The Ramblers’ Association
New Forest Group
Ramblers welcome New Forest National Park, but question what’s new
The New Forest has today received the highest honour in landscape protection by being designated as a National Park, the first such designation in England this century. But huge swathes of beautiful countryside around the edges have been excluded leaving mostly already protected areas designated as National Park.
Emily Richmond, Head of Countryside Protection at the RA said, “This approach to designation of a National Park in the 21st century puts into question what the priorities for environmental protection really are. Whilst additional protection for areas already protected in some way is welcome, it’s a great shame not to extend that protection to other areas equally worthy of it.”
“While National Park status for the New Forest is fantastic, the Government seems to have based its boundary decision on the erroneous view that all the areas included in the National Park have to be identical. The Government has seriously missed a trick here, by accepting the Inspector’s assessment that only land of a particular character should be included and going against the detailed work of its own Agency.
The Avon Valley to the west and coastal areas on Southampton Water have been excluded from the National Park. These areas are biologically rich, highly accessible to urban areas, provide wonderful views and offer a different kind of recreational experience. They fit the criteria for National Park status and would also help to relieve pressure on the honey pot areas of the New Forest.
John Thackray, chair of the New Forest RA group said, “Many hundreds of people from all over the country walk in the Forest every week. They come for the natural beauty, peace and tranquillity that it provides. Over the last 50 years, more and more of it has been eroded by traffic and development pressures that have already begun to substantially undermine the integrity of both the core of the Forest and the surrounding areas on which it depends. We seriously question the decision to exclude some of the most beautiful parts of the area in the Countryside Agency’s Designation Order, such as Dibden Bay, most of the Avon Valley and St Catherine’s Hill, Christchurch. Open access and magnificent views from that viewpoint make it in some ways superior to other parts of the New Forest. The Ramblers’ Association will be holding a public walk there to celebrate the New Forest National Park designation and to commiserate the exclusion of wonderful areas such as this on Thursday 8th July, starting from the Avon Causeway PH at 10.30.”
28 June 2004