THE chairman of the Dartmoor Society has called for the moor to drop its National Park status.
Dr Tom Greeves, speaking at a public debate at Buckfast Abbey, last Saturday, argued that the label 'national park' had a negative impact on Dartmoor.
He said the National Park label was 'the major obstacle in the way of a renaissance in Dartmoor life — environmentally, socially and economically'.
Dr Greeves argued that political boundaries needed to be redrawn and proposed a new Dartmoor and West Devon Authority which would include the present national park area, but might also encompass the towns of Tavistock, Okehampton, Bovey Tracy and Ivybridge.
Three areas in which national park status had damaged Dartmoor were highlighted by Dr Greeves. It had emphasised the 'wilderness' concept causing the destruction of scores of historic 19th and 20th century features in the landscape.
He said it had also introduced a 'leisure culture' which was 'alien' and overemphasised visitors and traffic management and it had disenfranchised the people of Dartmoor by not providing directly elected representatives on the National Park Authority.
Dr Greeves said he felt there would be no lessening of environmental protection if national park status was removed.
He also appealed for much greater diversity in human activity on Dartmoor including reopening of granite quarries and use of renewable energy schemes using water and wind power.
The fourth annual debate held by the Dartmoor Society was attended by more than 80 people and examined the future of Dartmoor after half a century as a National Park.
The debate comes as Dartmoor celebrates the 50th anniversary of its National Park designation and as new national parks are being created in the New Forest, in the South Downs and Scotland. DEFRA is also in the process of conducting a review of the national park authorities.
Two straw polls during the debate showed almost unanimous support for the continued use of Dartmoor for military training and the need for direct elections to a Dartmoor national park authority.
Other speakers at the event included Dr Nick Atkinson, chief executive of Dartmoor National Park, Drennan Watson of Landwise Scotland and Anton Coaker, a Dartmoor hill farmer.