Green lane policy

The National Park Management Plan outlines the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s aspirations in relation to the management of green lanes as follows:

AR2. Identify the most appropriate measures to manage the use of motorised recreational vehicles on each sensitive ‘Green Lane’, and put all such measures in place by 2011.

The thematic strategy ‘Special Qualities, Special Experiences - an integrated recreation and tourism strategy’ (2010) contains the broad policies that relate to this. These are:

Tranquillity and visitor management

1. Maintain the quality and diversity of the recreational experience in the National Park so that there continues to be a difference between honeypots, busier and quieter areas:

(a) Consider each recreational activity in terms of where it should take place, in what volume and at what time.  It must be recognised, though, that in many situations we have no legal means of control and so must work through education and encouraging users’ voluntary restraint;
(b) Work with the recreation advisory groups and local access forum to minimise any adverse impact or conflict arising from recreational activity, including developing codes of practice and user guidelines delivering key messages about recreation and how to minimise its environmental impact on the National Park;
(c) Promote activities in those areas where the type of activity, and further development and associated increase in visitor numbers, can be managed, thus safeguarding the environment, and not placing an undue burden on land management interests.  (This will be based on the characteristics of the different areas of the Park as identified in the special qualities and landscape character assessment).

2. Safeguard the National Park from overall or irreversible damage through inappropriate activity and minimise conflict between different users:

(a) Use existing legislation and guidance to limit inappropriate activity in the National Park, including supporting and encouraging the Police Authority in controlling illegal and anti-social use;
(b) Work with the County Councils and users to explore, identify and implement appropriate management of green lanes in the National Park;
(c) Work with landowners, farmers, users and user groups to try and resolve any actual or potential conflict through positive visitor management.

It is not the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s policy to ban, as a matter of principle, a legitimate activity on unsealed routes in the National Park. Our approach is to take an evidence-based approach - looking at each route with possible or proven public rights for mechanically propelled vehicles, assessing its use and sensitivity and identifying suitable management, on a case by case basis.

For more information about this approach and our overall framework for managing green lanes, please visit our Green lane management framework page.