. The suggested measures are not 'expectations', nor is their delivery a test of policy compliance.
The primary audiences and partners for the plan are therefore:
- Local Authorities at all levels;
- Relevant Authorities under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act (2023);
- Nature-related arms-length bodies (Natural England, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission);
- Farmers and land managers, their representative bodies and providers of farm advice;
- Conservation NGOs and other partners;
- Historic England; and
- Local groups of place and interest.
In short, everyone who has an influence over or stake in this nationally protected landscape.
This is a high-level strategy, despite the legal name ‘management plan’. It provides a framework for action, rather than a delivery plan. It is for a wide range of organisations to use to help building their own work plans in the area, and implementation is possible by many different people and organisations (hence a broad spectrum of potential delivery partners aligned with each suggested measure).
It is important to note that farmers, land managers, NGOs etc. are under no compulsion to deliver the content of this plan, nor can the content be seen as a driver for future compulsion. However, the suggested measures are things that may be incentivised, e.g. through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, Lottery funding or other means.
Because this is a menu of suggested measures, there are no funding commitments attached to them. There is no expectation that farmers, land managers and others will be asked to make unfunded commitments on the back of this plan (indeed the plan should help secure funds for their activities).
The plan was subject to an HRA and SEA screening, which highlighted the project-level assessment requirements for many of the suggested measures where they would potentially materially impact on a protected site.