JOBS FOR GEOGRAPHERS: The work of the Countryside Commission

Author(s): FRANK WALMSLEY

Source: Teaching Geography, Vol. 3, No. 1 (July 1977), pp. 34-36
Published by: Geographical Association
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23750177
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 JOBS FOR GEOGRAPHERS:

The work oi the

Countryside Commission
FRANK WALMSLEY

Frank Walmsley is a geographer This vital work is accomplished by a country parks and picnic sites for
who began his career as a teacher, small organization with a staff of just visitors to the countryside. The first
then joined the Home Civil Service, over 100, at an annual cost, including parks were designated in 1969, finance
He has served in a number of the administration and management of from the Commission being used to
departments and is now the the 10 national parks, recently esti- acquire land and provide car parks,
Countryside Commission's Re- mated to amount to no more than 10p picnic furniture, toilets, warden
gional Officer for the East Mid- per head of the population. information services. There are now
lands. His account of the work National Parks and AsO 1MB 1C37, d.esig"®t®d1 country par
of the Commission will be of Th interests and artivjtipq nf thp Cnm England and Wales, more than
interest to all those considering miccion them completely new facilities. The
a Civil Service career.

The Countryside Commission 33 Areass of Outstanding Natural (a(:flltles and be„er m

The Countryside Commission are an , r^mm- • rtuS . es'9.na e Y The map of country
independent statutory body of 15 med by theSrefaw of [Fig. 1 ] illustrates the
members appointed by the Secretary a°'Environment ^Each Na centrations close to l
of State for the Environment and j£at® Park has been administered bv a population, notably
Secretary of State for Wales The nati_n_. narlr u„~rH ™,.ntw ™,,rLi ham and Manchester
headquarters of the Commission was a -i iq7a Th ■ predominated until the 1974 Act gave
transferred from London to Cheltenham ^omm tee suk:e April 1974. Their Commissjon ater freedo*
in September 1974. Work in Wales is 3"a JTh A " S f+ action and allowed assistance to
delegated to a separate Committee for mnsll|tLth0 rnmmfJnn nnminatol directed towards schemes on t
Wales, which operate from a small periphery of large towns, the area
office in Newtown, Powys. The Com- ^nd c^ £ known as t
mission meet monthly, except in Sep- a"athc°™™"®a£'• 'a's° offer
tember, and the Committee for Wales be made available each vear to promo
meet bi-monthly. While the Chairman, . „hio_tiwoe jÜC-nLt: ° m l ,and
Deputy Chairman and Chairman of *hn8ni?S common,
Committee for Wales are paid on a eninumont h,. th„ ™lhii?. Thf w
part-time basis, the other members of _llth^ritieic rocnr,ncihi0 for mnt
the Commission give their services on J°'i ets ^1° " tional
a voluntary basis. hel areas ? addition ?hetarTcom- garks'
Three Acts of Parliament define the af„ . a„ th ■ .flfX _f, 2™. centre
duties of the Commission : the National pianc ,A,hioh pnntain nnifo ocfo th w
Parks and Access to the Countryside Smini^Sn'2 t f £ role mer
Act, 1949 ; the Countryside Act, 1968 ; ^^These olanT a»9 a îalûabt ,ha
and the Local Government Act, 1974. ( " parks is increasing.
They are required to keep under review , t di rCoU[ses a°nd ToTthe These traditional areas o
matters relating to the conservation ® a country parks, picnic sites and the
and enhancement of landscape beauty b,;th;n ^atinnaPna^c related warden services attract a
in England and Wales, the provision Areas of Outstandina Natural Beautv share of Commission funds. G
and improvement of facilities for the HifZrreaf®°\U Pi!trnJi Polo ! a'so made available for small a
enjoyment of the countryside, and the ^ ScÄIOf"®LPH Shtree planting schemes in the
need to secure access to the country- "2SÄ ea for recre 3 side, including the cost of acq
side for open air recreation. These acXie3^ land for that purpose. County C
duties are set out in the 1968 Act, 3S exists bStdesianaS s ena! have been encouraged to c
which established the Commission and thonc tho nf th. in„.| comprehensive schemes for th
transferred to them the functions of the ^rti^ of Dutch Elm disease, including
National Parks Commission. a"£°'1 'es * tc°ntlr°' cburnin9 and replanting. The co
The Commission have an important nil_i;t.. nf ?ho , . 5, r establishing and maintaining lo
national role as the government's main a^e footpaths, 9 of which are now
adviser on matters affecting the coun- ™stsh'?" open, are met by
tryside, and as a focus for responsible assjstance avai|able for conservation acorn sYm
and informed opinion on its conserva- and recreation conservation thege routes js
tion and enjoyment for open air recrea- ' turous young people. With Commission
tion. Close contact is maintained with Countryside Grants assistance, the Youth Hostels Associa
a variety of interests in the fields of The Countryside Act, 1968, first gave tion has been able to develop
planning, agriculture, forestry, tourism, the Commission power to recommend hostels lying close to these r
sport, nature conservation and water grants or loans to Local Authorities and hostels at Alston and Dufton
based recreation in order to reduce private landowners for the purposes of amples, serving the Pennine W
conflicts between town and country, conserving the countryside and pro- that long-distance walk
Joint working and liaison takes place viding facilities and services for visitors, choice of routes, the Comm
at national regional and local levels. This stimulated the development of tend to use the wider powe

34 Teaching Geography

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 Country Parks COUNTRYSIDE CONSERWTION

• Local Authority Projacts

■ Existing Local Authority

Parks Recognised by the
NORTHUMBERLANDJfM V
Commission (no grant aid) >«S» ( NATIONAL PARKS
o Projects by Non- Public
/ AREAS Of OUTSTANDING
/ Coo» NATURAL BEAUTY
Bodies
f1Sfe* \ IONGOISTANCE FOOTWUHS
\ AND BRIDLEWAYS
a Existing Non-Public Parks / CoosT '\Pmmt 1 DEFINED AN
Recognised by the / ; Wfay \ HERITAGE COASTS
Commission (no grant aid)

Countryside Commission
Countryside Commission

Figure 1. The national distribution of Country Parks show Figure 2. A generalized summary in map form of the achiev
ing their clear relation to major urban areas. ements and responsibilitiesofthe Countryside Commission.

by the 1974 Act to persuade local based on working farms, has also been eyesores. Heritage Coast Plans
authorities to improve local footpaths the subject of recent investigation. A now been drawn up for all three
for people wanting to take short walks variety of existing schemes has been following a programme of publi
in pleasant countryside. examined. The Commission, in con- sultation.2
junction with the English Tourist The first land management experi
Information and Interpretation Boa|xj hgs recent,y helped Middles- ments in national parks were carried
One of the responsibilities of the Com- brough Borough Council to develop out in the Lake District and Snowdonia
mission is the development of informa- Newham Grange Leisure Farm on land during 1969-72.3 In each area a
tion and interpretative facilities to fragmented by a new road. This is well project officer, seconded from the
increase public understanding and used by school groups, which take Ministry of Agriculture, encouraged
appreciation of the countryside. At a particular interest in the rare breeds of farmers to carry out small schemes in
national level this work includes the animals. volving improvements to footpaths and
promotion of the country code, distri- r»„0rimontc bridleways and the repair of walls and
bution of booklets, leaflets, posters, fences. A special bank account allowed
wallsheets and similar items. Close The 1968 Act gave the Commission the project officers to pay farmers
contact is maintained with the media powers to undertake research and ex- promptly once a task was completed,
through conferences and press notices, perimental projects designed to pro- The success of the second three-yea
radio interviews and television fillers, mote the enjoyment of the countryside experiment undertaken in the Lake
At a local level the Commission pro- or conservation of its natural beauty. District has recently led to the intro
vides professional advice on, and Early attention was given to the coast duction of a permanent scheme applied
finances the development of, a wide where many attractive areas were sub- throughout the national park.4 The idea
range of facilities, including the study ject to intense visitor pressure. "The has also been taken up by other
centres, day visitor centres and infor- Planning of the Coastline", a report national park authorities,
mation centres in national parks. published in 1970, identified 34 stret- A similar experiment, financed by
High priority has been given to the ches of undeveloped coastline worthy the Commission and local authorities,
interpretation of farming. In 1973 the of better management and protection.1 was carried out in a 16 kilometre
Commission undertook a three year These areas were called "Heritage section of the Bollin Valley on the
programme of sponsorship of farm Coasts" [Fig. 2]. In consultation with southern fringes of Manchester durin
open days in conjunction with the local planning authorities the Com- 1972—75.5 The landscape in urban
Association of Agriculture. More than mission has now defined 33 Heritage fringe areas of this kind often has a
100 open days are now organized Coasts, and promoted three pilot neglected and degraded appearance,
annually, farmers being guaranteed Heritage Coast projects in mid and There are problems of trespass, vanda
against financial loss. 13 experimental south Glamorgan, Suffolk and Dorset lism, random car parking, litter and
self-guided farm trails have also been [Purbeck], to develop techniques for rubbish dumping. The tasks of the
established on private farms. These conserving the coast and managing project officer included acting as a link
allow the public to walk over way- recreational land use. In each area a between farmers, landowners, resi
marked routes and see farming opera- Heritage Coast officer was appointed dents and visitors, and reducing con
tions which are explained by sign- to work with local people and promote flicts between those who obtain a
boards. The possibility of setting up conservation tasks such as improve- living from the land and those who
permanent farm interpretation centres, ment of footpaths and removal of visit it for recreation. A programme of

July 1977 35

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small scale improvements has been opportunities for graduate geo- Portland Place, London W1 N 4BE is
undertaken in the valley, a county graphers. Planning Officers, in also recommended,
council warden service introduced, and addition to a degree, must have a
References
a management plan drawn up to pro Diploma in Town Planning and ?e,!eLe"c<fs
vide a framework for future local Membership of The Royal Town 11 Suffolk
Suffolk Heritage
Heritage Coast
Coast Draft Draft Plan. Suffolk
Plan. Suffolk
County Council, Suffolk Coastal District
authority action. In 1976 this practical
Planning Institute. Recruitment
Council,
Council, Waverley
WaverleyDistrict Council.
District 1976.
Council. 1976.
approach to land management was is arranged by the Civil Service 2 Glamorgan
Glamorgan Heritage
Heritage Coast
Coast Plan
Plan Statement.
Statement.
applied to larger areas on the fringes Commission, which publishes County of South
County Glamorgan,
of South County
Glamorgan, County of of
of London: 135 square kilometres in booklets describing the oppor- Mid-Glamorgan,
Mid-Glamorgan, Vale ofGlamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan Bor Bor
Hertfordshire and Barnet, and 45 tunities within the service for ough Council,
ough Council, Ogwr Borough
Ogwr Borough Council.
Council.
square kilometres in Havering, includ
graduates and school leavers.9 1976.
1976.
ing part of the Ingrebourne Valley. In local government the main 3career
Upland 3Management Experiment. Country
Upland Management Experiment
Consultants are sometimes em opportunities for geographers side
withCommission. CCP82. 1974.
an side Commission. CCP82.197
ployed to undertake studies and re 4 The Lake District Upland Management
interest in countryside conservation 4 ^he Lake Dis^rict Upland Ma
search on behalf of the Commission. Experiment. Countryside Commission.
Recent examples of this kind of
and rural planning areCCP93.
work
to 1976.
be found cc^T^e ^ Com
within the Planning, National5 Park, and
The Bollin 5 The
Valley. Bo||jn
A Study of Va||ey
Land A Study
have included the reports on Farm Recreation departments of CountyManagement
and Management inFringe.
in the Urban the Urban
CountryFringe
Recreation and Tourism, Snowdon District Councils. The range of
sideposts sideCCP97.
Commission. Commission.
1976. CCP97. 1
Summit and Hadrian's Wall.6 The New is wide, but recruitment has virtually 6 Farm Recreation
6 Farm Recreation and
and Tourism. Tourism. C
Countryside
Agricultural Landscapes report, pub come to a halt because of recent Commission, English Tourist
Commission, English Board,
TouristWalesBoard, Wales
lished in 1974, attracted a massive financial restrictions. The Voluntary Tourist
Tourist Board. CCP83.
Board. CCP83. 1974.
1974.
national response.7 Based on detailed Snowdon Summit. Leonard Manasseh and
Warden Service in national parks pro- Snowdon Summit. Leonard Manasseh and
Partners. 1975.
surveys of 7 study areas representing vides an outlet for those whose interest
„„„ Hadrians WaHadrian's
. A Strategy
?,adners.-
Wall. Afor Strategy
„ „for Conserva
Conserva
the main lowland farming types, it in the countryside is non-vocational. .. . ... ., _ . . •.
-I-, . . I n r _j tion and Visitor tionServices.
and VisitorCountryside
Services. Countryside
drew attention to the radical changes The Association of National Commission. Park and commission.
CCP98. 1976.
taking place in the appearance of the Countryside Voluntary Wardens, whichLandscapes.
7 New Agricultural 7 New Agricultur
Countryside
countryside. The scale of change publishes a regular newsletter, Commission. CCP76. has 1974.a Commission.
arising from the enlargement of fields representative in most national parks.
New Agricultural New Agricultura
Landscapes. A Discussion
and loss of trees, hedgerows and smallThe article by Michael Devereux Paper. Countryside andCommission.
Paper. Countrys CCP76a.
woods, comparable with that resulting Margaret Stichbury in the April 1976 1974. 1974.
from the enclosure movement, was issue of Teaching Geography, which ® 8^evv New Agricultural
Agricultural Landscapes.
Landscapes. Issues, Ob Ob
Issues,
regarded as unacceptable. A recent outlined the ways in which geogra- jectivesjectives and
and Action.
Action. Countryside
Countryside Com Com
mission. CCP102. 1977.
Commission publication sets out the
phers could study for a planning Government
9 Careers in GovernmentService
Service for for
thosethose
main objectives of a national policy for
qualification, is an essentia reference with
withQua,ifications
QualificationsatatDegree
Degree Levei,
Level, 1977.
1977.
landscape conservation and the actionfor those readers wanting further in- Civi| CivilService commission
Service Commission 1976.
1976.
necessary to achieve them.8 The Com formation. The booklet entitled Town Careers Careersinin Government Service
Government Service for those
for those
mission intend to use research and Planning as a Career, published by with Qualifications
with Qualifications atat GCE
GCE Level,
Level, 1977.1977.
experimental powersto expand The demonRoyal Town Planning Institute, 26 Civil
CivilService Commission
Service Commission 1976.1976.
stration farms, designed to convince
farmers that landscaping and conser
vation are compatible with modern
farming. County Landscape Projects
will also be developed to improve the
landscape in project areas made up of *KARIMOJONG9 -
small groups of parishes.
These examples from the Com
mission's expanding programme of
experimental and research work cover
classroom appraisal
aspects that are of greatest interest to It was decided to use this game [c] the need for redesigning the
geographers, since they are concerned [Teaching Geography Vol. 1, No. 5, score-sheet, [i] allowing more
with the landscape and its future 1976] as part of a series of lessons room for the'dry season'months,
appearance, and with man's use of about the East Africa, in a 11-18 compre- and [ii] enabling the monthly cal
countryside for a variety of purposes. hensive school. It is hoped that our culations to be in columns rather
The full range of work is described experience
in will be of benefit to other than rows;
detail in the annual report published readers
by wishing to utilize this useful [d] Chance Card W.P.7 seemed so
HMSO. A full list of publications, con source of material. complicated that it was omitted;
taining many items of assistance to Five sets of the material were pre- [e] within a school 'doub
teachers, is available from the Com pared by a group of 6 postgraduate 70 minutes, the student group
mission's headquarters at John Dower geographers undertaking their profes- completed only 9 of the 12 moves,
House in Cheltenham. Reports on sional training course. In aggregate With these points in mind, the game
recent developments relating to the some 15 to 18 hours were devoted to was played with a class of 28 mixed
countryside are contained in the pubthis, before a 'trial run' of the game was sex and mixed-ability 12-13 year olds
lications Recreation News, Countrysideplayed by the students. This proved at Queen Elizabeth's School, Crediton.
Recreation Review and National Park extremely useful, as it high-lighted Previous lessons had introduced the
News. certain possible problems of using the class via a film-strip to the contrasting
Career Opportunities material in the classroom. The follow- environments found in East Africa, and
ing points emerged : to the relationship between climate and
Countryside Commission staff [a] the need for large base boards [i] vegetation. In order to allow maximum
are civil servants, seconded from so that all group members could, playing time within a 'double-period',
the Department of Environment. see, and [ii] so that initials of an explanation of why the game was to
The majority are drawn from three those occupying spaces could be be played and a brief outline of the
grades: Administrative, Execu recorded easily; procedures was given during the pre
tive, Clerical [AEC], Cartographic [b] the desirability of covering these vious geography lesson. At the s
and Professional. Professional boards with a transparent sheet of the'playing session'5 groups of 5 o
grades include Planning Officers so that recordings could be erased 6 were formed. Rules were run throu
and Research Officers. Both these and the boards used on other once again and two moves were made
groups offer occasional career occasions; on a prepared blackboard by a student

36 Teaching Geography

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