Farming Today This Week

Plans to expand two National Parks in England have re-ignited the debate over whether the authorities that control the parks are striking the right balance between preservation and modernisation. The proposals being considered by the Secretary of State, would see the boundaries stretch around the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales parks. There has been a mixed response from the people who could soon be living and working under the jurisdiction of a Park Authority for the first time. Caz Graham visits one village, Orton in East Cumbria where some are delighted with the possibility of more tourism whilst others are concerned about restrictions on planning and development. In Scotland redundant pylons are being removed from one part of the Cairngorms and section of cable put underground to protect the landscape. Whilst plans for the very first National Park in Northern Ireland covering the area around Mourne have sparked controversy. In this episode Caz Graham is on home turf as she meets some of the people living and working in England's largest National Park - the Lake District.

Presenter: Caz Graham; Producer: Angela Frain.