Rethinking British National Parks: country, coasts and cities for all?

Abstract

ABSTRACT National Parks are more than landscape designations. They reflect dominant but contested ideals about what kinds of landscapes are valued, what kind of activities are allowed in them and who they are aimed at. Drawing on the Glover Review, as well as a case study of the Lake District, this article examines the formation of British National Parks and questions their inclusivity. The examples of London National Park City and Plymouth National Marine Park are used to discuss whether different, more inclusive ‘national parks’ can be established in new spaces.