The National Landscape team and partnership

What we do

About us

The North Pennines National Landscape partnership is an alliance of statutory agencies, local authorities and voluntary or community organisations which care about, and for, the area.

The National Landscape team produces (and drives the implementation of) the statutory Management Plan for the area, on behalf of the local authority partners on which the formal duty is placed. It convenes all those with an interest in the area to focus on the purpose of designation – the conservation and enhancement of natural beauty. The team leads and supports a wide range of work including protecting and enhancing nature and heritage, and helping people to discover, enjoy and explore the landscape; it manages the UNESCO Global Geopark designation for the area. The staff team is hosted by Durham County Council, on behalf of the funding partners – Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, Northumberland County Council and Defra.

Executive board

There is an executive board that meets three times per year. It has an independent chair and vice-chair. Its main focus is addressing strategic issues, including an overview of risk, finances, and the production and delivery of the statutory management plan.

Partners’ forum

The partners’ forum is an advisory and learning body that meets twice a year, in Spring and Autumn. The role of the forum includes: input to the management plan and encouraging partner endorsement; identifying areas of joint interest and opportunity and bringing forward new ideas; inputting into team plan and management plan delivery; and raising issues of challenge, concern and opportunity for nature and landscape in the North Pennines.

Management plan

The work of the National Landscape team is guided by the North Pennines Management Plan. This statutory plan is produced by the partnership on behalf of the area’s local authorities – whose duty it is to jointly prepare and implement it. The management plan is the document which sets out what might constitute ‘seeking to further the purpose of designation’ in line with the duty of Relevant Authorities under Section 245 of the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act (2023).

Contact

Contact Chris Woodley-Stewart (Director of the North Pennines National Landscape team) on 01388 528801 or chris@northpennines.org.uk for further information on the National Landscape and the team’s work.

Working groups

We have four working groups: Access and Recreation; Tourism; Historic Environment; and the Geopark Advisory Group. These groups meet three or four times a year. Their purpose is to share subject specific information, help develop projects and support the implementation of the Management Plan. They all have ‘Terms of Reference’ and are an important part of the the organisation’s structure. Working group chairs represent their groups on the partners’ forum.

Annual conference

The North Pennines National Landscape annual conference is one of the ways we communicate with the wider community. The conference looks at issues important to our role of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the North Pennines. It is an opportunity to share information about the work of the team. It helps us to receive feedback, guidance and advice from the wider community. We invite a range of organisations and individuals, such as Parish Councils, members of the partnership and our four working groups, community groups, individuals, partner agencies, Local Authorities, and MPs.

Members

The interim chair of the National Landscape partnership is Stephen Trotter (Cumbria Wildlife Trust). The partnership includes representatives from the following organisations: