Hampshire Wildlife Trust - Resources


Good news Help Needed Sample Letter All the Facts 3 Steps to National Park More Info Organisations Criterea Links	The South Downs National Park Good News! Petersfield, Liss, Longmoor and the Upper Rother Valley have now been included within the draft boundary. Thanks to everyone who wrote letters, these really did count when the Countryside Agency was making its decision. Help is still needed. We would like to enlist your continued support to ensure that that the area remains within the final boundary for the South Downs National Park (SDNP) by writing to the Countryside Agency. Letters need to be sent before 27 February 2002, which is the end of the public consultation period. If the existing East Hants Area of Outstanding Natural (AONB) were to be excluded from the SDNP the AONB would become too small to be viable and would be downgraded. This would result in our wildlife losing the AONB protection it currently holds and the whole area would become under great pressure for much more intensive industrial and housing development as the planning constraints given to an AONB would be lifted. A copy of a sample letter supporting the inclusion of Petersfield, Liss and the Upper Rother Valley within the South Downs National Park, and putting the case for the inclusion of Woolmer Forest, was sent out with the Winter 2001/2 Newsletter. It is available for downloading below. You can send the letter as it is by adding your address and date at the top and your signature at the bottom please feel free to alter it as you wish . You may prefer to compose your own letter, if so it is vital to include support for the criteria of the National Park, these are listed later at the end of this document. You can download the letter and alter it as you wish. Please feel free to copy this sample letter and pass it on to friends and neighbours. The number of individual letters received by the Countryside Agency is what counts. If you live within the Parish of Liss the Parish Council has additional information which you may like to use. The free publication "A South Downs National Park", produced by the Countryside Agency is a good source of information and gives greater detail. Copies can be obtained from Petersfield Library. The Countryside Agency's website address is www.countryside.gov.uk/proposed national parks See also Not sure about a National Park? Make sure you have all the facts; 10 point checklist (below the sample letter) Website for South Downs campaign www.cnp.org.uk.south_downs_campaign.htm Return to Top of Page Sample letter South Downs National Park Public Consultation PO Box 33299 London SW1H 0WF Dear Sirs, I am writing to thank the Countryside Agency for recognising that Petersfield, Liss, Longmoor and the whole of the Upper Rother Valley meet the criteria for inclusion within the proposed South Downs National Park. I welcome the opportunity to be able to express my views as part of the public consultation process. The many accessible wild places within the East Hampshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty include varied habitats such as wetlands along the Rother and Tilmore Brook, the heathlands of Longmoor, Petersfield Heath and Sheet Common, as well as many woodlands. The River Rother is host to such species as European Crayfish and Kingfishers and is being actively developed to encourage otters both in Adhurst Woods and at Rotherlands. The Hangers Way passes through the middle of Petersfield and the Woolmer Way starts from Liss. The South Downs Way and the Sussex Border path are within easy walking distance. I am most concerned, however, that the beautiful, unspoilt heathlands of Woolmer Forest are excluded from the proposed National Park. There is public access to Woolmer Forest except when the red flags are flying. Woolmer Forest, together with Longmoor, form a large tract of rare heathland habitat, which supports all the reptile and amphibian species found in the UK. Both are internationally important areas for nature conservation. I feel that it is vital that all of the existing East Hampshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be included within the National Park otherwise any remnants of the AONB would not be viable and will be downgraded. These areas would then be vulnerable to substantial development, which would have a very detrimental effect on the surrounding SDNP and be clearly visible from the Downs and Hangers. Petersfield with its rail and road links is ideally positioned to be a major centre for the SDNP, and can provide many of the services needed by visitors. I believe that the ancient market town of Petersfield, together with Liss and the surrounding areas are part of the downland community with many cultural, social, economic and recreational links to the South Downs. I urge you to ensure that Petersfield, Liss, the whole of the East Hampshire AONB and Woolmer Forest are included within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park. Yours faithfully, Return to Top of Page Not sure about a National Park? Make sure you have all the facts From a Leaflet produced by SOUTH DOWNS CAMPAIGN. See details below Read our 10 point checklist below A Quango - A National Park Authority is not a Quango but a special type of local authority run by local people. 