Breadcrumbs
Countryside Agency Puts Case for South Downs National Park to Public Inquiry - 10 November 2003
“We are quite certain that the South Downs should be designated a
National Park. In addition, it would fulfill Hobhouse’s original
vision for National Parks* set out in 1947,” Jane
Cecil, the Countryside Agency’s Head of Finest Countryside, told
the inquiry.
This area of quintessentially English lowland landscape stretching for over 116 km from Winchester to Eastbourne should be a national park because it is worthy of that status and needs the integrated management that national park designation would bring, the Agency argued. Designation would provide the resources and strategic vision that the South Downs needs for the special qualities of the area to be conserved, building on the successes of the existing AONB bodies, local authorities, landowners and statutory bodies. A National Park Authority will work to increase awareness of the special qualities of the South Downs and the fragility of its important habitats and landscape character by acting as an advocate for this special and much loved area.
David Thompson, Senior Countryside Advisor, also appearing for the Agency, told the inquiry that: “the South Downs is different in character to most of our existing national parks.”
He outlined how a number of objectors have argued that the Downs should not be a National Park because they are not as remote or wild as the existing national parks. But he said that Sir Arthur Hobhouse, who chaired the National Park Committee in 1947 and is often recognised as the ‘father’ of National Parks, clearly stated that ‘it would be wrong to confine the selection of National Parks to the more rugged areas of mountain and moorland, and to exclude other districts which, though of lesser grandeur and wildness, have their own distinct beauty and a high recreational value.’
Mr Thompson said to the inquiry that: “as well as being outstandingly beautiful and rich in wildlife and history, the Downs are an exceptional recreational resource of national importance; accessible, including by public transport, to a large urban population, and do offer a sense of relative wildness. On this basis the Downs certainly offer open air recreational opportunities of National Park quality.”
The Countryside Agency believes that National Park status would lead to the creation of a South Downs National Park Authority – focused and committed to conserving and improving this highly valued landscape and able to address the pressures it faces in a comprehensive and integrated way. The Authority would be able to plan strategically for the whole area and for the long term, and with resources provided by government solely for this purpose.
ENDS
Further media information from John Rennie, Countryside Agency PR adviser, on 07976 666969
Notes to editors:
1. The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make life better for people in the countryside and to improve the quality of the countryside for everyone. The Agency's website is www.countryside.gov.uk
2. The public inquiry, sitting at the Chatsworth Hotel, Worthing, West Sussex, is expected to last until September 2004. The programme and further details about the inquiry can be found on the Planning Inspectorate website www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/southdowns/index.htm. The final decision, which is not expected until 2005, will be made by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
3. The Countryside Agency recently carried out a survey of visitors to the South Downs which revealed that: there are 39 million day visits a year to the National Park area; £333m is spent on these visits of which £178m is directly received by tourist-related businesses in the local area; a further £24m is generated by tourist businesses spending part of their turnover on stock, overheads, etc. and; Over 8,000 jobs are dependent (directly and indirectly) on this income of which 93% live in or next to the South Downs.
4. * The report of the National Park Committee chaired by Sir Arthur Hobhouse in 1947 identified twelve potential national parks in England, including the South Downs.
5. There are currently 8 National Parks and 37 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England. National Parks are designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 for the twin purposes of preserving and enhancing their natural beauty and of promoting their enjoyment by the public. In 1995 Parliament added that NPAs should take account of the economic and social needs of local communities. The Environment Act 1995 revised the main purposes to: conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Parks; and promoting opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of their special qualities by the public. National Park Authorities are currently funded at 75% of approved expenditure from central government, with 25% coming via local authorities, which are compensated for this by central government. Members are appointed by local authorities, from parish councils and by the Secretary of State.
