England's National Parks Growing by 188 Square Miles (PHOTO)

National Parks Growing by 188 Square Miles

Lake District National Park and Yorkshire Dales National Park are being extended next August closer to the edges of the M6.

The move was publicized by Defra (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) The Yorkshire Dales is expanding to the north and west, while the Lake District National Park is expanding to the east and south, reports the BBC.

These two parks combined will be the largest national park land in England. The complicated decision was made by Liz Truss, the environment secretary. The decision that goes into effect in 2016 is designed to promote tourism and economical growth.

Martin Holdgate, the president at Friends of the Lake District, is excited about the change being approved. He has been quoted saying “There are, and always have been, areas of superb scenery that deserved National Park status years ago. Friends of the Lake District has worked years to achieve this outcome, and we are pleased that our efforts have borne fruit but now everyone must work together to ensure we reap the benefits.”

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Chairman Peter Charlesworth said: “We are thrilled and delighted these stunning landscapes have been recognised as worthy of national park status. The decision is particularly welcome after the tremendous work of so many people from these communities who fought so hard for national park status. It is marvellous that, even at a time of financial austerity, Government have recognised the equality of these landscapes and designated them as national parks.”

There were five councils who opposed this change mainly because they were concerned that any planning decisions would be passed on to the control of the National Park authority.

For further information and maps indicating the new boundaries, please visit the Defra pages of the gov.uk website