The Countryside Agency Board has agreed that additional land in the North West meets the statutory designation criteria for a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, clearing the way for tackling ‘unfinished business’ and extending the boundaries of two National Parks in the North West.

The Board instructed officers to identify draft boundaries for Designation (Variation) Orders for the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks, and to consider other proposals for change to AONB boundaries in the region at a later date.

Countryside Agency chairman, Stuart Burgess, said: "This landscape has repeatedly and consistently been recognised as being of the highest quality, and therefore worthy of national landscape designation. Much of the distinctive landscape character of this area crosses existing National Park boundaries, which were drawn primarily on administrative grounds, and were proposed for designation in the Hobhouse report (1947)."

"As a result of the landscape’s unique qualities and the public interest in tackling ‘unfinished business’ in this area, the Countryside Agency will now begin work to identify draft boundaries for variation orders for the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks."

The Countryside Agency will be reviewing the boundaries in the following areas:

• Mallerstang, Orton Fells, the northern Howgills, parts of the Lune Valley, Middleton Fell, Barbon Fell, Leck Fell and the Cold Cotes area are proposed as a variation to the Yorkshire Dales National Park
• Birkbeck Fells Common, Whinash, Borrowdale, Whinfell, and an area near Brigsteer and River Kent are proposed as a variation to the Lake District National Park

Changes to the following AONB boundaries will be reviewed at a later date:

• Skirwith, Dufton and Stainmore are proposed as a variation to North Pennines AONB
• Hutton Roof and Farleton Fell are proposed as a variation to Arnside & Silverdale AONB.