Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the Exmoor Vision as a way of expanding the National Park; and whether residents in Somerset and Devon currently outwith the National Park will be consulted on the its future.

We are aware of the Exmoor National Park Partnership Plan, which was subject to consultation with the public before its adoption, and ‘Exmoor’s Ambition’, a vision for the future of Exmoor which was developed by the Exmoor National Park Authority and Exmoor Hill Farming Network in consultation with the Exmoor farming community. No assessment of either document has been made as a way of expanding the existing national park boundaries.

The review of designated landscapes, led by Julian Glover, will make recommendations on the case for extension or creation of new designated areas. It will include a call for evidence and more details of this will be announced soon.