Jump to content

South Downs National Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pickle UK (talk | contribs) at 18:21, 22 October 2007 (Undid revision 164816757 by Coolhawks88 (talk) rv removal of redlink to a notable act of the UK parliment (buiild the web)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The South Downs National Park is a proposed National Park in the South Downs region of England, stretching for 90 miles, from Winchester in Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne in East Sussex in the east. The southern boundary of the proposed park lies a few miles inland along most of its length, excluding the coastal towns and cities of Southampton, Portsmouth, Chichester, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Worthing and Brighton, but it would include the towns of Petersfield, Liss, Midhurst, Arundel and Lewes. It would include two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB): East Hampshire and the Sussex Downs. Unlike any other National Park, it would include an area of chalk downland.[1] Approximately 39 million people visit the area each year.[2]

Of the 12 areas chosen in the 1947 Hobhouse Report, the South Downs is the only one yet to become a National Park. A decision was taken in the 1950s that ploughing of the downland had reduced its potential for recreational use, and AONBs were created instead.[3]

The establishment of a National Park in the South Downs received support from the government in September 1999 and the Countryside Agency made an Order to designating the proposed park in January 2003 which was submitted to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 27 January 2003. Land near Arundel, previously proposed for a bypass was added to the proposed area for the national park in January 2004, after the Secretary of State for Transport decided not to proceed with the bypass.

As a result of objections and representations received on the proposed Order, a public inquiry was conducted between 10 November 2003 and 23 March 2005[4] with the aim of recommending to Government whether a National Park should be confirmed and, if so, where its boundaries should be. The results of the inquiry were expected by the end of 2005, but were delayed pending a legal issue arising from a High Court case challenging part of the Order designating the New Forest National Park.[5] Following an appeal on the High Court case and new legislation included in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, the South Downs Inquiry report was published on 31 March 2006. The Secretary of State has now invited objections and representations on new issues relating to the South Downs National Park. This consultation period runs from Monday 2 July to Monday 13 August 2007. In the light of responses received, the Secretary of State will decide whether it is appropriate to re-open the 2003/2005 public inquiry.[6]

References

  1. ^ South Downs from the Council for National Parks.
  2. ^ South Downs Briefing from the Council for National Parks, including map.
  3. ^ Landscape Protection - Proposed South Downs National Park from DEFRA.
  4. ^ South Downs National Park Inquiry from the Planning Inspectorate.
  5. ^ In February 2006, people with an interest in the outcome of the inquiry received a letter which said "...there will be a delay in the timetable for reaching a decision."
  6. ^ Defra - Proposed South Downs National Park, Further Public Consultation.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Downs_National_Park&oldid=166332054"