{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-parks-and-access-to-the-countryside-act-1949/section-7",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-parks-and-access-to-the-countryside-act-1949/section-7.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/97",
  "legislation_title": "National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-parks-and-access-to-the-countryside-act-1949",
  "path": "section/7",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "7",
  "heading": "Designation and variation of National Parks.",
  "text": "(1) Before making an order designating a National Park Natural England shall consult with every joint planning board, and local authority whose area includes any land in the area to be designated a Park.\n(2) Any such order shall describe the area to be designated a Park by reference to a map and such other descriptive matter as may appear to Natural England to be requisite.\n(3) The provisions in that behalf of the First Schedule to this Act shall have effect as to the making, confirmation, coming into operation and validity of any order designating a National Park.\n(4) The Minister may by order made after consultation with Natural England vary an order designating a National Park.\n(5) Before making an order under the last foregoing subsection the Minister shall consult with any National Park authority for the Park in question and with every such board and council as aforesaid whose area, or any part of whose area, is comprised in the National Park, whether as existing or as proposed to be varied; and the provisions in that behalf of the First Schedule to this Act shall apply to any order under the last foregoing subsection.\n(6) It shall be the duty of Natural England to secure that copies of any order such as is mentioned in this section shall be available, at the office of Natural England, at the offices of each joint planning board and local authority specified in subsection (1) or subsection (5) of this section, as the case may be at the offices (where the order is for the variation of an order designating a Park) of any National Park authority for the Park in question, and at such other place or places in or near the Park in question as Natural England may determine, for inspection by the public at all reasonable times.\n(7) In this section and Schedule 1 “ local authority ” means—\n(a) in relation to England, a county council, district council or parish council;\n(b) in relation to Wales, a county council, county borough council or community council.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(1) substituted (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16) , s. 107 , Sch. 11 para. 10(c) ; S.I. 2006/2541 , art. 2 (with Sch. )"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(1) substituted (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16) , ss. 60(2) , 107(3)(b) ; S.I. 2006/2541 , art. 2 (with Sch. )"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(2) substituted (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16) , s. 107 , Sch. 11 para. 10(c) ; S.I. 2006/2541 , art. 2 (with Sch. )"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(4) substituted (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16) , s. 107 , Sch. 11 para. 10(c) ; S.I. 2006/2541 , art. 2 (with Sch. )"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(5) inserted (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 25 , s. 78 , Sch. 10 para. 2(2)(a) (with ss. 7(6) , 115 , 117 , Sch. 8 para. 7 ); S.I. 1995/2950 , art. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(6) substituted (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16) , s. 107 , Sch. 11 para. 10(c) ; S.I. 2006/2541 , art. 2 (with Sch. )"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 7(6) inserted (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 25 , s. 78 , Sch. 10 para. 2(2)(b) (with ss. 7(6) , 115 , 117 , Sch. 8 para. 7 ); S.I. 1995/2950 , art. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "S. 7(7) inserted (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16) , ss. 60(3) , 107(3)(b) ; S.I. 2006/2541 , art. 2 (with Sch. )"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/97/section/7",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:19:51.346218+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}