The DPA were pleased to attend the first Dartmoor Partnership Plan Review meeting on Tuesday the 4th of November. This meeting had a twin focus, under the headings ‘Better for People’ and ‘Climate Change,’ which are two of the 7 themes contained in the overall vision for Dartmoor.
The Dartmoor Partnership Plan is a strategic, overarching plan for the National Park and is the principal vehicle for ensuring that the statutory purposes and duty are met and provides a mechanism for combining national and local priorities. The Partnership Plan is for the National Park and not just the National Park Authority, or any individual group or organisation. It sets the framework for partnership action to deliver outcomes set out in the Plan and the Vision for Dartmoor.
It is a requirement that that Partnership Plan is reviewed at least every five years. With the 2021-2026 phase of the plan coming to a close, local stakeholders have been invited to a series of meetings which focus on the 7 themes. The aim of the meetings is to capture local, lived experience of whether the vision statements are fit for purpose, plus create space for discussions about what might be missing and what challenges and opportunities may arise is pursuit of the vision. For this meeting, the DPA were also joined by representatives from the BMC, Shallowford Farm, the Dartmoor Centres, DNPA Rangers and Moorland Guides.
Background papers were prepared for both the ‘Climate Change‘ and ‘Better For People‘ themes, which highlighted key issues and opportunities relating to the topics. Attendees were invited to give context and feedback on how these issues play out in real world scenarios, then collaborate to try and assign a level of urgency with which each issue should be tackled. It was difficult to assign any priority other than high, as the topics included land management, visitor pressure, transport, access to nature and climate resilience. The group acknowledged that all of these issues were intrinsically linked, with almost all of them influencing all the others. It was abundantly clear that there was a whole interconnected web of work to be done and it was positive to hear repeated assertions that collaborative working was vital and welcomed.
One of the biggest opportunities discussed was visitor numbers. Many businesses represented at the meeting rely on visitors for income, but also acknowledge that increasing visitor numbers invariably have an impact on the National Park. There was a consensus that visitors should be warmly welcomed and that there should be equity of access to Dartmoor for all, but that this should be accompanied by empowering and joined up educational messaging. It was stressed that the tone shouldn’t revolve around negative language and barriers, but that it should seek to foster open conversations where anyone can equip themselves with the knowledge they need to enjoy Dartmoor and tread gently. The DPA suggested that local businesses and organisations had a vital role to play in modelling these inclusive learning conversations, both in physical and digital spaces.
A challenge that came up was a lack of reliable public transport. The group was told that many villages in Dartmoor are only served by a bus twice a day, making it very difficult not to rely on a car for shopping and other essential activities. A higher than average rate of private car ownership on Dartmoor offers a clear indicator that residents don’t feel they can rely on a public transport system for all their needs and this number of cars and journeys contributes to emissions and dangerous levels of congestion. Related to this, is the fact that visitors are also unlikely to be able to take advantage of a public bus service, meaning they are forced to drive onto Dartmoor and park at the sites they wish to visit. Attendees reported that this causes clogging up of the roads around honeypot sites, with irresponsible parking on verges or the moor itself.
It was extremely useful to gather in a room where everyone could make their views heard and discuss potential solutions together. The feedback given during these meetings will be collated and go on to directly influence the aims and focus of the Partnership Plan going forward. There are no magic fixes, but it is clear that positive outcomes and change for the better can be achieved when we pool our resources and energy together. The DPA have made partnership working a real focus over the last two years and we look forward to more opportunities to collaborate with others in ensuring a thriving and resilient future Dartmoor.