Empowered or constrained? The policy process and environmental politics in the Blackdown Hills

Abstract

The paper argues that new political organizations are evolving to channel environmental concerns into the policy process. Further, the local nature of these new political processes indicates a move towards a politics of empowerment, consensus, communication and participation rather than representation, apathy and alienation. The Blackdown Hills Rural Partnership is presented as a case study. Recent environmental policy initiatives in the Blackdown Hills include the important designations of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA), which have been the catalyst for an emerging environmental politics in the area. The paper analyses the relationships between existing political structures and the new, environmentally concerned, political formations. In conclusion it is argued that the nature of these relationships renders the new political processes fragile and vulnerable. For political processes such as the Blackdown Hills Rural Partnership to flourish will require changes to both political structures and value systems. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment