asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in the light of his recent decision to refuse to allow an extension of quarrying at Eldon Hill in the Peak District, he will make a statement on his policy on working and winning of minerals in national parks.
All applications for development whether inside or outside national parks must be considered on their own merits. However, it is also the Secretary of State's policy as expressed in DOE Circular 4/76 that, because of the serious impact mineral working may have on the natural beauty of the parks, applications for the extraction of minerals in national parks must be subject to the most rigorous examination. In his view extraction should be demonstrated to be in the public interest, and consideration of such applications should therefore normally include an assessment of: