Natural England is set to launch a new three-month public consultation to gather comments on four proposed extensions to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.

The independent natural environment advisory body aims to determine whether the areas earmarked for inclusion within the respective park boundaries display the necessary qualities for National Park status. Areas set to be incorporated into the Yorkshire Dales National Park include Firbank Fell, Northern Howgill Fells, Mallerstang and Wild Boar Fell, Middleton, Barbon and Leck Fells and Lower Lune Valley and adjacent fells.

Meanwhile, sites poised for inclusion in the Lake District National Park include Birkbeck Fells to Whinfell and Helsington Barrows to Sizergh Fell and the Lyth Valley. Orton Fells could form part of either national park under the proposals. The consultation, which is scheduled to run between mid-December 2009 and mid-March 2010, will feature a questionnaire available both online and as a paper copy, while a series of events will be held to raise awareness.

Poul Christensen, Natural England chair, said: "It is fitting that, 60 years since the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act came into being, we have a unique opportunity to look at a major expansion of two of England's most cherished protected areas. "We are looking to consult as widely as possible on these proposals to ensure that an extension to the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks can work with the people and businesses of the area and deliver the many public benefits that people are entitled to expect from National Park designation."

Image: Yorkshire Dales National Park