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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the high level of planning protection afforded to National Parks, and the specific responsibilities and duties that apply to development decisions both within the Parks and their adjacent settings; and whether this will be reflected in the new 25-year plan for the environment.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear on the protections in place for national parks. We would only expect to see major development in exceptional circumstances. Our environment is enormously valuable, and we have long-standing protections for our most precious landscapes through our network of national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

On 23 March 2016, we launched an 8-Point Plan for England’s National Parks. It sets out our priorities for improving National Parks in England over the period from 2016 until 2020.

We are committed to the goal of being the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than that in which we found it and we will publish a 25 year environment plan to deliver this ambition.

The plan has not yet been written but it is a manifesto commitment to publish in the course of this Parliament and we will engage with interested stakeholders, including national parks, to help inform its development.