National park is now ready to 'open' in April
It's been more than 60 years in the making but the South Downs will finally officially become England's ninth and the UK's 14th national park.
After the announcement in March by Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, that he had agreed in principle to the South Downs becoming a national park, 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 the government in the same month.
The South Downs Campaign (SDC), is celebrating the removal of this last hurdle in the long and winding path of getting national park status for the South Downs.
Last week's announcement also revealed that Alice Holt Forest, near Bordon, will be included in the new national park boundary.
The SDC now wants to see swift action to ensure that the new national park authority is given all the help it needs to make it a success.
Robin Crane, chairman of the SDC, said: "Today is a fantastic and historic day. It's the final milestone on the long path to a South Downs National Park.
"The Downs will now have the protection and recognition that this landscape so richly deserves."
He added: "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. Overall, we are delighted and look forward to working with our partners to ensure that the new National Park Authority (NPA) will be a great success."
The NPA will be set up on April 1, 2010, and will assume its full responsibilities for planning development on April 1, 2011.
David Williamson, forest management director of the Forestry Commission in the South-East, said: "We are delighted with this news. It will bring huge benefits for Alice Holt Forest and we can also take a key role in developing the profile of the national park and the riches it has to offer.
"We have a breadth and depth of experience in managing larger-scale landscapes to bring benefit to nature and wildlife, local communities and their economy, so we are running parallel with the objectives of the new national park already."
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Weather for Bognor
Sunday 05 February 2012
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