Showing posts with label Cornwall. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

The future of the Cornwall National Landscape: An Invitation to Co-Design a New Research Project

An Invitation to Co-Design a New Research Project

The Cornwall National Landscape (CNL) is more than a protected area; it is a living, working, culturally rich place. From the rugged Atlantic coast to Bodmin Moor, from fishing coves and estuaries to farmland and historic settlements, these landscapes carry deep ecological value, shape local identity, and support thousands of livelihoods.

But they also face growing pressures: climate change, coastal erosion, rising visitor numbers, shifting agricultural policy, rural housing challenges, and competing demands on land and sea.

My PhD research at Falmouth University explores these pressures and possibilities, and I want to involve the people who know these landscapes best.

The Research Question

How does social capital influence environmental stewardship and sustainable business development in protected landscapes, and in what ways can the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) be applied to assess and enhance governance outcomes in the Cornwall National Landscape (CNL) five-year plan?

Research Aim

To explore tensions between sustainable business growth and conservation.

Research Focus

To understand how social capital, the relationships, trust, networks, and norms that connect people and organisations, shapes environmental stewardship and sustainable economic development across the CNL.

This project is guided by a simple principle:

Cornwall’s landscapes are lived-in and cared-for by communities: so they should play a central role in shaping the research.

This blog post is an invitation to co-design the project, refine what matters, and ensure that the outcomes reflect real experiences on the ground.

What Is the Research About?

At its core, the project asks how protected landscapes, historically focused on conservation and recreation, can also help strengthen:

Local economies
Community wellbeing
Cultural resilience
Ecological integrity

This brings together several ongoing debates in Cornwall and the wider UK:

Heritage & Identity: Engine houses, fishing harbours, Cornish hedges, and Kernewek all require investment, care, and sensitive management.
Tourism: A vital economic driver, but one that places pressure on ecosystems, infrastructure, and community life.
Land & Sea Stewardship: Policies increasingly emphasise nature recovery, climate action, and sustainable land management.
Community Voice: Many Cornish communities seek more inclusive governance models that reflect their identity, rights, and aspirations for year-round living and working.

Understanding these dynamics requires collaboration and not just academic analysis.

Why Co-Design?

Cornwall National Landscape is a complex social–ecological system shaped by farming, fishing, mining, migration, culture, and centuries of environmental change. To study it meaningfully, the research must involve those who understand it from lived experience.

Co-design brings:

Local knowledge

Insights from residents, farmers, fishers, guides, and community volunteers who understand seasonal rhythms, pressures, and opportunities.

Industry & heritage expertise

Tourism operators, environmental bodies, and cultural organisations can highlight business realities, visitor trends, and heritage needs.

Shared decision-making

Participants help shape the research questions, methods, and interpretation of findings.

Real-world impact

Co-produced research produces recommendations that support planning, governance, sustainable tourism, cultural initiatives, and community-led action.

How You Can Contribute

There are several ways to get involved, all voluntary and flexible:

1. Feedback on Research Direction

What issues matter most to you?
What tensions or opportunities do you see?
Where do policies or practices fall short?

2. Community Conversations / Interviews

Share lived experience of tourism, farming, fishing, conservation, heritage, housing, or local business.

3. Participatory Workshops

Workshops will explore priorities such as sustainable tourism, nature recovery, cultural identity, and community wellbeing.

4. Longer-Term Collaboration (optional)

Help sense-check findings, co-interpret results, or co-develop practical frameworks.

Themes Where Your Insight Matters Most

I particularly welcome views on:

The future role of tourism
Balancing heritage (from mining landscapes to Kernewek) with sustainability
Farming, fishing, and land/sea management experiences
Community wellbeing, cultural identity, and economic resilience
Environmental change, coastal pressures, and seasonality
How relationships, networks, and social capital shape decision-making
What a “sustainable future for Cornwall” looks like to you

Your perspective will help shape a more grounded, meaningful research project.

Get Involved

If you’d like to participate or stay informed:

📩 Email: NG286123@falmouth.ac.uk
👥 Attend a workshop: Dates to be announced
🔗 Recommend people or groups to contact

All participation is confidential and entirely voluntary.

Closing Thoughts

Protected landscapes belong to both their past and their future. As Cornwall navigates changes in tourism, environment, governance, livelihoods, and cultural identity, we need new ways of understanding and managing these places.

Co-designed research recognises that landscape stewardship is not an abstract policy exercise, it is lived, negotiated, contested, and cared for every day by the people who call Cornwall home.

Whether you farm on Bodmin Moor, manage a heritage site, run a business, volunteer in conservation, speak Kernewek, or simply love Cornwall’s landscapes, your insight is invaluable.

I look forward to listening, learning, and shaping this research together.

Cornwall National Landscape (CNL) Research Overview and Proposed Focus Areas

As my research continues to take shape and develop, here is a handy overview of the key frameworks behind it and some exciting next steps.

Research question:

Research Aim:

Explore the tensions between mandatory sustainable business growth and conservation within Cornwall’s National Landscape (formerly Cornwall AONB). Understand how social capital influences environmental stewardship and sustainable business development within protected landscapes, using the Cornwall National Landscape (CNL) as a primary case study.

Why?

This research responds to a novel and essential challenge in UK environmental governance:

How can protected landscapes historically designed for conservation and recreation also act as drivers of local economic resilience and community wellbeing, without compromising their ecological integrity?

Overview of the research

This research examines how social capital influences environmental stewardship and sustainable business development within the Cornwall National Landscape (CNL). Social capital is the networks, trust, relationships, and norms that enable people and organisations to work effectively together, the glue that holds a community together.

The study uses the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) to explore how governance structures, partnerships, and resource flows intersect across natural, cultural, social, financial, built, political, and human capitals. Applying CCF across CNL areas ensures context-sensitive governance that aligns environmental goals with local livelihoods and identities.

The novelty of this study lies in developing a social-capital-informed sustainability framework that can help protected landscapes act as drivers of local economic resilience and community wellbeing, without compromising their ecological integrity.

Why the Community Capitals Framework (CCF)?

The CCF provides a structured way to examine how natural, social, human, cultural, financial, built, and political capitals interact. It is especially relevant in Cornwall, where the strength of the landscape is often balanced against limited public funding, volunteer reliance, and the need for community-driven stewardship.

Using CCF will allow the study to identify:

Where capital strengths can be leveraged.
Where capital deficits restrict plan delivery.
How building social and political capital could unlock better environmental and economic outcomes.

Why Social Capital?:

Social capital reveals what enables or blocks effective joint working between agencies, communities, businesses, and volunteers.
Shows how policies are adapted locally, depending on the quality of relationships and communication channels.
Operational asset, not just a theory, directly influencing stewardship, business development, and community wellbeing in protected landscapes.

Why governance matters

Recent national and local political changes create a fluid governance context, making it possible to see how shifting priorites shape environmental stewardship in real time. This is valuable for the research question because it allows a direct examination of how governance conditions affect sustainable development in protected landscapes.

For this thesis, which asks how social capital shapes environmental stewardship and sustainable development in the Cornwall National Landscape (CNL), these governance dynamics present a rare opportunity. They allow for the examination of how trust, collaboration, networks, and cross-sector relationships either buffer or amplify the effects of political shifts. This is particularly novel because few studies analyse a protected landscape operating through a unitary council, bordered by multi-tier authorities and cross-county complexities.

This establishes the CNL as a compelling site for advancing theoretical and practical understandings of landscape governance.

Proposed focus areas

To reflect the geographical, cultural, and socio-economic heterogeneity of Cornwall, four contrasting case study sites have been selected.

Given the distinctive character of all 12 CNL areas, it is not feasible, within the scope and capacity of this research, to undertake full social-capital analysis across the entire area. Selecting four differing case-study areas enables sufficiently deep, context-specific exploration while still allowing meaningful cross-site comparison to identify shared patterns and important variations.

Tamar Valley

Cross-border, multi-authority governance presents opportunities for collaborative working.
Peri-urban pressures from Plymouth highlight tensions and opportunities around land use, access, and landscape protection.

St Agnes & North Coast

Biodiversity significance and intense visitor pressure create a dynamic space for studying community stewardship and visitor management partnerships.
A highly active local community offers insight into grassroots delivery.

Bodmin Moor

Upland area of moorland which presents a differing economic and geological landscape.
Traditional farming systems and common land governance provide rich examples of natural, cultural and social capital in action.
Highlights rural service provision and environmental management challenges.

West Penwith

Strong cultural identity and thriving but seasonal visitor economy.
Area of significant industrial heritage.
Issues around housing, service provision, and social cohesion reveal how financial, cultural and social capital interact.

The new Critical Minerals Strategy: Creates a real-world test of how a protected landscape balances conservation duties with national economic priorities. The case illustrates how social capital, governance arrangements, and the interaction of multiple community capitals shape the outcomes of high-impact development proposals within or adjacent to the Cornwall National Landscape.

What the research will deliver

A map of stakeholder networks, trust dynamics, and partner relationships.
Analysis of how governance arrangements (unitary Cornwall vs cross-border areas like Tamar Valley and Hartland) influence delivery.
Recommendations for strengthening partnership working, community engagement, and sustainable business development.
A refined CCF-based model for protected landscape governance that can inform future iterations of the CNL Management Plan.

Next Steps

Align early fieldwork with ongoing or upcoming projects where governance dynamics can be observed.

Key References:

If you wanted to do some more reading of your own then here are some great sources to get started with:

Emery, M. & Flora, C.B. (2006) ‘Spiraling-Up: Mapping Community Transformation with the Community Capitals Framework’, Community Development, 37(1), pp. 19–35.

Seminal CCF paper showing how bonding/bridging social capital catalyses gains across all seven capitals, offering a rigorous logic model to trace “spiraling-up” community change. (Accessed 17 Oct 2025).

Fine, B. (2001) Social Capital versus Social Theory: Political Economy and Social Science at the Turn of the Millennium. London: Routledge.

Gkartzios, M., Scott, M. & Gallent, N. (2022) ‘A capitals framework for rural areas: “Place-planning” the periphery’, Land Use Policy, 116, 106058.

Extends capitals thinking in UK/European rural planning, clarifying how planning instruments interact with capitals, bridging theory and spatial governance relevant to AONB/National Landscape contexts. (Accessed 17 Oct 2025).

Pretty, J. & Ward, H. (2001) ‘Social Capital and the Environment’, World Development, 29(2), pp. 209–227.

Classic environment–society analysis defining social capital (trust, reciprocity, norms) and evidencing how participatory groups improve environmental outcomes. (Accessed 17 Oct 2025).

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Research Updates

Welcome back to my research blog. With the PhD now taking shape and the project moving from early scoping into deeper conceptual and methodological work, it felt like the right moment to share a full update on where the research is heading, what has evolved, and what new questions are coming into focus.

Over the past few months, the project has grown from an initial exploration of sustainable business in the Cornwall National Landscape into a broader investigation of governance, social capital, and cultural identity within protected landscapes. Below is an overview of the direction the research is now taking and the ideas guiding its next steps.

An Evolving Focus: From Sustainable Business to Governance and Social Capital

At the start of the PhD, it was primarily looking at sustainable business development within the Cornwall National Landscape (CNL). After digging deeper into policies, management plans, and community dynamics, a different pattern started to emerge:

Sustainable outcomes in protected landscapes depend just as much on relationships as they do on regulations.

This realisation shifted the emphasis of the research. The central question is now:

Instead of looking only at business opportunities, I’m now analysing the wider governance ecosystem:

how local communities work with institutions
how partnership networks form
how trust, shared identity, and cultural heritage shape action
how policies translate into practice across the CNL’s diverse landscapes

This gives the project a stronger conceptual foundation and connects it to wider debates in environmental governance and rural development.

Building a Theoretical Toolkit

A big part of the recent work has focused on refining the thesis’s conceptual scaffolding. The three key pieces are now:

1. Social Capital

Networks, trust, shared norms, and connections across groups (bonding, bridging, and linking ties). These influence everything from volunteer mobilisation to cross-sector partnerships and compliance with planning decisions.

2. Community Capitals Framework (CCF)

This framework identifies seven capitals (natural, cultural, social, human, political, financial, built) and helps show how community assets interact to support or hinder sustainable outcomes. It’s especially useful for unpacking governance complexity.

3. Landscape Governance

Protected landscapes are no longer just conservation spaces, they are arenas where ecological, social, economic, political, and cultural components meet. Governance is increasingly multi-actor, place-based, and negotiated.

Bringing these three lenses together creates a clearer way to analyse Cornwall’s protected landscape and understand the forces shaping its future.

Why This Research Matters

Protected landscapes are undergoing a major shift, moving from “scenic designations” to active spaces of climate action, nature recovery, and sustainable economic development. The Cornwall National Landscape is at the forefront of this shift.

Yet policies can only do so much. Real progress depends on:

trust between agencies and communities
collaboration across sectors
strong linking ties to decision-makers

By exploring these dynamics, the research hopes to offer:

tools for building effective partnerships
evidence for strengthening governance capacity
insights into connecting policy ambitions to place-based realities

Next Steps

Upcoming work includes:

mapping stakeholder networks
analysing the CNL Plan through the lens of community capitals
beginning interviews with land managers, businesses, community groups, and policymakers
exploring the role of cultural narratives (including poems, songs, and folklore) in shaping perceptions of Cornwall’s landscapes

There’s much still to uncover, and the project will continue to evolve as new connections, tensions, and opportunities come into focus.

Thanks for reading and following along with this research journey. More updates, field notes, and reflections coming soon.

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Larmorna Cove a Cultural, Artistic, Industrial, Botanical and Historical gem.

Lamorna Cove: Quarry, Port, Smuggling Traditions, Artistic Haven, and the Botanical Richness of a Cornish Microclimate

Abstract

This article explores Lamorna Cove, situated within the Penwith section (Area 7) of the Cornwall National Landscape, as a dynamic case study of environmental distinctiveness, industrial development, cultural heritage, and historical criminal enterprise. Beginning with 19th-century granite quarrying operations and the construction of a harbour to support maritime transport (Pett, 1998; Barton, 1968), the paper examines the cove’s evolution following the quarry’s decline and the subsequent emergence of a thriving artistic community (Cross, 2001). Particular attention is given to Lamorna’s sheltered microclimate, which fosters unusual botanical diversity (Cornwall Wildlife Trust, 2022). The article further investigates the Cove’s association with Cornwall’s historical smuggling economy, exemplified by the traditions linked to The Lamorna Wink pub (Deacon, 1983; Cornish Story, 2018). By situating Lamorna within the broader contexts of environmental history, industrial archaeology, and cultural heritage, this study highlights the multiple ways landscapes can serve simultaneously as sites of economic activity, ecological richness, creative inspiration, and community resilience.

Introduction

Lamorna Cove, located approximately four miles southwest of Penzance, offers a rich tapestry of industrial, environmental, and cultural narratives. Set within the Cornwall CNL, the cove’s history reflects broader themes in Cornwall’s development, from resource extraction and maritime activity to artistic expression and folk traditions, including the darker legacy of smuggling.

Industrial Development: Quarrying and Maritime Activity

Granite quarrying commenced at Lamorna Cove during the 1840s (Pett, 1998). The cove’s fine-grained granite was highly valued and contributed to major construction projects such as the Admiralty Pier at Dover and naval facilities at Portsmouth (Barton, 1968).

To support the export of granite, a small harbour and quay were constructed. Nevertheless, the logistical difficulties associated with shipping stone from a relatively exposed location limited Lamorna’s commercial success compared to larger inland quarries. By the early 20th century, quarrying operations had ceased (Herring, 2000).

Today, the remnants of Lamorna’s quarrying past are visible in the form of abandoned stone cuttings, sections of the quay, and tool marks etched into the cliffs, preserving the memory of this industrial period.

Environmental Richness: Microclimate and Biodiversity

A significant factor contributing to Lamorna Cove’s and valley distinctive character is its microclimate. The cove’s southeast-facing, steep-sided valley offers shelter from prevailing Atlantic storms, resulting in a milder and more humid environment than elsewhere in Cornwall (Cornwall Wildlife Trust, 2022).

This unique climate allows both native and exotic plant species to thrive, including:

Tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica),
Giant rhubarb (Gunnera manicata),
Giant viper’s bugloss (Echium pininana),
African lily (Agapanthus praecox),
Ginger lily (Hedychium spp.),
Various bamboo species,
Passionflower (Passiflora caerulea).

Native flora such as Cornish heath (Erica vagans), sessile oak (Quercus petraea), primroses, bluebells, and foxgloves also flourish in this environment.

Cultural Heritage: Smuggling in Cornwall and The Story of The Lamorna Wink

Cornwall’s deeply indented coastline, characterised by hidden coves like Lamorna, historically provided ideal conditions for smuggling activities between the 17th and 19th centuries (Deacon, 1983). Economic hardships resulting from the decline of mining and fishing industries made smuggling particularly of goods such as tea, brandy, and tobacco a lucrative alternative for local communities (Cordingly, 1995; Palmer, 1978).

