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Working with local communities

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Home Protect People and recreation Working with local communities

There are around 500,000 residents who live in Cumbria, with around 40,000 people who call the Lake District National Park their home.

Our local communities are made up of families, small business owners, young people, farmers, charity workers, volunteers and many others. One thing all Lake District residents have in common is their passion for this truly special place.

At the National Park Authority, we work together with local communities to help shape how this landscape is conserved, enhanced, understood and enjoyed. There are a range of methods through which we engage with residents, from supporting community projects and providing information on the management of rights of ways, to working with communities to develop local policies.

Read on to find out more about the different ways we inform, engage with and involve local communities.

a group of adult volunteers in wet full length waterproof clothing using spades and tools to dig and move small rocks on a footpath

Rangers

Our rangers have a practical role in managing public access and our properties, including footpaths, gates, signs and bridges. They liaise and work with local communities, groups and parish councils to support with local Rights of Way issues.

Area rangers

Area rangers work with residents, businesses, community groups, land owners and farmers. They are the first point of contact for:

  • New local initiatives or community projects
  • Access and recreation enquiries
  • More information about any aspect of the LDNPA’s work

They also work with other partners to deliver larger scale projects, such as Rusland Horizons and the Farming in Protected Landscapes grants scheme.

Development management and planning

Communities help develop planning policy, their own Community or Neighbourhood Plans and get involved in planning applications. They may be involved as an individual, through a group, organisation or as a member of an elected body like a parish council.

Our development management team works with residents, local businesses, parish and town councils and community groups to offer a proactive planning service. Together we try to ensure significant new development:

  • Fulfils its intended purpose
  • Is in accordance with local and national policy
  • Offers the best solution for its location within a National Park setting.

New local housing schemes, some of which include modern or iconic design schemes are examples of this. Our planning guidance for town and parish councils page has more details about how the process works.

Our compliance planners work closely with communities and individuals to identify and resolve breaches of planning control.

Three people working together in a modern office setting, gathered around computer screens with plants and office furniture in the background.

Strategy and partnership

The strategy and partnership team co-ordinates and supports the Lake District National Park Partnership.

The team leads on strategy development across the full range of National Park Authority activities, engaging with everything from Historic Environment and current planning policy to biodiversity, ecosystems and land management; from access, recreation and tourism, to leading on the application for the English Lake District’s World Heritage Site status.

The strategy provides advice on community-led plans such as Neighbourhood Plans.

The Strategy and Partnership Team works with communities through the Local Access Forum and Business Task Force. It also works closely with Cumbria Association of Local Councils (CALC) and Action with Communities in Cumbria (ACT), organisations which are both members of the Lake District National Park Partnership and who represent the interests of local communities.

Communications and engagement

The National Park Authority’s communications and engagement team shares updates about the Lake District National Park Authority through a number of channels, providing accessible, accurate and relevant information to everyone including local communities.

This includes helping people find the information they need through and accessible website, by sharing important updates across digital channels and in person through our information centres.

We facilitate engagement with local communities at Parish Council meet and greet events, where senior representatives from the National Park Authority meet members of the local community to discuss issues and work together to find solutions.

The learning team works with young people through youth and visitor engagement programmes, helping educate future generations about the National Park, and encourages them to connect with nature, which is important for both the conservation of this special place and young people’s wellbeing.