75% of these are locally elected representatives (more than on the Sussex Downs Conservation Board). The other 25% are local people appointed by government in the national interest for their specialist expertise in such matters as farming, forestry and nature conservation. Promoting tourism - A National Park Authority does not promote tourism. It is tourist boards, local businesses and councils that do this. The National Park has a duty to manage recreational pressures with the aim of protecting the special qualities of the area. If ever there is an irreconcilable conflict between conservation and recreation, it has a statutory duty to put conservation first. More visitors - With the increase in housing numbers and population in the South East, visitor numbers are inevitably going to rise. Without a body with the resources to manage this greater pressure, the Downs could be more at risk. Farming - Rather than being a burden to farmers, a National Park Authority would be able to work with and help farmers find the right grants. A National Park would also mean greater funding opportunities for farmers. Local tax relief - the establishment of a National Park will provide substantial local tax relief. The 25% of the Park Authority's budget that comes from local councils is reimbursed by central government, making It effectively 100% central government funded. In Sussex this would lead to substantial savings for councils who currently support the Sussex Downs Conservation Board. Planning -the National Park Authority will operate a tight regime on planning but this is what is meant to happen in the AONB currently. Unfortunately, all too often it does not. What a National Park Authority will do is ensure greater consistency across the length of the Downs, which is good for both residents and developers. Stopping development - although a National Park restricts development it does not stop it if it is sensitively designed, appropriately scaled and in keeping with the area. What it does is improve the quality. Rising house prices - Designation might result in a small rise in house prices but compared to the huge rises already seen in the South East this should be marginal. Local communities - A National Park Authority has a statutory duty to foster the economic and social well being of local communities. What's wrong with the status quo? -The South Downs are in gradual decline and in desperate need of a strong body able to stand up and champion their needs. The status quo is not an option for those who care about this precious landscape. Send your comments to: Register your support Please do not assume the South Downs National Park will automatically happen. It won't unless YOU register your support and let the Government know that people really want the South Downs better protected. · We are also urging people to express their concern about any possible delay in setting up the National Park. Given the unprecedented public consultation and public support for the National Park, we believe that there is no reason to delay. Return to Top of Page 3 Steps to a South Downs National Park 1. Respond to the public consultation saying you: Support a South Downs National Park Want the National Park Authority set up in 2003, not delayed until 2006 Support the areas included in the National Park so far but would like those areas proposed by the South Downs campaign included too. Send your comments to; South Downs National Park Public Consultation PO Box 33299 London SW1 0WF Or by e-mail via the Countryside Agency's website: www.countryside.gov.uk/proposed national parks 2. Lobby your local parish/town/district and county councillors to support the National Park 3. Write to your local paper expressing support and urging your local council(s) to back the National Park Return to Top of Page For more information contact: Chris Todd, South Downs Campaign, PO Box 3473, Brighton BN1 7FZ. Tel: 01273 563358. E-mail: southdowns@zoom.co.uk Return to Top of Page The South Downs Campaign is a network of organisations including: National Council for National Parks Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) CTC Friends of the Earth (FOE) Open Spaces Society Ramblers' Association Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) The Wildlife Trusts WWF-UK Youth Hostels Association (YHA) Local regional - CPRE Hampshire CPRE Sussex FOE South East Ramblers' Association Sussex Ramblers' Association Hampshire Society of Sussex Downsmen Sussex Archaeological Society Sussex Wildlife Trust YHA South Region plus many other local supporters. Return to Top of Page Criteria for the South Downs National Park: Natural Beauty and Recreation. Natural Beauty includes landscape quality, cultural heritage, wildlife and conservation, and the unspoilt character of the area. Recreation means opportunities for quiet countryside recreation that allow people to enjoy and understand the special qualities of the National Park without damaging it or spoiling other people's enjoyment of it. Also very important is access to opportunities for recreation, especially on foot, by bicycle or by public transport. Return to Top of Page Links for South Downs National Park Information Website for South Downs Campaign: www.cnp.org.uk.south_downs_campaign.htm Website for the Countryside Agency: www.countryside.gov.uk/proposed national parks Return to Top of Page
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This document maintained by Gerry Milner-Walker Material Copyright © 2002 Hampshire Wildlife Trust and Gerry Milner-Walker