As we expected, it was a lively evening with lots of questions covering topics like farming, house prices, democracy, water quality, climate change, nature conservation, peat, planning, data centres, solar farms, dark skies and tourism – and more! It is certainly a complex area with complex issues. There was even debate about the name – with many people insisting that the Somerset Levels and Moors is the correct title we should be using for this area.
It’s clear that a National Park would not be a magic wand to fix everything. However, we firmly believe that it would provide the mechanism to look at this special landscape as a whole. It would allow for landscape-scale strategies, designed to balance different needs and opportunities in an area that is properly recognised for its national importance. That’s our aim.
It’s fair to say that the reaction of the audience was mixed during the evening but a show of hands at the end gave overwhelming support for us to keep exploring the idea.
So, we will!
CPRE Somerset is a small charity, and we can only achieve our vision if we bring people together. It’s going to be a long journey, but we can learn from the experience of others who have succeeded, and we hope you will join us along the road. Please keep an eye out for next steps and keep in touch.
In the meantime:
- please do fill in our survey if you haven’t already.
NB: It is a very general survey about how you feel about the Levels – it is not a consultation about the National Park idea.
- Take a look at our FAQs and you might see the answer to some of your questions
o You will find a very general map of the area we are considering. NB: this is just a broad-brush map and, if it ever got to that stage, the final boundary would be decided after extensive consultation.
o We will try to add to the FAQs on our website in due course, using some of the questions that came up on the night, but please bear with us and be patient. We are a small team, mostly of volunteers.
- The National Parks England website is also worth checking out. It shows how National Parks are looking to the future and aiming to find the best ways to manage and protect these special places – for the nation.