South Downs National Park confirmed at last!
12 November 2009
It has been more than 60 years in the making but today sees the South Downs finally becoming England’s 9th and the United Kingdom’s 14th National Park [1]. After Hilary Benn’s announcement in March earlier this year that he had agreed in principle to the National Park [2], campaigners have been waiting eagerly for the final boundary disputes to be resolved. These led to a one-day public inquiry in August with the Inspector submitting his report to Government in the same month. Until these issues had been sorted out, the legal order, formally creating the National Park could not be signed [3].
The South Downs Campaign (SDC), a network of around 160 organisations [4] which includes the Campaign for National Parks [5] and CPRE [6] is celebrating the removal of this last hurdle in the long and difficult history of the South Downs. It now wants to see swift action to ensure that the new National Park Authority is given all the help that it needs to make it a success [7].
Ruth Chambers of the Campaign for National Parks said:
'This timely announcement comes on the 60th anniversary of the 1949 Act which established the concept of National Parks in England and Wales [8]. It shows that Sir Arthur Hobhouse and his committee in 1947 were right to recommend that the South Downs becomes a National Park and is a welcome addition to the family of National Parks which enjoys public support from all over the UK. We applaud the Government for confirming the designation of the National Park and urge it to ensure that the Park now gets the necessary resources to do its job properly.'
Emma Marrington of the Campaign to Protect Rural England said:
'This hugely positive and visionary decision could not come too soon for a landscape which is one of the most pressurised in the country. With the demands for new housing and large-scale development in the South East the National Park Authority will need to be a strong guardian of the South Downs. The pressures don’t stop here but this is a massively important step towards safeguarding this area for future generations.'
Robin Crane, Chair of the SDC, commented:
'Today is a fantastic and historic day: the final milestone on the long path to a South Downs National Park. The South Downs will now have the protection and recognition that this landscape so richly deserves.
'We are pleased that our evidence on Green Ridge has convinced the Inspector and the Government that its exclusion was a mistake and that this has now been rectified. In West Sussex, the inclusion of Castle Goring is a victory for local people who have fought long and hard to have this area included. We also welcome the inclusion of Alice Holt Forest, which will bring new opportunities to that part of Hampshire [9].'
Robin Crane concluded:
'Overall we are delighted and look forward to working with our partners to ensure that the new National Park Authority will be a great success.'
Notes to Editors:
1. The Broads is considered as one of the National Park family and although not strictly a National Park, if it is counted in the numbers, the South Downs would be England’s 10th and the UK’s 15th National Park.
2. The announcement was made by the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with his Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MP on 31 March, 2009.
3. While the Confirmation Order has now been signed, the National Park won’t formally be created until 1 April 2010. On the same date the current Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) designations in East Hampshire and the Sussex Downs will be revoked. The reason for this delay is to allow the South Downs Joint Committee (whose existence is reliant on the AONB designations) to continue to function while the South Downs National Park Authority is established. It is likely that the shadow Park Authority will be established on 1 April 2010, but the legal order to enable this to happen is yet to be laid before Parliament. This is expected to happen shortly.
4. Founded in 1990, the membership of the South Downs Campaign has grown to around 160 organisations and includes most of the key national and regional conservation, environmental and amenity organisations concerned with the countryside. It includes over 90 local groups, societies and businesses and 29 parish and town councils.
• The SDC is generously supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
• For more information on the SDC visit our website: www.southdownscampaign.org.uk
5. The Campaign for National Parks: CNP is the national charity that campaigns to protect and promote National Parks for the benefit and quiet enjoyment of all. President: Ben Fogle. www.cnp.org.uk
6. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk
7. The SDC is keen for the Establishment Order to be laid before Parliament as soon as possible so that there is no delay in establishing the Park Authority.
8. The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act was passed in 1949 and marked a historic moment in that it allowed the creation of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty for the first time in England and Wales.
9. The final National Park boundary includes all the six proposed additional areas which were consulted upon over the summer with some minor boundary variations: Alice Holt Forest, Titnore Woods and Castle Goring, Land at Plumpton / East Chiltington, Patcham Recreation Ground (Brighton), Land at Roedean Crescent (Brighton) and the A27 embankments. It also includes all of Green Ridge (Brighton) and the whole of the village of Offham both of which had been split by the boundary proposed in March, earlier this year.
Contact:
Ruth Chambers (Campaign for National Parks): 020 7924 4077 ext 222
For press queries please contact:
Ruth Chambers, Head of Policy on
020 7924 4077 ext. 222