'The Dartmoor National Park Management Plan, it's a really dry title but a very important document,' said Dr Kevin?Bishop.

'We have worked with many partners, from statutory bodies to parish councils and individuals, asking them what makes Dartmoor special and to identify the issues it faces.

'We now have some draft actions drawn up and want people's comments.'

The vision describes Dartmoor as 'an inspirational place' where natural beauty and culture are sustained while communities thrive and visitors learn.

The six priorities are farming and forestry, landscapes, cultural heritage, enjoyment, prosperity and community focus.

'Dartmoor stands out amongst the national parks because of the wealth of archeological remains; we've got more scheduled ancient monuments than the Peak District and Lake District combined,' Dr Bishop said.

'Yet we also recognise Dartmoor is a living landscape, supporting more than 34,000 people. As such we've structured the plan around three themes which are sustain, promoting enjoyment and prosper.

'We want a prosperous and resilient economy that supports the moor's special qualities, not development at any cost.'

Dr Bishop cited the authority's Hill Farm Project as an example of how partnership working could promote economic activity without destroying Dartmoor's character.

'It's led to a co-operative of 40-plus farmers selling real beef and lamb and if you go into Lloyd Maunders in Bovey you will see the DVD, in essence you can buy the landscape,' he said.

'We've also put funding into the Dartmoor Woodfuel Co-operative to help find an alternative to fossil fuels.'

Dr Bishop acknowledged that his authority's 'proscriptive' management of the moor's open spaces, in which it effectively determined what would and wouldn't be allowed, could be improved.

'We've piloted a new approach in which farmers say these are the benefits we can deliver,' said Dr Bishop.

'At Haytor for example that's about managing public access and the historic landscape, the granite tramway and Bronze Age hut circles and so on.

'Farmers identify the outcomes, design the management to deliver those goals and get involved in monitoring progress.

'It's about empowering the farming community, recognising their skills and the fact they have a lot more local knowledge than public agencies do.'

Dr Bishop rejected criticism of his authority's record on planning and challenged the belief that it wanted to preserve Dartmoor in aspic.

'It's about the right development in the right places,' he said.

'We try and work with applicants and still offer a free pre-application service, despite cuts to our budget.

'We grant planning permission for about 90 per cent of the applications we process. 'Yes, there will be times when we say no, but we have high standards. Dartmoor is a national park, designated so in the national interest.

'Our role is to look after that resource. Dartmoor helps the local economy — for every £1 we spend £5 is generated. And if we're talking about encouraging businesses into the area a high quality environment is a big attraction.

'People want to live, work and play in a nice place, the national park gives them that in spades so don't destroy the goose that lays the golden egg.'

Dr Bishop promised that this final round of consultation would be more than a PR exercise.

'We've listened so far, we want people's views and we want them to get engaged with delivering the plan once it's been agreed,' he said.

'Our role can be a difficult one — as a statutory body we often have to balance up arguments and take hard decisions.

'We are trying with this document to get a management plan people can own and help deliver.

'If they tell us we've got it all wrong then we'll be back to the drawing board. I suppose the fact we've identified a prosperous Dartmoor as a priority will surprise some people.

'We've always had focus on ensuring we have living communities but you don't have to look hard to see the government's focus on growth, growth and growth.

'How do we get prosperity and protection? It's a real issue and some people don't see them as natural bedfellows. We see them as, nine times out of ten, going hand in hand which is why we're going all out to get superfast broadband. From cradle to grave, the web is influencing all of us.

'We also have a cluster of the creative industries on the moor and through our planning policies, which support both traditional design and a modern vernacular, we'd want to promote traditional skills such as a lime mortar.

'Dartmoor also has military training across 15 per cent of it and our aim is to ensure that spend benefits local communities through things like apprenticeship schemes the Army's contractors might operate, as well as the procurement of food and services.

Consultation lasts until July 5 and is to be conducted primarily through the authority's website. Adoption, subject to approval, is likely to happen in November.

Hard copies of the plan can also be made available, call 01626 832093.