Environment Act 1995

National Park Officer

14 (1) Every National Park authority for a National Park shall secure that there is at all times an officer appointed by that authority to be responsible to the authority for the manner in which the carrying out of its different functions is co-ordinated.

(2) For the purposes of this paragraph a National Park authority may adopt—

(a) any appointment which an existing authority has made under paragraph 15 of Schedule 17 to the 1972 Act in relation to any area wholly or partly comprised in the relevant Park; or

(b) if the relevant Park is in Wales, any appointment—

(i) which was made under that paragraph in relation to any such area, and

(ii) which was adopted by a National Park planning board, as defined in section 64 of this Act, by virtue of an order under paragraph 3A of Schedule 17 to the 1972 Act or section 2(1B) of the [1990 c. 8.] Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

(3) Before making or adopting an appointment under this paragraph or assigning additional responsibilities to a person holding such an appointment, a National Park authority shall consult, according to whether the Park in question is in England or in Wales, either the Countryside Commission or the Countryside Council for Wales.

(4) Sub-paragraph (3) above shall not apply in relation to the adoption of an appointment under this paragraph in relation to a National Park in Wales in any case where—

(a) the National Park authority in question is the National Park authority in relation to that National Park by virtue of an order under section 63 of this Act made by virtue of section 64(1) of this Act;

(b) the appointment in question was made or adopted by the body corporate which has so become that National Park authority, but in its capacity as the National Park planning board, as defined in section 64 of this Act, for the area of the National Park in question; and

(c) no additional responsibilities are, on the occasion of the adoption of the appointment, to be assigned to the person holding the appointment.

(5) A person who holds office with a National Park authority by virtue of an appointment made or adopted under this paragraph—

(a) may at the same time hold the office of head of that authority’s paid service, the office of monitoring officer in relation to that authority or both those offices; but

(b) shall not at the same time be that authority’s chief finance officer (within the meaning of section 5 of the [1989 c. 42.] Local Government and Housing Act 1989) or hold any office under any principal council.

(6) An officer holding office with a National Park authority by virtue of an appointment made or adopted under this paragraph shall be known as a National Park officer.