The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 is the UK Act of Parliament which created the Countryside Commission (which later became the Countryside Agency), provided the framework for the creation of national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales, and also addressed public rights of way and access to open land. The Act was passed in 1949 with all-party support, as part of the reconstruction of the UK by the Labour Party government after World War II. In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... The Countryside Agency in England is a statutory body with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. ... The Countryside Agency in England is a statutory body with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales A national park is a reserve of land, usually owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a United Kingdom. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom, England and Wales and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... The phrase Right-of-way is used in two main ways: with reference to the question of which of two or more moving vehicles has priority: for right of way among boats and ships on the water, refer to International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. ... The Labour Party has since its formation in the early 20th century been the principal left wing political party of the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II...

The Act following reports by:

• a Government committee chaired by Christopher Addison (later Viscount Addison) in 1931,
• John Dower, secretary of the Standing Committee on National Parks, to the Minister of Town and Country Planning in 1945, and
• a Government committee chaired by Sir Arthur Hobhouse in 1947, which proposed 12 national parks.

The first 10 British national parks were designated as such in the 1950s under the Act in mostly poor-quality agricultural upland. An eleventh 'national park' in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads was set up by a special Act of Parliament in 1988 (strictly speaking, this is not a national park, but the differences are sufficiently small that this entity is always regarded as being "equivalent to" a national park). The New Forest was designated a national park on 1 March 2005. One more area is as of 2006 in the process of being designated as a national park, the South Downs (the last of the 12 areas chosen in the 1947 Hobhouse Report which has yet to become a national park). Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison, KG, PC (19 June 1869 - 11 December British medical doctor and politician. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... For the historian, see John W. Dower. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Sir Arthur Hobhouse (February 15, 1886 _ January 20, 1965) was a long-serving English local government politician, who is best remembered as the architect of the system of National parks of England and Wales. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... // Events and trends This map shows two essential global spheres during the Cold War in 1959. ... Upland may refer to: Upland, California Upland, Indiana Uplandia Upland (geology) Laurentian Upland Geology Upland Brewing Company This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Norfolk Broads are the northern part of The Broads National Park. ... The Suffolk Broads are the southern part of The Broads National Park, the northern part being the Norfolk Broads. ... Yachts on the Norfolk Broads The Broads are a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes (known locally as broads) in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu River For other uses, see New Forest (disambiguation). ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Near Beachy Head The South Downs is one of the two areas of chalk downland in southern England. ...

The structure set up by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 was amended by:

• the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which created the Nature Conservancy Council (which later became English Nature and transfered functions of the Comtryside Commission in Wales to the Countryside Council for Wales
• the Environment Act 1995, under which each national park is now operated by its own National Park Authority
• the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, under which AONBs are now designated

Further amendments are made by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, under which English Nature, the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service will be merged from 1 October 2006, to form a new bodies called Natural England and the Commission for Rural Communities. The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) was a former British government agency responsible for designating and managing national nature reserves and other such conservation areas. ... English Nature is the United Kingdom Government Agency that promotes the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom, England and Wales and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... The Countryside Council for Wales (Welsh: Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru) is the United Kingdom Governments wildlife conservation authority for Wales. ... The Environment Act 1995 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which created a number of new agencies and set new standards for environmental management. ... The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 is a UK act of parliament which came into force on November 30, 2000. ... The Rural Development Service (RDS) is part of the UK Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Natural England is the name of a new United Kingdom Government agency which will bring together the landscape, access and recreation elements of the Countryside Agency (CA); all of the responsibilities of English Nature (EN); and the environmental land management functions of the Rural Development Service (RDS). ...

See also

• National parks of the United Kingdom
• National parks of England and Wales
• Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales