Planning Policy in the National Parks of England and Wales, 1974-1988

The extent to which national park authorities (NPAs) refuse applications by developers to undertake building and engineering works has reduced substantially since 1974. It is argued that this reduction in the refusal rate (refusals as a proportion of applications) results partly because applicants now have a greater understanding of NPA policy, leading to higher-quality applications; and partly because NPAs now put greater effort into making applications more acceptable, leading to an apparent relaxation in NPA policy, as conditional approvals replace at least some refusals. ved applicants may appeal against refusals to central government ministers and/or their inspectors, the Central Planning Authority (CPA). The appeal rate (appeals as a proportion of refusals) has increased almost three-fold since 1974 because, it is argued, the CPA has reduced its support for NPA policy. The appeal success rate (successful appeals as a proportion of all appeals) has also increased since 1974 because, it is argued, potential appellants now have a greater understanding of CPA policy.