South Pennines - National Park?

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Paul Waine
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South Pennines - National Park?

Post by Paul Waine » Mon Sep 13, 2021 9:48 am

Tell me this isn’t a national park
A local campaign aims to right a 70-year-old snub and have the beauty of the South Pennines officially recognised

Hannah Al-Othman and Sophia Hall, Sunday September 12 2021, 12.01am, The Sunday Times

The full article includes a map so including a link:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5240 ... 43f1b09ea9

Extracts:

It is a landscape of rolling hills and verdant fields, sandwiched between the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales, with picturesque towns and villages including Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, and Ted Hughes’s beloved Hebden Bridge.

But a proposal to designate the South Pennines a national park in the 1940s was snubbed due to the region’s industrial heritage.

A list of proposed northern conservation areas drawn up in October 1946 included the Forest of Bowland and the Northumberland coast, both now designated areas of outstanding natural beauty. The South Pennines featured on the list but did not make the final cut.

“The uplands are absolutely stunning, the mill towns stunning as well — there’s no difference. I think, because of our geography, the actual development of the area has been safeguarded. It’s not been overdeveloped.”

The area, which covers 460 square miles, is home to more than 660,000 people. More than eight million can get there within 30 minutes by car or public transport. It is the only upland in England that is not a national park or area of outstanding natural beauty.

Taking in parts of east Lancashire, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, the South Pennines was once at the heart of England’s cotton industry, with poor, working-class mill towns breaking up the sweeping countryside.

Visitors can take in impressive panoramas from Peel Tower on Holcombe Moor or Stoodley Pike above Todmorden. Bird-lovers can spot numerous species at Brockholes nature reserve.

***********************

Bringing it back to football - if South Pennines is awarded National Park status, could the club claim to be the only Premier League team located in a National Park? Would that surprise the tv cameras with their (iconic ?) pictures of the terraced roof tops and the hills behind?

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TheFamilyCat
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by TheFamilyCat » Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:04 am

Would Burnley be in the NP though?

I know, for example that when the boundaries of The Peak District were laid out they excluded the Matlock and Buxton. If this did happen and they followed the same thinking, the boundaries would skirt around the edge of larger towns.

ArmchairDetective
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by ArmchairDetective » Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:35 am

Thought the same thing, TFC.

For the purposes of this thread let's hope that the boundary of the park is Belvedere Road, with Queens and Towneley Parks enjoying the newly established status of Superparks - a park within a park.

Bosscat
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by Bosscat » Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:50 am

Surely they couldn't call it "The South Pennines" as "The Peak District" is "The South Pennines" geographically 🙄

It could be "The Central Pennines" 🤔

nil_desperandum
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by nil_desperandum » Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:58 am

TheFamilyCat wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:04 am
Would Burnley be in the NP though?

I know, for example that when the boundaries of The Peak District were laid out they excluded the Matlock and Buxton. If this did happen and they followed the same thinking, the boundaries would skirt around the edge of larger towns.
Burnley would still be "within" the National Park though.
Buxton is always described as within the Peak District.

dushanbe
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by dushanbe » Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:00 am

The maps I've seen very much include Burnley

TheFamilyCat
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by TheFamilyCat » Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:07 am

dushanbe wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:00 am
The maps I've seen very much include Burnley
I can't say I know how these things work but I'm presuming there is a proposal maps to be decided upon and that the decision making would finalise the boundaries and may differ to those proposed.

Initially I was just applying the same principle to one other NP.

Personally I can't see a town the size of Burnley (or the whole urbanised are along the M65 from Colne through to Blackburn) being included within a National Park.

Paul Waine
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by Paul Waine » Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:44 am

TheFamilyCat wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:04 am
Would Burnley be in the NP though?

I know, for example that when the boundaries of The Peak District were laid out they excluded the Matlock and Buxton. If this did happen and they followed the same thinking, the boundaries would skirt around the edge of larger towns.
So, national parks skirt the edge of "larger towns" - but I'd expect Burnley, a small town, would still be included.

dushanbe
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by dushanbe » Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:50 am

TheFamilyCat wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:07 am
I can't say I know how these things work but I'm presuming there is a proposal maps to be decided upon and that the decision making would finalise the boundaries and may differ to those proposed.

Initially I was just applying the same principle to one other NP.

Personally I can't see a town the size of Burnley (or the whole urbanised are along the M65 from Colne through to Blackburn) being included within a National Park.
I think thats the point. The 'park' is different from the other national parks, as the intention is to celebrate rural and industrial heritage equally. On all the releases, things like the Singing ringing tree and mills feature very heavily.

Bosscat
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by Bosscat » Mon Sep 13, 2021 12:11 pm

Paul Waine wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:44 am
So, national parks skirt the edge of "larger towns" - but I'd expect Burnley, a small town, would still be included.
Imagine the squeals from the great unwashed down t'M65 if Burnley was in a National Park but Blackbum wasn't included...
😂😂😂

Volvoclaret
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by Volvoclaret » Mon Sep 13, 2021 6:36 pm

It must include Barley then it can have more visitors.
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Paul Waine
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by Paul Waine » Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:26 am

dushanbe wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:50 am
I think thats the point. The 'park' is different from the other national parks, as the intention is to celebrate rural and industrial heritage equally. On all the releases, things like the Singing ringing tree and mills feature very heavily.
A 2 minute piece on BBC1 this morning, approx 8:38. Featured the Singing Ringing Tree and the countryside around Burnley.

I'm sure it will be repeated again during the day, particularly in the north west region.

Boss Hogg
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by Boss Hogg » Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:30 am

It shouldn’t be a National Park. Its not that beautiful. It’s just following the trend of not excluding anyone or anything.

Quickenthetempo
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by Quickenthetempo » Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:39 am

Boss Hogg wrote:
Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:30 am
It shouldn’t be a National Park. Its not that beautiful. It’s just following the trend of not excluding anyone or anything.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

If it gives the area greater advertising prospects then what's not to like?

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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by maccclaret » Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:55 am

Paul Waine wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:44 am
So, national parks skirt the edge of "larger towns" - but I'd expect Burnley, a small town, would still be included.
Buxton and Matlock are now both within the PDNP and both are significantly smaller than Burnley.

The boundary is about 2 miles up the hill from Macclesfield, which is a similar size to Burnley.

I think they would probably exclude large towns because of the planning implications - it's something of a tortuous process to get planning permission through the Park Authority.

The hills around Burnley are just as nice as the ones around Macclesfield though and there's no Singing Ringing Tree here!

IanMcL
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by IanMcL » Thu Sep 16, 2021 11:37 am

Bur n ley is wonderful.

CleggHall
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by CleggHall » Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:15 pm

Stoodley Pike, Hardcastle Crags, Gaddens, Heptonstall, Hebden Bridge, even Tod - all surely belong in a National Park!

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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by IanMcL » Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:23 pm

The whole area is very worthy.

KateR
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Re: South Pennines - National Park?

Post by KateR » Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:06 pm

always been an area of beauty to me, always will be, I do miss those valleys and villages that's for sure.

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