One of the most tangible links to this past is The Lamorna Wink pub. The term “wink” in smuggling parlance referred to a covert signal indicating a desire to purchase contraband (Cornish Story, 2018). By discreetly “tipping the wink,” patrons could obtain smuggled goods without attracting the attention of authorities. The pub itself, believed to have served as a key meeting point for smugglers, remains a symbol of the area’s rich and secretive past. Furthermore, the broader term “kiddlywink” was used to describe small alehouses often associated with informal and illicit trade in Cornwall (Cornwall Forever, 2024).

Today, The Lamorna Wink stands not only as a social hub but as a living testament to Cornwall’s resilient, often rebellious maritime culture.

The South West Coast Path and Tourism

Lamorna Cove is also strategically located along the South West Coast Path, Britain’s longest national trail, which promotes sustainable recreation by encouraging walking and appreciation of natural landscapes (South West Coast Path Association, 2024). The trail enhances Lamorna’s accessibility and highlights its natural beauty within a wider regional network of protected coastal paths.

With the recent release of the film adaptation of Raynor Winn’s memoir The Salt Path (Winn, 2018), public interest in the South West Coast Path is anticipated to rise, potentially bringing greater visitor numbers to Lamorna and other historically rich coastal sites.

Conclusion

Lamorna Cove offers a compelling example of the ways in which a small landscape can encapsulate major historical, environmental, and cultural processes. From granite quarrying and maritime trade to the flourishing of exotic plant species and the preservation of smuggling traditions, Lamorna stands as a vibrant microcosm of Cornwall’s broader story. Its continued role within recreational tourism, particularly through the South West Coast Path, ensures that Lamorna’s complex heritage will remain alive and accessible for future generations.

References

Barton, D.B., 1968. A History of Tin Mining and Smelting in Cornwall. Truro: D. Bradford Barton Ltd.
Cornwall Forever, 2024. Kiddlywinks: Small Alehouses of Cornwall. [online] Available at: https://www.cornwallforever.co.uk [Accessed 27 April 2025].
Cornwall Wildlife Trust, 2022. The Special Climate of West Cornwall. [online] Available at: https://www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/ [Accessed 27 April 2025].
Cornish Story, 2018. The Lamorna Wink and Smuggling Traditions. [online] Available at: https://www.cornishstory.com [Accessed 27 April 2025].
Cordingly, D., 1995. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates. London: Random House.
Cross, T., 2001. The Shining Sands: Artists in Newlyn and St Ives 1880–1930. Tiverton: Halsgrove Press.
Deacon, B., 1983. The Smugglers: A History of Cornwall’s Secret Trade. Falmouth: Maritime Cornwall Press.
Herring, P., 2000. Cornwall’s Historic Environment: Cornwall and Scilly Urban Survey - Penzance. Truro: Cornwall Archaeological Unit.
Palmer, R., 1978. The Falmouth Packet: Smuggling Days in Cornwall. Falmouth: Packet Publishing.
Pett, D., 1998. The Industrial Archaeology of Cornwall. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd.
South West Coast Path Association, 2024. South West Coast Path Official Guide. [online] Available at: https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk [Accessed 27 April 2025].
Winn, R., 2018. The Salt Path. London: Michael Joseph.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Updated PhD resreach proposal

Daymer Bay, Camel Estuary, Cornwall

I have updated my PhD research here is the current proposal.

Subject Area: Business and Environmental Sustainability.

Research question

How can the 2022-2027 Cornwall National Landscape Management Plan, serve as a framework to define and implement best practices that promote economic resilience and environmental stewardship in areas of outstanding natural beauty?

Research overview and context:

This multi-disciplinary research aims to explore the conflict that exists between the mandatory requirement to promote sustainable business growth and development in Cornwall's National Landscape, (CNL) formally known as the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Beauty.

Recent studies on Natural Landscapes (NL) have covered many topics. Yet, the role of fostering sustainability and business development in protected landscapes is a topic which lacks is under-explored. This research focuses on Cornwall's NL a significant part of the county's economy. The research will use and through practice and action research contribute to the CNL's Management Plan (2022-2027) by investigating the identified and often perceived conflict between sustainability and business development.

This research examines and critically analyses the CNL in promoting sustainable businesses. It will analyse their Management Plan (2022-2027) to identify opportunities and challenges for current and future businesses that align with the Cornwall NL vision and strategic priorities.

