Somerset Levels bids to become new National Park

A countryside organisation has launched a campaign to crown the UK's 16th National Park to mark its 100th birthday.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in Somerset wants to have the Somerset Levels recognised with the honour - the UK's largest wetland. The levels are the UK's biggest lowland wetlands, and are used as flood plains during the winter to protect urban areas of Somerset.

The UK has 15 national parks. The first one was the Peak District in 1951 and the most recent was the South Downs, which was designated in 2010.

Becky Collier, the organisation's manager, said: "We just love this landscape, it's unique, it's special, it's huge."

The CPRE said the landscape has "huge potential" to become a National Park, while also understand it could take several years to make it a reality.

Collier added: "The reason we're thinking of it now is it's the centenary of CPRE.

"It's a big 100-year anniversary for us and when our charity was formed in 1926 the founding fathers campaigned for there to be the first national parks and for there to be planning laws and protection of landscapes generally.

"So we thought what better way 100 years on to show some respect to those founding fathers who achieved it."

She added: "It's got so much potential for the National Park for helping the local economy, helping with nature, helping people to enjoy this fantastic landscape.

"It would be brilliant if it could happen."

Bron Purkiss, a trustee of CPRE Somerset, said the landscape "means a great deal" to him.

"At the moment only 13% is designated and protected and that is basically wildlife protections.

"We already know some of the great work that organisations like the RSPB, like the Somerset Wildlife Trust, like the farming and wildlife advisory group are doing, we think that that work could be enhanced, enlarged, if we have national park status here."

He added having that status would enable a planning authority to be set up, enabling it to look after developments on the land.

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