The research will involve stakeholders at various levels and incorporate lessons from successful models in the UK and globally.

Sustainable development has emerged not only as a global and local strategy through the Sustainable Development Goals but has also generated ongoing epistemological and theoretical debate. The research will draw on a theoretical approach that integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions. This research will be informed by these broader theoretical discussions and in particular draw on theoretical frameworks that explore the relationship between sustainable development and reflexive modernity (Borne 2010; Borne 2018)

Significance of the Research:

The research fills a critical research gap by exploring sustainable business operations within protected natural areas, specifically Conservation Landscapes (CLs) in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Cornwall and the key focus areas include:

Unexplored Sustainable Practices: It will delve into how businesses can operate sustainably in these protected zones, an area not extensively covered in existing research.

Economic-Environmental Equilibrium: The research addresses the underexplored balance between economic development and environmental conservation using a sustainable development lens.

Community and Policy Dynamics: It provides new insights into partnership working, engaging local communities and policymakers, a relatively neglected aspect in current literature.

Broader Applicability: The study offers generalisable findings and empirical evidence relevant to similar regions worldwide.

Expected Aims:

An in-depth critical analysis of promoting sustainable businesses in the CNL, based on its Management Plan, identifies key opportunities and challenges.

Development of a practical framework in line with CNL's goals to guide and grow sustainable SMEs in the region, including a section on sustainable tourism certification, aiding SME investment and community engagement across CNL.

Suggestions for policy improvements, stakeholder engagement strategies, and partnerships to foster sustainable business growth in the CNL, emphasising the creation of CNL business support networks.

Critical examination of the relationship between environmental conservation, economic sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and community welfare within the CNL.

The development of a sustainable academic research partnership between Falmouth University and CNL.

Research Objectives:

Opportunity Assessment: Identify and evaluate the opportunities embedded in the CNL's Management Plan (2022-2027) for the development of sustainable businesses within CNL.

Barrier Analysis: Examine barriers and challenges to sustainable businesses in the CNL, covering tourism, technology, infrastructure, second home ownership, access equality (diversity, economic affordability), business dynamics, planning, skills, funding, education, environmental management, and aging population impacts.

Best Practice Models: Explore and assess existing best practice models for sustainable business development, drawing lessons and strategies from both national and international contexts, and evaluate their relevance to the CNL and Cornwall.

Key Attributes of Sustainable Businesses: Define the core attributes of a sustainable business in a Natural Landscape (NL), supported by research on business success and failure to develop a picture of what “sustainable business” looks like.

Framework Development: Construct a comprehensive and adaptable framework that aligns with the CNL's Management Plan, guiding the establishment and growth of sustainable businesses in this unique natural environment.

Define pathways for innovation, creativity, and incubation of new Student businesses. The development of a strategy that supports identifying and supporting new and existing student businesses within the CNL.

Sustainable community and business stakeholder engagement models. The research aims to establish a tangible model for stakeholder engagement in project implementation and future community projects, involving community, political, educational, environmental, and business leaders.

Research Methodology

I will employ a mixed methods approach collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. This data is triangulated to deliver robust conclusions and recommendations.

Literature Review: Conduct a review of academic literature, CNL business plan, UK Government Environmental frameworks, case studies, and exemplary models related to sustainable business development within CNL and comparable protected areas.

Data Collection and Analysis: The research will use a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect analysis from CNL and stakeholders. This will include In-depth interviews and focus groups as well as relevant case studies. Content and discourse analyses will be employed to explore relevant themes and issues. Broader surveys will be developed to explore the broader issues relating to the national landscapes and sustainable business. Both inferential and descriptive statistics will be used to analysis the surveys.

Comparative Analysis of existing/new UK data: Using the UK Government Environmental Plan (2023) targets and assessment framework as a benchmark.

Framework Construction: Develop a practical and adaptable framework informed by research findings and tailored to the specific needs of the CNL for promoting sustainable businesses.

Impact Assessment: Utilise a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods including cost-benefit analysis (Boardman, 2018), Narrative Analysis (Riessman, 2008) and Social Impact Assessment (Vanclay, 2003).

Participatory Action Research (McIntyre, 2008) in a live environment developing relationships with stakeholders within CNL to support research findings from practical application of their delivery plan, captured through journalling and reflection.

Research outcomes will be presented as:

An 80000-word written thesis capturing the objectives listed above.